Returnity clients that have switched to The Last Box will eliminate the use of nearly 4 million cardboard boxes and 24 million feet of packing tape in 2023. Even more exciting are the retailers that have started their Last Box integration with an eye on 2024; we expect our boxes to replace over 10 million single-use boxes next year.

I keep a secret database of “Shiny Happy Reuse” Instagram Reels. You know the one; a consumer gets their ecomm delivery in a reusable shipping bag, or their to-go meal in a reusable takeout container. Peppy music in the background, young, hip, well dressed customers so appreciative of the brand taking this step to help the planet. And look at how easy it is!

Some of the original reuse initiatives have been in the market for five to ten years and longer. If those approaches haven’t yet crossed a baseline reuse-rate threshold, then all stakeholders, including the media, public, and reuse companies themselves, should have a frank dialogue around what it will take to get there, and use the simple and transparent metrics necessary to make that determination.

There is still a tendency for startups - and the media - to make breathless declarations about the “future of packaging” that presume step-function changes to behavior and infrastructure.