VYTAL: the first digital reusable system for Take Away

Today, the kitchen stays cold: if you don't feel like cooking, you simply have something delivered. However, the meals often come in disposable packaging that only has a short lifespan. This bothered the founders of VYTAL, who developed a deposit-free reusable system. They prove that plastic and sustainability are not necessarily mutually exclusive.

In an interview with K-MAG, Dr. Tim Breker talks about the digital reusable system, why the containers improve the eco-balance and what incentive VYTAL offers its customers.

Dr. Breker, how did you come up with the idea for your reusable packaging system?

Dr. Tim Breker: We three founders used to work in business consulting. Eating lunch with the team at the office was common practice. All the waste from the single-use takeout containers really bothered us and we decided there must be a better way. A reusable system was the obvious choice. It was important to us to come up with a convenient solution. This is how VYTAL was born: we created the first digital reusable packaging-as-a-service solution for takeout, delivery, and convenience food – deposit-free using the VYTAL app.

What material do you use for the packaging and why this one in particular? Is sustainability also a factor in production?

Breker: VYTAL is currently collaborating with two European manufacturers. The Dutch company Mepal BV is the better-known of the two. VYTAL's reusable packaging system uses three sizes of the existing Cirqula set and adds its own color scheme and logo. The personal QR code of the Vytal bowl is a key component of the system and is affixed by a sheltered workshop that employs people with disabilities.

The VYTAL bowls are made of plastic polypropylene, which is easily recyclable. They are BPA-free, leak-proof, insulating and heat-retaining. You can use them in the microwave (without the lid), in the freezer and they are dishwasher safe. We emphasize a simple design because the food of our partners is the ultimate star in this setting. Our bowls are designed to easily blend into restaurants, workplace cafeterias or supermarket venues.

Each VYTAL bowl can be used at least 200 times and has a positive eco-balance after the tenth use, outperforming disposable single-use tableware. Over its life cycle, the Vytal bowl saves up to 30 kilos of carbon emissions. And the most important aspect: unlike deposit return schemes, the VYTAL system achieves a 99 percent return rate – this ensures that the reusable bowls have a positive impact on the environment and don't just end up in the cupboard.

The sooner a reusable container is returned, the more single-use packaging can be avoided. Since consumers get the full deposit back in a deposit return scheme whether they return the container on the same day or in two years (provided the vendor still exists), returns have no urgency and don’t make it to the top of the consumer "to-do-list". As a result, reusable containers start to pile up in the cupboard, which means more containers have to be produced to meet demand. We give customers 14 days to return the container free of charge, prompting 99 percent of our #bowlswithbenefits to cycle back into the system on time.

Reusable containers require more resources in production compared to disposable products, which is why they must be reused multiple times to effectively save natural resources and protect the environment. Deposit/return systems depend on the principle of hope, because you cannot measure the number of uses per container. With the VYTAL system, using a personal QR code and name on the bowls is not just fun, it also allows you to measure the environmental impact. Every VYTAL reusable system participant knows how much carbon emissions he has saved.

Your homepage mentions a "digital reusable packaging system" and "gamification" – what do you mean by that?

Breker: Measuring the environmental benefit allows us to present "badges" and "awards" to system participants who drastically cut down on disposable waste or support the system in other ways, for example, by returning reusable containers to restaurant operators that need them the most. We use gamification to optimize the efficiency of our reusable packaging system and subsequently maximize the environmental benefits.

For many, there are negative connotations to the term 'plastic' as it pertains to environmental sustainability. How do you want to prove them wrong with your system? In other words, how can you rebuild the "good reputation" of plastic?

Breker: At VYTAL, we primarily show that when it comes to reusable products, sustainability and convenience are not mutually exclusive. Our reusable plastic containers are an essential aspect of this since they offer users higher quality reusable packaging and more functionality compared to disposable packaging. Digital reusable packaging systems like VYTAL can make a key contribution to ensuring that high-quality reusable plastic packaging is recognized and appreciated as a highly sustainable packaging option.

What are your future plans and goals for your system? What are the next steps for your company?

Breker: Who likes to eat from trash containers? You'd think nobody is up for that. Yet we have actually gotten used to it thanks to takeout and food deliveries. The production of disposable food packaging uses a lot of resources, but containers are only used 30 to 60 minutes before they end up in the trash. At best, they end up in waste incinerators, but in the worst-case scenario, they end up in nature.

To prevent this from happening, we want to expand our assortment of reusable options and add sushi and pizza packaging and reusable packaging for convenience food. We are very fortunate that we have a distinct location advantage in Germany in a global comparison: We want to leverage decades of German consumer experience with reusable packaging to reduce packaging waste on a global scale. If we dare to dream, VYTAL will become THE operating system for no-deposit reusable packaging in five years and Germany’s top export worldwide.