Royal Mail partners with Movopack for returnable e-commerce packaging

The Royal Mail postal system is adopting Movopack’s returnable packaging solution – believed to cut CO2 emissions by 84% compared to single-use packaging – following a £2 million (€2,402,070) funding round.

While standard e-commerce packaging is typically made from single-use cardboard with 70% recycled content, Movopack’s solution utilizes rPET sourced from recycled plastic bottles and woven recycled polypropylene. Designed to withstand postal handling and up to twenty reuses by retailers, the pack’s maximum lifespan is said to reduce CO2 emissions by 84%, energy consumption by 80%, and water consumption by 76%, according to a Life Cycle Assessment from Life Cycle Engineering.

As it launches in the UK, consumers are encouraged to return their reusable packs to any of the 115,000 postboxes across the country. This convenient and ‘seamless’ process is expected to help retailers embrace Movopack’s circularity-minded solution.

In turn, a wider transition into returnable packaging hopes to reduce the estimated figure of 1.7 billion pieces of plastic discarded in the UK every week, as well as align with the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation’s expectation that 10% of e-commerce packaging is reusable by 2030.

Movopack’s packaging is described as cost-effective and can be customized to fit individual companies’ branding.

The seed funding round was led by early-stage investor 360 Capital and saw Greiner Innoventures and Techstars contribute to the final figure.

“This funding round demonstrates the growing enthusiasm for Movopack’s potential to transform the e-commerce industry with sustainable, circular packaging solutions,” comments Tomaso Torriani, CEO and co-founder of Movopack. “We’re particularly excited about this investment as it enables us to launch in the UK at a time when the demand for sustainable solutions has never been stronger.

“Consumers and brands alike are seeking impactful ways to contribute to a world where societies and economies can grow and thrive without compromising the environment – and we are here to meet that need. At Movopack, we’re working on making sustainability not just an option, but a standard in e-commerce.”

Lucrezia Lucotti, Partner at 360 Capital, continues: “To date, sustainable packaging for e-commerce has garnered growing attention; however, it continues to be marked by fragmentation, and, notably, a lack of digital integration.

“We are backing the movement to make e-commerce more sustainable through our investment in Movopack’s returnable e-commerce packaging. As they launch in the UK, we believe Movopack is perfectly positioned to lead the charge in transforming how brands implement sustainable practices, and we are glad to support their mission.”

“Our investment in Movopack reflects our commitment to driving innovation within the packaging industry, particularly in offering sustainable approaches,” adds Lukas Seemann, senior investment manager of Greiner Innoventures. “By supporting Movopack, we are investing in a promising startup dedicated to reusable packaging solutions, which aligns with our strategic focus on circular economy initiatives.”

In another collaboration, Movopack recently worked with the children’s clothing brand Brave Kid to deliver online orders in reusable packaging and potentially lower CO2 emissions by 75%. Customized with the tagline “Be a BRAVE KID too! Send back the packaging”, the new solution hopes to encourage sustainability-minded behaviour in young consumers.

This year’s Amazon Sustainability Accelerator has also promised start-ups a potential investment of up to £2 million for their innovations. Potential recipients include reusable packaging providers Hipli and Re-Zip, who are collectively expected to ship nearly 100,000 orders across France, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg and Austria.

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