Reusable parcels: how they work, what they cost, how they come back

A reusable parcel is shipping packaging designed to make several journeys: it is delivered, emptied, handed back, inspected, then put back into stock for a new order instead of being thrown away after a single shipment. In 2024, 1.7 billion parcels were delivered in France or exported according to ARCEP, the French postal regulator, and most of them traveled in packaging that is used only once. This guide answers the questions an online retailer asks before getting started: what the term covers, how the loop works, what it costs, and what makes it hold together.

Reusable or “réemployable”: the exact word

In everyday French, people talk about a “colis réutilisable”, a reusable parcel. French law talks about “réemploi” (reuse). The French Environmental Code (article L541-1-1) reserves that word for a product that is used again for the same purpose without ever becoming waste, which is exactly what happens to a parcel that returns to the warehouse and goes out again. “Réutilisation” (reutilization) means something else: an item that was first discarded, then restored.

The distinction goes beyond vocabulary. The targets set by France's AGEC law apply to reused packaging, not to reutilization or recycling. In a specification or a declaration, “réemployable” is therefore the exact French term. In this article, both words refer to the same object. The difference between these statuses is explained on the Understanding reuse page.

How a reusable parcel works

The principle comes down to a loop. Here is the journey as MOBIUSpack runs it for its e-commerce customers:

1. In the cart. Reuse can be offered to the customer as a delivery method. This step is recommended, not required.
2. Delivery. The parcel leaves closed with a seal, with no tape. Any opening is visible.
3. Opening. The customer pulls the tab on the seal, no scissors needed.
4. Return. They drop the empty packaging off at the store or pickup-point counter, free of charge. A QR code guides them.
5. Reconditioning. The packaging is received, sorted, inspected and restored, then goes back into stock for a new shipment.

The detail of each step, on the warehouse side and on the customer side, is on the E-commerce page.

Flexible or rigid: which formats

A reusable parcel is not necessarily a mailer bag. There are flexible formats and rigid formats, from XS to large, and the choice depends first on the product being shipped. The material depends on the expected return rate: MOBIUSpack uses cardboard when fewer than 80% of the packaging comes back, and honeycomb polypropylene above that. Very sturdy packaging that does not come back often enough pays back neither its cost nor its impact.

Two design details matter as much as the material. Closing has to work without tape or tools, so that order preparation is not slowed down. And the shipping label has to come off without leaving a trace, otherwise every rotation adds a cleaning operation.

The return rate, the variable that decides everything

Packaging that does not come back is disposable packaging bought at a premium. The whole model therefore rests on the return rate, which depends mostly on the delivery channel. The pilots run by MOBIUSpack give the following orders of magnitude:

The gap has a simple explanation: in a store or at a pickup point, the customer hands the packaging back where they collect their order, with no dedicated trip. In the survey of customers from the pickup-point pilot, 76% of respondents say they returned the packaging, and 82% of them did so on the spot.

These levels can be set against industry benchmarks. A Zero Waste Europe study recommends aiming for a return rate of at least 60% after three years of operation and an average of 10 rotations before the packaging reaches end of life. Below that, the advantage of reusable packaging shrinks. How to measure this rate without overestimating it is explained in our article on proving the return rate.

What a reusable parcel costs

The purchase price says almost nothing. A reusable parcel costs more to produce than a cardboard box, but that cost is divided by the number of journeys actually made. The calculation comes down to three items:

• the purchase, divided by the number of actual rotations;
• return logistics, per cycle;
• restoring the packaging, per cycle.

As an illustration, packaging bought for 5 euros that completes 50 rotations comes to 10 cents per shipment for the purchase share. If it completes only 10, the same share rises to 50 cents. On the other side, cardboard is not free either: adding void fill, tape and the label, e-commerce logistics professionals put the full consumable at between 40 cents and 1.20 euros per shipment. These are orders of magnitude from commercial sources, to be recalculated with your own volumes.

The most underestimated item is the return. It stays reasonable when it relies on journeys that already exist, such as the round that serves a pickup point, and it soars when a dedicated round has to be created. The full calculation is detailed in our comparison with single-use cardboard.

What the regulations say

Two texts push in the same direction. In France, the AGEC law and its implementing decree of April 8, 2022 require companies placing packaging on the market to reach a minimum share of reused packaging, on a trajectory that rises to 10% in 2027. In Europe, the PPWR regulation applies from August 12, 2026. Among other things, it requires the compliance documentation for reusable packaging to be kept for ten years, and it will cap empty space in distance-selling parcels at 50% from 2030.

These obligations do not apply to every company in the same way. Thresholds and exceptions are detailed in our articles on the AGEC law and on the PPWR regulation.

Where to start

A reusable parcel project runs in four stages: scoping the flows and volumes, a measured pilot on a limited perimeter, a gradual ramp-up, then rollout. The pilot is there to measure the real return rate with your own customers before investing in a packaging fleet.

Part of the project can be co-funded. France's eco-organizations open calls for projects that support studies, trials and investments related to reuse, subject to approval of the application. The overview is in our article on Citeo's schemes.

To scope a pilot on your flows, the E-commerce page presents the service and lets you book a meeting.

← All articles