The idea and goal of Innoredux is to collaboratively develop and implement packaging solutions for the retail sector together with partners from the corporate and municipal spheres as well as associations in a real world laboratory.

Both bricks and mortar and online retailing are considered.

The retail plays a key role in the sustainable design of value chains as they represent the link between manufacturers and consumers and hereby have the ability to influence them. In this framework, the municipalities adopt the role of supporters with the aim of addressing potential measures and consolidating existing trends.

The research team will focus on answering the following questions:

• Which business models for the reduction of plastic waste exist already?
• Which packaging innovations are already in use and which are promising?
• How can these be categorised?
• How can innovative sustainable approaches overcome the niche sector and find wider application?

To analyse these questions, carefully selected product examples from the following product categories will be examined:

• Food
• Textiles
• Office Supplies
• Cosmetics, hygiene products, detergents and cleaning agents.

With the help of environmental life cycle assessments as well as social and economic analyses of the innovations, the best practices of the respective industries, which lead to less waste in the area of sales and delivery packaging as well as transport and storage packaging, will be identified.

The results will be made available in the first quarter of 2022 as a checklist for companies and a guideline for municipalities. The aim is to encourage retailers and the associated value chains to implement packaging-reducing innovations and thus, offering consumers practicable alternatives to conventional packaging.