Reusable packaging systems for restaurants and delivery services: A study of consumer preferences and adoption barriers

Polle, Ma eike
A icle
Reusable packaging sys ems o es au an s and deli e y
se ices: A s udy o consume p e e ences and adop ion
ba ie s
Junio Managemen Science (JUMS)
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Sugges ed Ci a ion: Polle, Ma eike (2024) : Reusable packaging sys ems o es au an s and deli e y
se ices: A s udy o consume p e e ences and adop ion ba ie s, Junio Managemen Science
(JUMS), ISSN 2942-1861, Junio Managemen Science e. V., Planegg, Vol. 9, Iss. 4, pp. 1994-2023,
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Junio Managemen Science 9(4) (2024) 1994-2023
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ISSN: 2942-1861
Edi o :
DOMINIK VAN AAKEN
Ad iso y Edi o ial Boa d:
FREDERIK AHLEMANN
JAN-PHILIPP AHRENS
THOMAS BAHLINGER
MARKUS BECKMANN
CHRISTOPH BODE
SULEIKA BORT
ROLF BRÜHL
KATRIN BURMEISTER-LAMP
CATHERINE CLEOPHAS
NILS CRASSELT
BENEDIKT DOWNAR
RALF ELSAS
KERSTIN FEHRE
MATTHIAS FINK
DAVID FLORYSIAK
GUNTHER FRIEDL
MARTIN FRIESL
FRANZ FUERST
WOLFGANG GÜTTEL
NINA KATRIN HANSEN
ANNE KATARINA HEIDER
CHRISTIAN HOFMANN
SVEN HÖRNER
KATJA HUTTER
LUTZ JOHANNING
STEPHAN KAISER
NADINE KAMMERLANDER
ALFRED KIESER
NATALIA KLIEWER
DODO ZU KNYPHAUSEN-AUFSESS
SABINE T. KÖSZEGI
ARJAN KOZICA
CHRISTIAN KOZIOL
MARTIN KREEB
TOBIAS KRETSCHMER
WERNER KUNZ
HANS-ULRICH KÜPPER
MICHAEL MEYER
JÜRGEN MÜHLBACHER
GORDON MÜLLER-SEITZ
J. PETER MURMANN
ANDREAS OSTERMAIER
BURKHARD PEDELL
MARCEL PROKOPCZUK
TANJA RABL
SASCHA RAITHEL
NICOLE RATZINGER-SAKEL
ASTRID REICHEL
KATJA ROST
THOMAS RUSSACK
FLORIAN SAHLING
MARKO SARSTEDT
ANDREAS G. SCHERER
STEFAN SCHMID
UTE SCHMIEL
CHRISTIAN SCHMITZ
MARTIN SCHNEIDER
MARKUS SCHOLZ
LARS SCHWEIZER
DAVID SEIDL
THORSTEN SELLHORN
STEFAN SEURING
VIOLETTA SPLITTER
ANDREAS SUCHANEK
TILL TALAULICAR
ANN TANK
ORESTIS TERZIDIS
ANJA TUSCHKE
MATTHIAS UHL
CHRISTINE VALLASTER
PATRICK VELTE
CHRISTIAN VÖGTLIN
STEPHAN WAGNER
BARBARA E. WEISSENBERGER
ISABELL M. WELPE
HANNES WINNER
THOMAS WRONA
THOMAS ZWICK
Volume 9, Issue 4, Decembe 2024
JUNIOR
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Aline Isabelle Lanz a h,The Daugh e E ec : Does Raising
Daugh e s In luence Fa he s' Gende -Rela ed
A i udes in he Wo kplace?
Sa a Luisa Nussbaum, Women in Leade ship Posi ions and
Fi m Inno a ion: A e The e Di e ences Be ween
Coun ies?
Julian F ied ich Joswowi z, Spi zede , Schmide , Ma salek:
Wha Role Does he Human Fac o Play in Accoun ing
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Nicolas on Bodman, The Impac o P ospec us Language on
IPO Unde p icing: A Tex ual Analysis o Eu opean IPOs
Juan Diego Ma inez, Impac o he Eu opean Ca bon Bo de
Adjus men Mechanism (CBAM) on he Ge man
Indus y
Ma eike Polle, Reusable Packaging Sys ems o Res au an s
and Deli e y Se ices: A S udy o Consume
P e e ences and Adop ion Ba ie s o P omo e Public
Accep ance in Ge many
Niklas Thomas S a z, Road o a Bioeconomy in he Eu opean
Union: Mapping D i e s o P ecision Fe men a ion
Adop ion
Elisa Schul e genann Kulkmann, In he Eye o he Beholde :
Examining he Role o Dynamic Capabili ies, Indus y
Dynamics, and In e nal Knowledge Sha ing in
S a egis s' En y Decisions
Saskia Hahn, De elopmen o a P ocess Model o Mission-
D i en Co po a e Reb anding
Jakob Phillip Kla , A Cos -E ec i e Fu u e o Elec ici y
S o age - An Examina ion o LCOS S udies on
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ISSN: 2942-1861
Reusable Packaging Sys ems o Res au an s and Deli e y Se ices: A S udy o
Consume P e e ences and Adop ion Ba ie s o P omo e Public Accep ance in
Ge many
Ma eike Polle
Kühne Logis ics Uni e si y - The KLU
Abs ac
Ge many, he EU’s op plas ic was e con ibu o , sees ising demand o single-use packaging, especially in co ee- o-go, ake-
away, and ood deli e y. To p omo e a sus ainable ci cula economy, Ge many amended i s packaging law in 2023, manda ing
gas onomic businesses o o e eusable packaging al e na i es. Howe e , consume accep ance o eusable packaging sys ems
(RPSs), c ucial o success, is ela i ely unexplo ed. This s udy examines d i e s and ba ie s o RPS adop ion in Ge many,
o e ing ecommenda ions o imp o emen . I includes a li e a u e e iew, ma ke esea ch, and a ep esen a i e online su -
ey o 405 pa icipan s. A bina y logis ic eg ession model iden i ied key adop ion ac o s. Sus ainabili y- ocused in insic
mo i a ions we e ound o d i e accep ance, while ime and e o o e u n packaging pose signi ican ba ie s. O e all, he
indings emphasize he impo ance o p io i izing bo h sus ainabili y and con enience in he design o RPSs o p omo e con-
sume adop ion. These insigh s can guide gas onomic businesses, pool sys em p o ide s, and policymake s o imp o e RPS
design and implemen a ion, os e ing public accep ance and adop ion in Ge many.
Keywo ds: ci cula economy; consume accep ance; gas onomic indus y; eusable packaging sys em (RPS); sus ainabili y
1. In oduc ion
Agains he backd op o clima e change, sus ainabili y has
become a key issue on poli ical agendas wo ldwide. One ele-
men o coun e ac global wa ming is he educ ion o plas ic
was e which poses a se ious h ea o he en i onmen . No
only because i s combus ion con ibu es o he g eenhouse
gas e ec bu also because i s imp ope disposal pollu es land
and wa e which has a d ama ic impac on he wo ld’s ecosys-
em (Acco si e al., 2014; B adley & Co sini, 2023; Kelle e
al., 2021; Long e al., 2022; Njoku & Edokpayi, 2019; Singh
e al., 2016; Tan e al., 2023).
I would like o ake his oppo uni y o exp ess my since e app ecia ion
o my supe iso P o . D . Alexa Bu mes e o he unwa e ing suppo ,
in aluable guidance, and in ellec ual con ibu ions h oughou he de el-
opmen o his mas e hesis. He expe ise and dedica ion ha e signi i-
can ly en iched he quali y o his esea ch, and I am deeply g a e ul o
he men o ship.
A la ge sou ce o plas ic was e is gene a ed om packag-
ing whe e plas ic has unpa alleled bene i s due o i s chem-
ical and physical cha ac e is ics (E ode e al., 2021). In he
Eu opean Union alone, he was e o plas ic packaging is p o-
jec ed o double be ween 2019 and 2060 (OECD, 2022) wi h
Ge many aking by a he lead in he annual gene a ion o
plas ic was e (Eu os a , 2019). One eason o his is he de-
mand o single-use packaging in he con ex o akeaways
and deli e y se ices ha is immedia ely disca ded a e use
(Tan e al., 2023). Acco ding o he Be lin Consume s’ O ice,
Ge man ci izens a e accoun able o a subs an ial 770 ons o
plas ic was e gene a ed daily h ough he u iliza ion o ake-
away packaging o ood and be e ages (Ve b auche zen-
ale Be lin, 2022). On op o his, he e is an escala ing
demand o online ood deli e ies om pla o ms o es au-
an s which is almos wice as high in 2023 compa ed o 2017
(S a is a, 2020).
DOI: h ps://doi.o g/10.5282/jums/ 9i4pp1994-2023
© The Au ho (s) 2024. Published by Junio Managemen Science.
This is an Open Access a icle dis ibu ed unde he e ms o he CC-BY-4.0
(A ibu ion 4.0 In e na ional). Open Access unding p o ided by ZBW.
M. Polle /Junio Managemen Science 9(4) (2024) 1994-2023 1995
To add ess he p oblem o plas ic was e gene a ed
h ough single use packaging in he gas onomic indus y,
he Ge man go e nmen has se o h an amendmen which
obliges gas onomic businesses o p o ide eusable packag-
ing as an al e na i e o single-use packaging e ec i e since
he beginning o 2023 (Bundes egie ung, 2022). The eby,
he eusable al e na i e mus be as accessible as he single-
use packaging which implies ha he p ice o ood pu -
chased in ei he packaging needs o be he same. To achie e
his, businesses canno jus sell he eusable packaging along
wi h he o de . Conside ing hei own p ice o pu chasing o
p oducing he eusable al e na i e, hey would ei he ha e o
inc ease he o e all p ice which leads o a loss o cus ome s
and p ice compe i i eness o make a losing ba gain. Ins ead,
hey a e challenged o come up wi h sma solu ions o he
implemen a ion o RPSs o become pa o one o he RPS
ne wo ks o e ed by s a ups in his ield.
Despi e he inancial penal y ha gas onomic businesses
ha e o pay i hey do no adhe e o he new amendmen
(Bußgeldka alog, 2023), only ew o hem p o ided eusable
al e na i es in he beginning o 2023. One o he easons is
he lack o awa eness bo h on he consume and p o ide side
ha a ises due o he no el y o he amendmen (Schus e &
Thü me , 2023). Ano he eason could be he unce ain y o
gas onomic businesses wi h ega ds o how and wha ype o
RPS hey can employ so ha i is easible and well accep ed
by cus ome s (NDR, 2023).
Howe e , esea ch in his a ea cu en ly p o ides li le
guidance. While he economics o such sys ems ha e p e-
iously been analyzed (Acco si e al., 2014; Bo olini e al.,
2018; B adley & Co sini, 2023; Coelho e al., 2020; Dembek,
2020; González-Boube a e al., 2018; R. Li e al., 2023; Lo -
house e al., 2009; Schue mann & Woo, 2022; Simoens e al.,
2022; Singh e al., 2016; Wang & Zhao, 2022), consume
p e e ences and beha io linked o he usage o RPS ha e
only been in es iga ed in he UK (G eenwood e al., 2021;
Lo house e al., 2009; Long e al., 2022), he Ne he lands
(Miao e al., 2022), Swi ze land (Do n & S öckli, 2018),
Sou h Ko ea (Schue mann & Woo, 2022), China (Jiang e
al., 2020) and Canada (E z e al., 2017). The p e e ences
o Ge man consume s who gene a e mos plas ic wi hin he
Eu opean Union emain unde explo ed wi h only wo s ud-
ies p o iding insigh s in o consume beha io owa ds RPSs
wi h ega ds o lock-in e ec s and he ansi ion o eusable
d inking cups (Kelle e al., 2021; Simoens e al., 2022).
To add ess he exis ing knowledge gap, his esea ch
p esen s a comp ehensi e examina ion o RPSs in Ge many.
The s udy encompasses an analysis o he poli ical con ex ,
p e alen ypes o RPSs, and he cu en ma ke landscape.
Addi ionally, he esea ch in es iga es Ge man consume s’
p e e ences o RPSs and he ba ie s hinde ing hei adop-
ion, aiming o o mula e in o med ecommenda ions o
designing such sys ems o achie e widesp ead public accep-
ance.
To achie e hese objec i es, an explo a o y app oach and
quan i a i e me hods we e employed in his s udy. Ini ially,
a sys ema ic li e a u e e iew was conduc ed o consolida e
ounda ional knowledge and summa ize he s a e-o - he-a
esea ch on RPSs in he gas onomic indus y. Subsequen ly,
ex ensi e esea ch was unde aken o assess he cu en s a-
us o RPSs in Ge many. Las ly, a ep esen a i e online su ey
was adminis e ed, and he da a we e analyzed using a bina y
logis ics eg ession model o explo e he ac o s in luencing
he adop ion o RPSs in he Ge man con ex .
I is an icipa ed ha he indings will be o heo e ical
as well as p ac ical ele ance. Theo e ically, his s udy ad-
ances he knowledge o how o imp o e RPSs in he gas-
onomic indus y o p omo e public accep ance. P ac ically,
he esea ch indings hold ele ance no only o gas onomic
businesses bu also o pool sys em p o ide s and policy mak-
e s. Gas onomic businesses and pool sys em p o ide s can
u ilize he insigh s o op imize hei cu en sys ems and o -
e ings, ailo ing hem o be e align wi h consume p e -
e ences and os e highe adop ion a es. Likewise, policy
make s can bene i om his esea ch as hey seek o enac
u u e legisla ion o d i e he adop ion o RPSs. By unde -
s anding he key d i e s and ba ie s iden i ied in his s udy,
policy make s can design and implemen mo e e ec i e and
consume -cen ic ini ia i es. This alignmen wi h consume
p e e ences will no only acili a e he accep ance o eusable
packaging bu also suppo he go e nmen ’s en i onmen al
agenda in comba ing clima e change and educing plas ic
was e in Ge many.
This hesis is o ganized as ollows: The second sec ion
encompasses he heo e ical amewo k, which commences
wi h an exhaus i e e iew o he exis ing li e a u e conce n-
ing RPSs in he con ex o he gas onomic indus y. This in-
ol es a comp ehensi e e alua ion o he o e all sus ainabil-
i y o RPSs, an o e iew o he a ious exis ing ypes, and an
examina ion o p io s udies on consume p e e ences. Fu -
he mo e, he sec ion del es in o he cu en s a e o RPSs in
Ge many, encompassing hei poli ical ele ance, a desc ip-
ion o he p edominan ypes o RPSs, and an analysis o he
RPS ma ke in he coun y. Mo ing o wa d, Sec ion 3 eluci-
da es he esea ch me hodology employed in his s udy, p o-
iding insigh s in o he app oach adop ed o in es iga e he
subjec ma e . Sec ion 4 o e s a comp ehensi e exposi ion
o he esea ch indings. I encompasses a me iculous exam-
ina ion and analysis o consume p e e ences and adop ion
ba ie s. The esul s a e u he discussed, and insigh ul de-
sign ecommenda ions a e p esen ed based on he ob ained
da a. The concluding Sec ion 5 p o ides a comp ehensi e
syn hesis o he s udy’s ou comes, highligh ing i s signi ican
con ibu ions o he ield. Addi ionally, he sec ion acknowl-
edges any encoun e ed limi a ions and o e s sugges ions o
u u e esea ch in his a ea.
2. Theo e ical Backg ound
This sec ion is di ided in o wo segmen s. Fi s ly, i p o-
ides a syn hesis o he li e a u e e iew indings, co e ing
he o igin and e olu ion o he RPS concep , an assessmen
o i s en i onmen al impac , and an explo a ion o he d i e s
and ba ie s a ec ing consume and economic adop ion. The
M. Polle /Junio Managemen Science 9(4) (2024) 1994-20231996
second pa o his sec ion ou lines he indings de i ed om
he ma ke esea ch. This includes an examina ion o he
cu en s a us o RPSs in Ge many, encompassing i s poli ical
signi icance and consume sen imen . Fu he mo e, he sec-
ion add esses he p e ailing ypes o RPSs in he ma ke and
analyzes he o e all ma ke con igu a ion.
2.1. Li e a u e Re iew
A sys ema ic li e a u e e iew was conduc ed o sum-
ma ize undamen al knowledge as well as s a e o he a
esea ch on RPSs wi h ocus on he gas onomic indus y.
O e all, he e iew is subjec o 50 a icles ha we e pub-
lished in academic jou nals. The a icles we e iden i ied us-
ing he da abases Scopus, Web o Science and Google Schola .
Gi en he cen al emphasis on RPSs in he gas onomic in-
dus y wi hin his s udy, he sea ch que y was c a ed o en-
compass ele an aspec s, employing he combined s ings:
"Reusable Packaging" and "Food," o "Be e ages," o "Take-
away," o "Deli e y Se ices," o “Gas onomy”, along wi h
"Reusable Cups." Subsequen ly, he esul s we e il e ed ac-
co ding o hei ele ance wi h espec o he esea ch opic.
In he nex s ep, he snowball me hod was applied in
which he ci a ions and e e ences o he mos insigh ul pa-
pe s we e analyzed o disco e mo e li e a u e ha is mean-
ing ul o his s udy. In he inal s ages, he collec ed li e a-
u e was o ganized in o clus e s based on c i e ia such as he
yea o publica ion, coun y o o igin, p edominan indus y
o s udy, and unde lying esea ch me hodologies employed,
he eby acili a ing a sys ema ic and cohe en analysis o he
in o ma ion acqui ed.
As a esul , wo no able aspec s eme ged ega ding he
composi ion and con en o he li e a u e body. Fi s ly, he
discou se su ounding RPSs has s ongly e ol ed o e he las
yea s (see Figu e 1). While esea ch on RPS da es back o
he p e ious cen u y, he opic gained conside able a en ion
om 2018 onwa ds, whe e he academic ou pu inc eased
om one o i e pape s published pe yea . In 2022, a global
op imum wi h 10 pape s pe yea was achie ed which high-
ligh s he ising impo ance o esea ch in his a ea, pa -
icula ly in he con ex o clima e change and he impe a-
i e o sus ainable solu ions. No ably, he pandemic-induced
su ge in ood deli e y du ing 2020 u he in ensi ied in e es
in his a ea due o he co esponding inc ease in single-use
packaging was e (Bi kom, 2020).
Secondly, a disce nible geog aphic dis ibu ion o e-
sea ch on RPSs is e iden , wi h Eu ope eme ging as he mos
p og essi e con inen in his ield. Nea ly 60% o all pape s
selec ed o his e iew ocus on RPSs in Eu ope, while No h
Ame ica and Asia accoun o 18% and 16% o he esea ch,
espec i ely (see Figu e 2). Wi hin Eu ope, he Uni ed King-
dom s ands as he p ima y locus o RPSs esea ch in he
gas onomic indus y, ollowed by I aly. Among he limi ed
s udies on RPSs in Ge many, wo no ewo hy con ibu ions
p o ide insigh s in o consume beha io . Simoens e al.
(2022) o e a socio- echnical analysis o sys emic lock-in
e ec s, while Kelle e al. (2021) in es iga e he key ac o s
in luencing consume s’ ansi ion om single-use o eusable
d inking cups.
2.1.1. O igin and E olu ion o Reusable Packaging Sys ems
P oduc packaging plays a i al ole in e icien s o -
age, p o ec ion, hygiene, and dis ibu ion o goods (Rundh
(2005) as ci ed in Miao e al. (2022)). Al hough he concep
o euse is no new, wi h e idence o epai and econdi ion-
ing p ac ices da ing back o ancien imes (Mu anko e al.,
2021), he adop ion o eusable packaging in he business-
o-consume ma ke (B2C) has been limi ed. His o ically,
deposi sys ems o bo les and con aine s, such as hose
used o bee , so d inks, sp ing wa e , and dai y p oduc s,
ha e ep esen ed he majo B2C expe ience wi h eusable
packaging (Coelho e al., 2020).
O e he pas ew decades, he e has been a shi owa ds
single-use packaging which is designed o be used jus once
be o e being ecycled o disca ded, d i en by simpli ied lo-
gis ics o dis ibu o s and e aile s (Coelho e al., 2020).
Consume li es yles and p e e ences ha e also in luenced he
dominance o single-use packaging. Fac o s such as global-
iza ion, indi idualiza ion, and u baniza ion ha e led o an
inc eased demand o as -mo ing and con enien p oduc s
which p edominan ly u ilize single-use packaging. Especially
in Ge many, demog aphic shi s such as he aging popula ion
and smalle households emphasize he impo ance o con e-
nien and ligh weigh packaging as well as smalle po ion
packs (Coelho e al., 2020; Simoens e al., 2022). Acco ding
o E z e al. (2017), hese p e e ences c ea e beha io al lock-
in mechanisms ha ein o ce he use o single-use packaging
o e eusable al e na i es.
Nowadays howe e , he e is a g owing conce n o en i-
onmen al sus ainabili y. In he e o o s op clima e change
and p ese e he plane , consume s ealize he nega i e e -
ec s o hei consump ion habi s and seek less was e ul and
mo e eco- iendly packaging solu ions. As a esul , eusable
packaging egained p ominence. This is pa icula ly ue o
Ge many. In his s udy He bes e al. (2018) ound ha Ge -
mans, unlike people om he US o F ance, conside eusable
packaging as he mos en i onmen ally iendly op ion e en
be o e ecyclable and biodeg adable packaging. Acco ding
o he au ho , he p e alence o eusabili y among Ge man
consume s can be a ibu ed o he widesp ead adop ion o
he e u nable bo le sys em. In 2015, eusable packaging
accoun ed o 44% o he o al be e ages sold (Umwel bun-
desam (2020), as ci ed in He bes e al. (2018)).
The concep o eusable packaging en ails he use o pack-
aging ma e ials o componen s ha a e speci ically designed
o mul iple ips o o a ions wi hin a sys em o euse (In-
e na ional O ganiza ion o S anda diza ion (2013) as ci ed
in Miao e al. (2022)). In li e a u e, he e a e wo ypes o
RPSs. The i s ype is known as e u nable packaging sys-
ems, whe ein he businesses ha p o ide he packaging un-
de ake he esponsibili y cleaning and e illing. The second
ype is e e ed o as e illable packaging sys ems, in which
consume s ake ca e o he cleaning and e illing hemsel es
(G eenwood e al., 2021; Mu anko e al., 2021). In his
M. Polle /Junio Managemen Science 9(4) (2024) 1994-2023 1997
Figu e 1: F equency o Publishing Figu e 2: Geog aphic Dis ibu ion o Resea ch
s udy, RPSs a e de ined as e u nable packaging sys ems in
which he ood businesses manage he p o ision, cleaning,
and e ill.
2.1.2. En i onmen al Impac o Reusable Packaging Sys ems
Compa a i e s udies on sus ainable packaging ha e
yielded con lic ing esul s ega ding he en i onmen al su-
pe io i y o eusable e sus disposable packaging. While
eusable packaging is widely ecognized as a mo e sus ain-
able al e na i e o single-use packaging, he e a e se e al
s udies s essing he ade-o s ha need o be conside ed
in he design o RPSs o le e age he en i onmen al ben-
e i s. Al hough hese s udies examine ood and be e age
packaging wi hin simila sys em bounda ies, hey di e in
he speci ic ypes o packaging and hei usage con ex s, as
well as supply chain con igu a ions such as anspo a ion
dis ances, he numbe o euse cycles, and ecycling a es
(Pålsson & Olsson, 2023). Taken his in o accoun , Pålsson
and Olsson (2023) ound, ha o akeaway he e is ei he a
p e e ence o eusable packaging, o he e is no disce nible
en i onmen al impac di e ence be ween disposable and
eusable packaging. Simila ly, a s udy by Gallego-Schmid
e al. (2019) showed ha eusable ood con aine s may ex-
hibi highe ene gy consump ion du ing hei p oduc ion,
anspo a ion, and cleaning. Consequen ly, he assessmen
o he sus ainabili y o eusable and single-use packaging
necessi a es a comp ehensi e sys ems app oach, conside -
ing a ious ac o s. Nume ous li e cycle s udies ha e been
conduc ed o analyse he sus ainabili y o eusable e sus
disposable packaging.
Li e cycle assessmen s (LCAs) encompass a ious ac-
o s, such as aw ma e ial p oduc ion, ene gy consump-
ion, anspo a ion, euse cycles, and end-o -li e scena ios.
These assessmen s consis en ly show ha eusable pack-
aging has a lowe o e all en i onmen al impac compa ed
o single-use packaging. Fo ins ance, Gallego-Schmid e
al. (2019) conduc ed an LCA compa ing single-use alu-
minium, polyp opylene, and expanded polys y ene con ain-
e s o eusable polyp opylene con aine s. While polys y ene
con aine s exhibi ed lowe impac ac oss some ca ego ies
due o educed ma e ial olume and p ocessing ene gy, hei
negligible ecycling a es, poo cos e ec i eness, and nega-
i e implica ions as ma ine li e con ibu e o hei o e all
en i onmen al d awback. O e all, his indings sugges ha
eusable polyp opylene con aine s a e he bes op ion unde
he condi ion ha hey a e eused a leas 3 o 39 imes.
In his case, he ini ial ma e ial and ene gy consump ion
needed o p oduc ion a e ou weighed by he esou ces and
ene gy ha can be sa ed. In line wi h he a o emen ioned
indings, s udies show ha he bene i s o eusable packaging
ex end h oughou i s li e cycle s ages. Reusable con aine s
ha e been ound o educe g eenhouse gas emissions by up
o 93% and embodied ene gy by up o 91% o e a li espan
o 360 days (Baumann e al. (2018), as ci ed in Schue mann
and Woo (2022)). Mo eo e , he en i onmen al impac s o
ood deli e y p edominan ly s em om packaging p oduc-
ion (45%) and disposal (50%), emphasizing he subs an ial
po en ial o sus ainabili y imp o emen s in packaging de-
sign (C. Li and Mi osa (2020), as ci ed in Schue mann and
Woo (2022)). By adop ing RPSs, he nega i e en i onmen al
consequences associa ed wi h land ills, such as ai pollu ion
and disease ansmission, can be alle ia ed (Njoku and Edok-
payi (2019), as ci ed in Schue mann and Woo (2022)).
To op imize he en i onmen al pe o mance o eusable
packaging, i is impo an o conside ac o s such as ans-
po dis ances, e u n a es, so ing and cleaning p ocesses,
main enance, and p oduc damage. These ac o s signi i-
can ly in luence he economic and en i onmen al iabili y o
RPSs (B adley & Co sini, 2023; Coelho e al., 2020; Dubiel,
1996; G eenwood e al., 2021; Mahmoudi & Pa iziom an,
2020; Simoens e al., 2022). By implemen ing e icien e-
u n models ha inco po a e ecycled ma e ials, ecyclable
designs, and op imized logis ics, he en i onmen al bene i s
o eusable packaging can be u he enhanced (G eenwood
e al., 2021).
In conclusion, he e idence om li e cycle s udies sup-
po s he asse ion ha eusable packaging is a mo e sus ain-
able op ion compa ed o single-use packaging. Despi e ade-
o s, such as inc eased ene gy usage du ing speci ic s ages,
he educ ion in was e, g eenhouse gas emissions, and en-
e gy consump ion achie ed h ough eusable packaging ou -
weighs hese d awbacks. Only by adop ing comp ehensi e

M. Polle /Junio Managemen Science 9(4) (2024) 1994-20231998
s a egies ha p io i ize ecycling, op imize logis ics, and in-
co po a e ecycled ma e ials, he en i onmen al ad an ages
o eusable packaging can be maximized. Mo eo e , i is es-
sen ial o ecognize ha he success ul implemen a ion o
eusable packaging solu ions hinges upon he c ucial ac o
o consume accep ance. The e o e, his s udy explo es con-
sume p e e ences and iden i ies he ba ie s o adop ion,
aiming o p o ide in o med ecommenda ions o he design
and implemen a ion o RPSs ha e ec i ely maximize con-
sume accep ance and pa e he way o a mo e sus ainable
u u e.
2.1.3. D i e s and Ba ie s o he adop ion o Reusable Pack-
aging Sys ems om an Economic Pe spec i e
The adop ion o RPSs in he gas onomic indus y holds
he p omise o economic ad an ages. Howe e , he success-
ul implemen a ion o such sys ems equi es ca e ul consid-
e a ion o se e al ac o s ha may impac hei easibili y
and e ec i eness in o e ing ood and be e ages in eusable
packaging. This sec ion o he li e a u e e iew aims o sum-
ma ize he key d i e s and ba ie s ha in luence he accep-
ance and u iliza ion o RPSs in he gas onomic sec o s a -
ing wi h he d i e s as summa ized in Table 1.
Fi s ly, one no able ad an age o RPSs o e single-use
packaging lies in he po en ial o long- e m cos sa ings.
(Coelho e al., 2020; Co a a a e al., 2019; Dubiel, 1996;
Gallego-Schmid e al., 2019; González-Boube a e al., 2018;
Hi e al., 2023; Jiang e al., 2020; Kunamaneni e al., 2019;
R. Li e al., 2023; Lo house e al., 2009; Schue mann & Woo,
2022; Wang & Zhao, 2022). While he ini ial in es men in
eusable con aine s is conside ably highe (Hi e al., 2023;
Wang & Zhao, 2022), he elimina ion o equen pu chases
o single-use packaging can o se hese cos s (Co a a a e
al., 2019; Gallego-Schmid e al., 2019; Jiang e al., 2020;
Lo house e al., 2009). In he con ex o Ge man businesses,
he applica ion o he Ex ended P oduce Responsibili y u -
he con ibu es o po en ial cos sa ings (Maye e al., 2019).
Unde his app oach, me chan s and manu ac u e s bea ull
esponsibili y o a p oduc ’s li ecycle, anging om i s design
o disposal and ecycling. As a esul , businesses in Ge many
a e obliga ed o co e he en i e cos o packaging was e dis-
posal. By adop ing RPSs, businesses can educe he inancial
bu den associa ed wi h was e managemen (Coelho e al.,
2020; Dubiel, 1996; Hi e al., 2023; Kunamaneni e al.,
2019; Lo house e al., 2009; Maye e al., 2019).
Ano he majo ad an age o RPSs o gas onomic busi-
nesses lies in hei abili y o signi ican ly educe ma e ial us-
age. By elimina ing he cons an need o he p oduc ion
and disposal o single-use packaging, businesses e ec i ely
educe hei eliance on i gin ma e ials, leading o a mini-
mized deple ion o esou ces (Acco si e al., 2022; Bo olini
e al., 2018; B adley & Co sini, 2023; Coelho e al., 2020;
E z e al., 2017; Gallego-Schmid e al., 2019; G eenwood e
al., 2021; Jiang e al., 2020; R. Li e al., 2023; Lo house e
al., 2009; Miao e al., 2022; Mu anko e al., 2021; Simoens
e al., 2022; Tan e al., 2023). This shi owa ds eusable
packaging aligns wi h he co e p inciples o a ci cula econ-
omy, whe e he ocus is on conse ing esou ces, minimizing
was e gene a ion, and p omo ing he ci cula ion o ma e i-
als o ex ended pe iods (Coelho e al., 2020; Co a a a e
al., 2019; Mu anko e al., 2021; Pålsson & Olsson, 2023;
Simoens & Leipold, 2021; Šuške iˇ
c˙
e & K uopien˙
e, 2021).
Fu he mo e, he conse a ion o esou ces achie ed h ough
he implemen a ion o RPSs con ibu es o o e all e iciency
and esilience. By educing he demand o aw ma e i-
als, hese sys ems help ensu e he long- e m a ailabili y o
esou ces while simul aneously dec easing dependency on
esou ce-in ensi e ex ac ion p ocesses (B adley & Co sini,
2023; Coelho e al., 2020; E z e al., 2017; Jiang e al., 2020;
Miao e al., 2022; Tan e al., 2023). E en ually, his no only
o e s economic bene i s bu also demons a es a commi -
men o sus ainable p ac ices and esponsible esou ce man-
agemen .
F om a ma ke ing pe spec i e, eusable packaging p o-
ides bene i s ha can enhance b and appeal and cus ome
engagemen . On he one hand side, eusable packaging al-
lows businesses o open up oppo uni ies o b and p oli e a-
ion, expanded ma ke ing s a egies and compe i i e ad an-
age based on he en i onmen al bene i s (B adley & Co sini,
2023; Coelho e al., 2020; Co a a a e al., 2019; He bes e
al., 2018; Lo house e al., 2009; Miao e al., 2022; Schue -
mann & Woo, 2022). On he o he hand side, he p o i-
sion o use - iendly RPSs can imp o e cus ome sa is ac ion
and loyal y (B adley & Co sini, 2023; Coelho e al., 2020;
Co a a a e al., 2019; Gallego-Schmid e al., 2019; Lo -
house e al., 2009; Schue mann & Woo, 2022). By u iliz-
ing digi ized pla o ms, businesses can u he ga he alu-
able insigh s in o consume p e e ences, pa e ns, and usage
habi s. The collec ed da a enables a deepe unde s anding
o consume beha io ela ed o he adop ion and u iliza-
ion o RPSs. Such insigh s can in o m s a egic decision-
making p ocesses and acili a e a ge ed imp o emen s o
he sys em’s unc ionali y and design (Lendal and Lindeblad
Wings and (2019), as ci ed in Schue mann and Woo (2022).
Howe e , as depic ed in Table 2, he adop ion o RPSs
also p esen s challenges o gas onomic businesses.
A p ima y economic impedimen o he adop ion o RPSs
is associa ed wi h addi ional cos s. Implemen ing RPSs en-
ails expenses ela ed o logis ics, cleaning, e u bishmen ,
and main enance (B adley & Co sini, 2023; Dubiel, 1996;
González-Boube a e al., 2018; Hi e al., 2023; Jiang e al.,
2020; R. Li e al., 2023; Lo house e al., 2009; Schue mann
& Woo, 2022; Simoens e al., 2022; Šuške iˇ
c˙
e & K uopien˙
e,
2021). The logis ics o managing a sys em ha in ol es he
collec ion, anspo a ion, and washing o eusable con ain-
e s can add complexi y and cos s o he o e all ope a ions.
Businesses need o in es in app op ia e cleaning equipmen
and p ocesses, e u bishing con aine s when necessa y, and
main aining an in en o y o eusable packaging. These ad-
di ional cos s can pose challenges o businesses, especially
hose wi h limi ed inancial esou ces, po en ially a ec ing
he easibili y and cos -e ec i eness o adop ing RPSs.
Pa icula ly in he gas onomic indus y, sa e y and hy-
giene conce ns ep esen impo an economic adop ion ba -
M. Polle /Junio Managemen Science 9(4) (2024) 1994-2023 1999
Table 1: Summa y o Economic D i e s de i ed om Li e a u e (Table de eloped by au ho )
Economic D i e s E idence in Li e a u e
Cos sa ings (e.g., p oduc ion and
was e managemen )
Coelho e al. (2020), Co a a a e al. (2019), Dubiel (1996),
Gallego-Schmid e al. (2019), González-Boube a e al. (2018),
Hi e al. (2023), Jiang e al. (2020), Kunamaneni e al. (2019),
R. Li e al. (2023), Lo house e al. (2009), Schue mann and
Woo (2022), and Wang and Zhao (2022)
Ma ke ing B adley and Co sini (2023), Coelho e al. (2020), Co a a a e
al. (2019), He bes e al. (2018), Lo house e al. (2009), Miao
e al. (2022), and Schue mann and Woo (2022)
Consume sa is ac ion B adley and Co sini (2023), Coelho e al. (2020), Co a a a e
al. (2019), Lo house e al. (2009), Miao e al. (2022), and
Schue mann and Woo (2022)
Consume loyal y B adley and Co sini (2023), Coelho e al. (2020), Co a a a
e al. (2019), Gallego-Schmid e al. (2019), Lo house e al.
(2009), and Schue mann and Woo (2022)
Reduced ma e ial use Acco si e al. (2022), Bo olini e al. (2018), B adley and Co sini
(2023), Coelho e al. (2020), E z e al. (2017), Gallego-Schmid
e al. (2019), G eenwood e al. (2021), Jiang e al. (2020),
Kelle e al. (2021), R. Li e al. (2023), Lo house e al. (2009),
Miao e al. (2022), Mu anko e al. (2021), and Simoens e al.
(2022)
Table 2: Summa y o Economic Ba ie s de i ed om Li e a u e (Table de eloped by au ho )
Economic Ba ie s E idence in Li e a u e
Addi ional cos s (e.g., logis ics, clean-
ing, e u bishmen , labo )
B adley and Co sini (2023), Dubiel (1996), González-Boube a
e al. (2018), Hi e al. (2023), Jiang e al. (2020), R. Li e al.
(2023), Lo house e al. (2009), Schue mann and Woo (2022),
Simoens e al. (2022), and Šuške iˇ
c˙
e and K uopien˙
e (2021)
Sa e y/Hygiene B adley and Co sini (2023), Lo house e al. (2009), and Long
e al. (2022)
Addi ional labo B adley and Co sini (2023), Coelho e al. (2020), Schue mann
and Woo (2022), and Simoens e al. (2022)
S o age Space B adley and Co sini (2023), Lo house e al. (2009), and
Simoens e al. (2022)
ie s o RPSs. Businesses mus ensu e ha eusable con ain-
e s a e p ope ly cleaned and sani ized o mee ood sa e y
s anda ds and egula ions. This equi es es ablishing obus
cleaning p o ocols and in es ing in sui able cleaning equip-
men and supplies. Failu e o main ain s ingen hygiene
p ac ices can lead o oodbo ne illnesses and epu a ional
damage, po en ially esul ing in cus ome loss and inancial
losses. Add essing sa e y and hygiene conce ns is c ucial o
gaining consume us and accep ance o RPSs (B adley &
Co sini, 2023; Lo house e al., 2009; Long e al., 2022).
The adop ion o RPSs may also equi e addi ional labo
esou ces. Managing he collec ion, washing, and es ock-
ing o eusable con aine s can demand addi ional s a mem-
be s o a ealloca ion o exis ing labo esou ces. The need
o pe sonnel o handle he cleaning p ocess and moni o
he in en o y can inc ease labo cos s and impac o e all
ope a ional e iciency (B adley & Co sini, 2023; Coelho e
al., 2020; Schue mann & Woo, 2022; Simoens e al., 2022).
Businesses mus ca e ully conside he impac o hese addi-
ional labo equi emen s on hei wo k o ce and cos s uc-
u e.
Finally, RPSs necessi a e s o age space o bo h clean and
di y con aine s, which can pose ano he adop ion ba ie o
gas onomic businesses, pa icula ly o hose wi h limi ed
physical space. Main aining an in en o y o eusable con ain-
e s equi es adequa e s o age acili ies ha a e easily acces-
sible and o ganized. Businesses may ace challenges in ind-
ing sui able s o age space wi hin hei p emises, leading o
addi ional cos s associa ed wi h econ igu ing exis ing space
(B adley & Co sini, 2023; Lo house e al., 2009; Simoens e
al., 2022).
M. Polle /Junio Managemen Science 9(4) (2024) 1994-20232000
Apa om he economic bene i s and challenges, he cu -
en s a e o esea ch s esses he signi icance o a high e u n
a e and s anda diza ion o he o e all easibili y o RPSs.
Achie ing a high e u n a e is c ucial o op imizing he eco-
nomic bene i s o RPSs. Highe e u n a es allow o mo e
e icien u iliza ion o he con aine s, educing he need o
cons an eplenishmen , lowe ing cos s and inc easing he
en i onmen al bene i s (B adley & Co sini, 2023; Simoens
e al., 2022; Šuške iˇ
c˙
e & K uopien˙
e, 2021). As indica ed by
se e al s udies, implemen ing deposi ee sys ems can pos-
i i ely in luence e u n a es by p o iding an incen i e o
cus ome s o e u n he con aine s (B adley & Co sini, 2023;
Coelho e al., 2020; Hi e al., 2023; Schue mann & Woo,
2022). Ano he impo an aspec is he need o s anda d-
iza ion in RPSs. S anda diza ion ensu es compa ibili y and
ease o use ac oss di e en es ablishmen s, acili a ing he
collec ion, cleaning, and dis ibu ion o eusable con aine s.
By es ablishing common s anda ds o con aine sizes, ma-
e ials, and labeling, he logis ics and o ganiza ion o he
sys em can be s eamlined, educing cos s and inc easing e -
iciency (Coelho e al., 2020; Dubiel, 1996). To o e come
hese challenges, Coelho e al. (2020) highligh s he signi i-
cance o engaging wi h hi d-pa y o ganiza ions (e.g., pool
sys ems) ha specialize in RPSs. These ex e nal en i ies p o-
ide essen ial se ices including cleaning, main enance, and
anspo a ion, which suppo gas onomic businesses in he
adop ion o RPSs. By collabo a ing wi h pool sys ems and
adhe ing o s anda dized p ac ices, businesses can bene i
om hei specialized expe ise, he eby e ec i ely o e com-
ing implemen a ion ba ie s.
In conclusion, he li e a u e sugges s ha adop ing RPSs
in he gas onomic indus y can yield economic bene i s. Cos
sa ings, educed ma e ial usage and enhanced consume loy-
al y make eusable packaging an a ac i e op ion. Howe e ,
he e a e adop ion ba ie s o conside , including addi ional
cos s, sa e y and hygiene conce ns, labo equi emen s, and
s o age space limi a ions. Engaging wi h pool sys ems spe-
cializing in RPSs can help o e come hese ba ie s. Mo eo e ,
achie ing a high e u n a e and es ablishing s anda diza ion
a e impo an o op imizing he economic bene i s.
2.1.4. D i e s and Ba ie s o he adop ion o Reusable Pack-
aging Sys ems om a Consume Pe spec i e
In he con ex o he gas onomic indus y, he adop ion
o RPSs by consume s ep esen s a c ucial s ep owa ds sus-
ainabili y and en i onmen al esponsibili y. While he body
o li e a u e ocusing on Ge man consume s on his sub-
jec is ela i ely sca ce, se e al s udies om o he coun ies
ha e made signi ican con ibu ions o unde s anding con-
sume p e e ences and he ba ie s in luencing he adop ion
o RPSs. This sec ion o he li e a u e e iew syn hesizes
he a ailable esea ch indings, s a ing wi h he d i e s ha
mo i a e consume s o emb ace RPSs, and subsequen ly
examining he ba ie s ha may impede hei widesp ead
accep ance.
As p esen ed in Table 3, consume inclina ion owa ds
adop ing RPSs appea s o be p ima ily d i en by a combi-
na ion o angible and in angible bene i s. Wi hin he exis -
ing li e a u e, a consensus is e iden ega ding he signi ican
ole played by inancial incen i es in s imula ing consume
accep ance o RPSs. The p o ision o discoun s, ouche s,
ee ials, o p omo ional o e s has been iden i ied as a
compelling s a egy o enhance he a ac i eness o eusable
packaging op ions. Resea ch indings consis en ly demon-
s a e ha he a ailabili y o inancial bene i s di ec ly in-
luences consume s’ mo i a ion o adop and emb ace hese
sus ainable al e na i es. The e o e, he inco po a ion o a -
ac i e inancial incen i es ep esen s a po en app oach o
encou age widesp ead adop ion o RPSs among consume s.
(B adley & Co sini, 2023; E z e al., 2017; Jiang e al., 2020;
Lo house e al., 2009; Long e al., 2022; Miao e al., 2022).
Ano he signi ican d i e o RPS adop ion lies in high-
ligh ing he en i onmen al ad an ages, such as mi iga ing
plas ic was e and sa egua ding he en i onmen (Coelho e
al., 2020; Long e al., 2022; Miao e al., 2022). By accen ua -
ing hese bene i s and concu en ly in eg a ing ea u es ha
acknowledge and incen i ize cus ome s’ engagemen , such
as a mobile app sco eboa d o moni o CO2o esou ce sa -
ings eached h ough packaging euse (Long e al., 2022),
consume s can be e ec i ely mo i a ed o ac i ely pa ici-
pa e in he adop ion o RPSs. In addi ion, esea ch indica es
ha consume s associa e posi i e emo ions wi h he usage o
eusable packaging due o he engagemen in sus ainable be-
ha io (Coelho e al., 2020; Kelle e al., 2021; Long e al.,
2022; Miao e al., 2022). In ligh o his, ope a o s o RPSs
should unde sco e he en i onmen al me i s o such sys ems
and in eg a e mechanisms ha acknowledge and app ecia e
cus ome s’ con ibu ions o en i onmen al p ese a ion, in o
he design o hei sys ems (Long e al., 2022).
Apa om his, he in luence o social ac o s on con-
sume beha io ega ding RPSs is no ewo hy (Do n &
S öckli, 2018; Kelle e al., 2021; Mu anko e al., 2021).
In hei expe imen , Do n and S öckli (2018) obse ed ha
consume s we e mo e likely o choose eusable akeaway
boxes when hey wi nessed o he cus ome s doing he same.
These indings sugges ha social in luence, pa icula ly
h ough obse ing o he s’ beha io , can signi ican ly impac
consume choices in a o o eusable packaging.
As analyzed by G eenwood e al. (2021), he ma e ial,
ype o packaging, and closu e mechanism cons i u e o he
in luen ial ac o s in consume s’ willingness o euse packag-
ing. Th ough he conduc ion o a ques ionnai e, he au ho
ound ha packaging made om glass was mo e p e e ed
o euse compa ed o ilms, lexible plas ic, o oil and ha
he abili y o eseal inc eased he willigness o euse. In ad-
di ion, he s udy by G eenwood e al. (2021) e ealed ha
he du abili y and esis ance o changes in appea ance and
ease o cleaning a e key conside a ions o consume s when
deciding o euse packaging. Pa icipan s indica ed ha hey
we e mo e willing o euse packaging ha emained du able
and did no unde go signi ican changes in appea ance wi h
use. This inding highligh s he need o con aine s ha can
wi hs and equen euse and indus ial washing.
M. Polle /Junio Managemen Science 9(4) (2024) 1994-2023 2001
Table 3: Summa y o Consume Adop ion D i e s de i ed om Li e a u e (Table de eloped by au ho )
Adop ion D i e s E idence in Li e a u e
Financial Bene i s B adley and Co sini (2023), E z e al. (2017), Long e al.
(2022), Miao e al. (2022), and Šuške iˇ
c˙
e and K uopien˙
e
(2021)
Posi i e Emo ions Coelho e al. (2020), Kelle e al. (2021), Long e al. (2022),
and Miao e al. (2022)
Social In luence Do n and S öckli (2018), Kelle e al. (2021), and Mu anko e
al. (2021)
En i onmen al Value Coelho e al. (2020), Long e al. (2022), and Miao e al. (2022)
Use Expe ience Co a a a e al. (2019) and Long e al. (2022)
In as uc u e E z e al. (2017)
Type o packaging (ma e ial, de-
sign)
G eenwood e al. (2021)
Du abili y o packaging G eenwood e al. (2021)
Complica ion o single-use con-
sump ion
E z e al. (2017)
T anspa ency o disposal E z e al. (2017)
Besides he cha ac e is ics o he packaging, E z e al.
(2017) emphasize he impo ance o c ea ing si ua ions ha
acili a e he use o eusable con aine s and complica e he
ecou se o single-use al e na i es. By educing he incon-
enience associa ed wi h eusable con aine s and making
single-use op ions mo e complica ed o access, consume s
pe cei e eusable con aine s as mo e con enien and a e
mo e mo i a ed o engage in hei consump ion. E z e al.
(2017) u he ecommends he es ablishmen o anspa -
en go e nance o ecycling p ac ices and p o iding e idence
o ecycling p og ams. Acco ding o he au ho , companies
should communica e hei ecycling ini ia i es o he public,
c ea ing a con ex in which con aine euse is alued. This
inc eased anspa ency and posi i e pe cep ion o ecycling
e o s can enhance consume s’ mo i a ion o adop RPSs.
Ne e heless, as summa ized in Table 4, ansi ioning
o RPSs is no wi hou challenges. Despi e a s ong desi e
among consume s o pu chase p oduc s in eusable packag-
ing, he ac ual engagemen wi h RPSs emains low (Poole
(2019), as ci ed in Miao e al. (2022)). This disc epancy
sugges s ha consume s encoun e ba ie s when i comes
o emb acing euse.
Hygiene is o pa amoun impo ance when i comes o
he consume adop ion o RPSs in he gas onomic indus y
(B adley & Co sini, 2023; E z e al., 2017; Jiang e al., 2020;
Lo house e al., 2009; Long e al., 2022; Miao e al., 2022).
Pa icula ly du ing he COVID-19 pandemic, whe e hygiene
p ac ices and ge m ansmission p e en ion ha e gained sig-
ni ican a en ion, consume s had legi ima e conce ns abou
he cleanliness and sa e y o RPSs (G eenwood e al., 2021;
Long e al., 2022; Miao e al., 2022). Resea ch has iden i-
ied key ac o s ha con ibu e o consume app ehensions
ega ding hygiene, which mainly a ise om he inhe en na-
u e o euse. Especially in he con ex o ood and be e ages,
consume s exp ess speci ic conce ns abou he po en ial con-
amina ion esul ing om he epea ed and sha ed use o he
packaging by o he s (B adley & Co sini, 2023; Long e al.,
2022; Miao e al., 2022; Numa a & Managi, 2012). Mo e-
o e , esea ch e eals ha isible signs o wea and ea , such
as sc a ches and supe icial damage, s emming om he e-
pea ed washing, anspo a ion, and e illing p ocesses, can
se e as cues o po en ial con amina ion, which u he ex-
ace ba es conce ns abou heal h and sa e y (E z e al., 2017;
Miao e al., 2022; Numa a & Managi, 2012). E ec i ely
con incing consume s abou he hygienic aspec s o RPSs
is ound o be challenging, as endea o s o con ey hygiene
measu es migh be cons ued as ma ke ing ac ics (Long e
al., 2022). None heless, Long e al. (2022) p oposes po en-
ial s a egies o mi iga e such conce ns. Conduc ing li e
demons a ions ha showcase he ho ough cleaning p o-
cesses o he packaging can alle ia e consume app ehen-
sions. Addi ionally, inco po a ing in o ma ion om us wo -
hy and c edible sou ces can enhance he c edibili y and e -
ec i eness o hygiene communica ion e o s.
Ano he impo an ba ie o he adop ion o RPSs by
consume s can be a ibu ed o hei pe cep ion o incon e-
nience. Resea ch indica es ha he p ima y easons o his
pe cep ion a e wo old: he lack o accessible euse-enabling
in as uc u e and he addi ional ime and e o equi ed o
he e u n p ocess (B adley & Co sini, 2023; E z e al., 2017;
Jiang e al., 2020; Lo house e al., 2009; Long e al., 2022;
Miao e al., 2022; Simoens e al., 2022). This is subs an ia ed
by Miao e al. (2022) who ound ha consume s a e eluc-
an o seek such se ices i hey a e no eadily accessible in
hei neighbo hood. The e o e, RPSs need o be made widely
a ailable and designed in a way ha minimizes consume ’s
e o .
In ela ion o his, i is impo an o conside ha con-
sume beha io ends o be habi ual, meaning ha indi idu-
als a e mo e inclined o engage in amilia ac i i ies (G een-
M. Polle /Junio Managemen Science 9(4) (2024) 1994-20232008
3. Me hodology
This sec ion elucida es he da a collec ion me hodology,
he p o ile o he acqui ed sample, he ques ionnai e design,
and he da a analysis echniques employed in his s udy.
3.1. Da a Collec ion
Simila o p e ious s udies in his a ea (Allison e al.,
2021; Co a a a e al., 2019; E z e al., 2017; G eenwood
e al., 2021; He bes e al., 2018; Jiang e al., 2020; Kelle e
al., 2021; Lo house e al., 2009; Long e al., 2022; Numa a
& Managi, 2012; Schue mann & Woo, 2022; S adl hanne
e al., 2020; Wang & Zhao, 2022), a comp ehensi e con-
sume su ey was conduc ed o add ess he exis ing knowl-
edge gap ega ding consume p e e ences and ba ie s o
adop ing RPSs in he gas onomic indus y o Ge many.
To ensu e he su ey’s c edibili y and ep esen a i eness
wi hin Ge man socie y, measu es we e aken o mi iga e po-
en ial selec ion bias and op imize pa icipan ou each. To
coun e ac selec ion bias, he su ey was dis ibu ed h ough
he online panel Cin , while he EFS based Unipa k pla o m
was u ilized o su ey p og amming. Addi ionally, pa ici-
pan s we e p o ided compensa ion, he eby b oadening he
spec um beyond en i onmen ally conscious indi iduals who
may ha e a highe in e es in he s udy (Miao e al., 2022).
Mo eo e , o achie e a well-balanced and di e se pa icipan
pool, speci ic quo as based on sex and age we e es ablished
in alignmen wi h cu en s a is ical da a on he demog aph-
ics o he Ge man popula ion (Bundeszen ale ü poli ische
Bildung (BPB), 2020; Des a is, 2023). This app oach aimed
o encompass a ep esen a i e ange o indi iduals (E ans &
Ma hu , 2005; He bes e al., 2018). The su ey i sel was
conduc ed solely in he Ge man language o ca e o he a -
ge audience e ec i ely, and a buil -in ea u e was employed
o hal pa icipa ion once he p ede e mined quo as we e sa -
is ac o ily me .
The su ey’s me hodological igo was o i ied by a com-
p ehensi e es ing phase, du ing which a ious s akehold-
e s e alua ed he su ey’s amewo k and assessed he ime
equi ed and ease o comple ion (E ans & Ma hu , 2005).
While he ime o comple ion was app oxima ely 12 min-
u es, hei eedback encompassed echnical e inemen s, cla -
i ying ambiguous aspec s, and ine- uning he o mula ion o
ensu e cla i y and p ecision. Based on his sc u iny, he su -
ey unde wen e isions and enhancemen s, ul ima ely en-
hancing i s eliabili y and e ec i eness be o e i s deploymen
(Ball, 2019; E z e al., 2017; E ans & Ma hu , 2005; Long
e al., 2022).
To add ess po en ial disengagemen and ensu e da a
quali y, wo a en ion checks we e inco po a ed wi hin he
su ey (Gumme e al., 2021; Shamon & Be ning, 2020).
The ini ial check equi ed pa icipan s o con i m ha hey
we e a en i ely eading he ques ions and p o iding e-
sponses o he bes o hei knowledge. The subsequen
check in ol ed asking pa icipan s o accu a ely iden i y he
yea in which he amendmen o he Ge man packaging law
was in oduced, despi e he answe being explici ly p o ided
wi hin he ques ion i sel . Addi ionally, pa icipan s who
e mina ed he su ey p ema u ely we e il e ed ou om
he da ase (Bosnjak & Tu en, 2001; Hee wegh & Loos eld ,
2002).
3.2. Sample P o ile
The su ey was made a ailable on he 19 h o June 2023
and emained open o a single day ( o comp ehensi e de-
ails on he sample p o ile and demog aphic and gende quo-
as, e e o Table A1). I was comple ed by 405 indi iduals o
whom 208 (51.4%) we e male, 195 (48.1%%) we e emale
and 2 (0.5%) iden i ied as di e se.
The age dis ibu ion showcased a b oad demog aphic
ange, wi h 20% alling wi hin he 18 o 29 yea s ca ego y,
18.3% be ween 30 and 39 yea s, 19.3% be ween 40 and 49
yea s, 24% be ween 50 and 59 yea s, and 19% be ween 60
and 69 yea s. No ably, he e was a sligh emphasis on he
olde gene a ion (50-59 yea s), which e lec s he cu en
la ges p opo ion o he Ge man popula ion and could ha e
implica ions o he adop ion o RPSs.
The backg ounds o he esponden s we e di e se, co e -
ing di e en aspec s such as educa ion, employmen s a us,
and income. Educa ionally, pa icipan s had a ied quali i-
ca ions, anging om seconda y school diplomas (44.4%) o
doc o a e deg ees (0.7%). In e ms o employmen s a us,
he sample encompassed employees (51.6%), uni e si y s u-
den s (4.7%), sel -employed indi iduals (4.5%), and hose
ac i ely seeking employmen (3.7%).
Rega ding mon hly income, esponden s epo ed a wide
spec um o ea nings, wi h 25.9% ea ning be ween 1000 and
2000 EUR, 21.0% be ween 3000 and 5000 EUR, and 7.2%
ea ning 5000 EUR and abo e. This di e si y in income le els
p o ided insigh s in o he po en ial economic conside a ions
in luencing he adop ion o RPSs.
Mo eo e , he su ey ook in o accoun he pa icipan s’
geog aphical loca ions, which ep esen ed a mix o u ban
and u al a eas. No ably, 13.6% esided in ci ies wi h ewe
han 5,000 inhabi an s, 22.5% in ci ies wi h popula ions be-
ween 5,000 and 20,000, 29.9% in ci ies wi h popula ions
anging om 20,001 o 100,000, and 34.1% in ci ies wi h
mo e han 100,000 inhabi an s. This geog aphic di e si y ac-
coun ed o po en ial egional a ia ions in a i udes owa ds
and adop ion o RPSs.
By conside ing a b oad ange o demog aphic ac o s, in-
cluding gende , age, educa ion, employmen s a us, income,
and ci y size, he su ey’s sample pool ensu es a comp ehen-
si e and well- ounded pe spec i e on consume a i udes and
beha iou s owa ds RPSs in he gas onomic indus y o Ge -
many which en iches he s udy’s indings and s eng hens he
eliabili y and alidi y o he esea ch.
3.3. Ques ionnai e Design
The o mula ion o ques ions p ima ily d ew upon exis -
ing li e a u e o ensu e he gene alizabili y and compa abili y
o he esul s. By inco po a ing es ablished esea ch indings
and me hodologies in o he su ey design, he s udy aimed

M. Polle /Junio Managemen Science 9(4) (2024) 1994-2023 2009
o achie e a obus and comp ehensi e unde s anding o he
subjec ma e , he eby enhancing he applicabili y o he ou -
comes o b oade con ex s. The su ey ollowed a s uc u ed
o ma , whe eby conside able ca e was aken in he o mula-
ion and sequencing o ques ions o minimize po en ial biases
(E ans & Ma hu , 2005).
Fi s , pa icipan s we e que ied conce ning hei pu chas-
ing beha iou and adop ion o RPSs in he a eas o co ee
o go, akeaway ood, and ood deli e y. To in es iga e he
pu chasing equency, pa icipan s had o indica e how o en
hey pu chase co ee o go, akeaway ood o deli e y ood
and wha ype o ood hey equen ly buy, u ilizing a scale
adap ed om a p io s udy by Schue mann and Woo (2022)
as well as ecen consume s a is ics (POSpulse, 2019). Sub-
sequen ly, closed ques ions we e employed o de ec he
adop ion o eusable packaging in he espec i e con ex s as
well as mul iple choice and open-ended ques ions o in es i-
ga e how equen ly hey bough eusable packaging o how
long hey needed o e u n.
Second, pa icipan s’ poli ical awa eness and ma ke
knowledge we e examined h ough a se ies o ques ions.
Ini ially, a closed ques ion was employed o assess whe he
pa icipan s we e awa e o he ecen amendmen o he Ge -
man packaging law. Subsequen ly, a 5-poin scale, anging
om " e y impo an " o " e y unimpo an ," was employed
o quan i a i ely assess he le el o impo ance hey asc ibed
o his new amendmen . To del e u he in o pa icipan s’
ma ke knowledge, mul iple-choice ques ions we e de i ed
om he ma ke esea ch on RPSs in Ge many. These ques-
ions ocused on aspec s ela ed o pool sys em p o ide s and
he pa icipan s’ own u iliza ion o such sys ems. Mo eo e ,
pa icipan s we e gi en he oppo uni y o elucida e hei
p e e ences o a pa icula pool sys em and o demons a e
hei unde s anding o he dis inc ions be ween a ious sys-
ems by u ilizing op ional ex ields.
The hi d sec ion o he esea ch ocused on examin-
ing he ac o s ha in luence and impede he adop ion o
eusable packaging, encompassing aspec s ela ed o i s de-
sign, ma e ial, and a ibu es. Following a me hodological
app oach akin o he wo k o G eenwood e al. (2021) and
Miao e al. (2022), pa icipan s we e p esen ed wi h a se ies
o images depic ing di e en con aine designs. They we e
hen eques ed o a e each design independen ly o i s ma e-
ial on a 5-poin scale, indica ing hei likelihood o adop ing
such packaging. Subsequen ly, pa icipan s we e p omp ed
o exp ess hei p e e ence o a speci ic ma e ial used in
eusable packaging, pa icula ly in he con ex o i s sui abil-
i y o he anspo a ion and s o age o akeaway ood. This
p e e ence was eco ded using a 4-poin scale, anging om
"no a all sui able" o " e y sui able," aiming o elici a mo e
decisi e esponse in compa ison o he 5-poin scale u ilized
ea lie . Addi ionally, pa icipan s we e p o ided wi h he op-
po uni y o o e u he insigh s in o hei a ings h ough
he op ional ex ield accompanying each ques ion. To del e
deepe in o pa icipan s’ pe spec i es, 5-poin ma ix scales,
spanning om “ e y unimpo an ” o “ e y impo an ,” we e
employed o assess he impo ance hey a ibu ed o a ious
ac o s d awn om p io li e a u e (B adley & Co sini, 2023;
E z e al., 2017; G eenwood e al., 2021; Jiang e al., 2020;
Lo house e al., 2009; Long e al., 2022; Miao e al., 2022;
Numa a & Managi, 2012) when selec ing akeaway ood in
eusable con aine s.
The ou h sec ion o he s udy ex ended i s ocus o ex-
plo e he d i e s and ba ie s pe aining o he adop ion o
RPSs in hei en i e y. This sec ion was di ided in o subsec-
ions, each add essing di e en aspec s o hese sys ems, in-
cluding hei gene al cha ac e is ics, he assessmen o will-
ingness o e u n and o pay, he pe cep ion o deposi -based
sys ems e sus digi ized ones, and he ac o s ha migh im-
pede he up ake o RPSs. A he ou se , pa icipan s we e
p omp ed o indica e he le el o impo ance hey a ibu e
o speci ic cha ac e is ics o RPSs using a 5-poin ma ix scale,
spanning om " e y unimpo an " o " e y impo an ." These
cha ac e is ics we e d awn om ac o s p e iously iden i-
ied as signi ican in ele an esea ch s udies. Subsequen ly,
mul iple-choice ques ions we e u ilized o in es iga e pa -
icipan s’ p e e ed op ions o e u ns and he accep able
dis ance hey would conside o e u n loca ions. Mo e-
o e , pa icipan s we e p esen ed wi h h ee successi e im-
ages o gene ic maps, each illus a ing a adius enclosing gas-
onomic businesses pa icipa ing in an RPS. The i s map
displayed h ee pa ne s wi hin a 1km adius, he second de-
pic ed eigh pa ne s, and he hi d showcased 16 pa ne s,
all wi hin he same adius. Pa icipan s we e hen asked o
exp ess, using a 4-poin scale, hei likelihood o adop ing
he RPS p esen ed in each map and a mul iple-choice ques-
ion was u ilized o que y abou an accep able du a ion o
he e u n pe iod. Nex , pa icipan s we e eques ed o indi-
ca e he amoun hey would be willing o pay as a deposi o
inancial penal y. To acili a e his assessmen , a slide wi h
a ange om 1=
C o 20=
Cwas p o ided. This app oach aimed
o glean insigh s in o he p icing dynamics o deposi and
digi ized sys ems, while also o e ing hin s ega ding pa ic-
ipan s’ p e e ences o a speci ic sys em ype. The in es iga-
ion in o pa icipan s’ p e e ence o ei he a deposi -based
o digi ized sys em was con inued wi h a subsequen ques-
ion u ilizing an ex ensi e 5-poin ma ix scale ( anging om
"comple ely disag ee" o "s ongly ag ee"). The scale encom-
passed a ious i ems ha explo ed pa icipan s’ pe cep ions
o each sys em in e ms o p ac icali y, lexibili y, and us ,
as well as hei willingness o pay a deposi o egis e o
an app. Finally, he sec ion on RPSs explo ed adop ion ba -
ie s, which we e de i ed om exis ing li e a u e (B adley
& Co sini, 2023; E z e al., 2017; G eenwood e al., 2021;
Jiang e al., 2020; Lo house e al., 2009; Long e al., 2022;
Miao e al., 2022; Numa a & Managi, 2012; Simoens e al.,
2022). These ba ie s included ac o s ela ed o he addi-
ional e o , ime, and cos s necessi a ed o he u iliza ion
o RPSs, as well as conce ns ega ding hygiene and p i acy.
The analysis o hese ba ie s was ca ied ou using a 5-poin
scale anging om "comple ely disag ee" o "s ongly ag ee,"
allowing o a nuanced assessmen o pa icipan s’ pe spec-
i es.
M. Polle /Junio Managemen Science 9(4) (2024) 1994-20232010
Going mo e in o de ail on he adop ion d i e s, he i h
sec ion i s in es iga ed wha ac o s in luence consume s’
decisions when pu chasing ood in eusable packaging. be-
o e asking mo e p ecisely wha kind o incen i es con-
sume s ind pa icula ly mo i a ing o swi ch om single
use o eusable packaging. In bo h ins ances, po en ial adop-
ion d i e s we e d awn om exis ing li e a u e (B adley &
Co sini, 2023; Coelho e al., 2020; Co a a a e al., 2019;
E z e al., 2017; Kelle e al., 2021; Long e al., 2022; Miao
e al., 2022; Mu anko e al., 2021; Šuške iˇ
c˙
e & K uopien˙
e,
2021), and pa icipan s we e eques ed o exp ess hei opin-
ions using 5-poin scales, spanning om "comple ely dis-
ag ee" o "s ongly ag ee." In addi ion, o ob ain a nuanced
unde s anding o pa icipan s’ inclina ions owa ds sus ain-
abili y in hei pu chasing beha iou , an en i onmen alism
scale was adap ed om he wo k o Haws e al. (2014).
This scale u ilized a se en-poin Like scale ( anging om
"does no apply a all" o "applies comple ely") o cap u e he
ex en o which indi iduals exp ess hei endo semen o
en i onmen al p o ec ion h ough hei pu chasing choices
and consump ion pa e ns.
The inal segmen o he su ey add essed he p ospec-
i e adop ion o RPSs by he pa icipan s. Speci ically, hey
we e que ied abou hei packaging p e e ences when buy-
ing akeaway ood, and whe he hey a ou ed single-use
o eusable packaging. In cases whe e single-use packaging
was p e e ed, pa icipan s we e u he asked whe he hey
would conside buying akeaway ood in eusable packaging
in he u u e.
3.4. Da a Analysis
The analysis o he acqui ed da ase encompassed a a-
ie y o me hods. Ini ially, desc ip i e s a is ics we e em-
ployed o p o ide an o e all unde s anding o he esponses
ob ained om he su ey pa icipan s. Fu he mo e, ex ual
commen s collec ed h ough op ional su ey ields we e sub-
jec ed o clus e ing and encoding. This p ocess aimed o
iden i y p e alen opinions among pa icipan s, pa icula ly
ocusing on aspec s wi hin he su ey ha unde sco ed he
signi icance o ce ain i ems o b ough a en ion o eme g-
ing elemen s dese ing conside a ion in he con ex o RPSs.
To in es iga e he ac o s in luencing consume adop ion
o RPSs, a bina y logis ic eg ession was pe o med. This spe-
ci ic eg ession model is well-sui ed o si ua ions whe e he
dependen a iable is dicho omous (in his s udy, i ep e-
sen ed whe he consume s p e e ed eusable o single-use
packaging), while he independen a iables can be ei he
ca ego ical o con inuous. No ably, he applica ion o bina y
logis ic eg ession in p e ious s udies (Do n & S öckli, 2018;
Esca io e al., 2020; Jiang e al., 2020; Numa a & Managi,
2012), albei in di e en cul u al con ex s, has p o en i s
use ulness. Howe e , i s adap a ion o he Ge man con ex
allows o aluable insigh s in o he adop ion impac s wi hin
Ge many.
In acco dance wi h he eg ession model p oposed by
Jiang e al. (2020), he bina y logis ic eg ession model wi h
k independen a iables was o mula ed as ollows:
Pi=eβ0+β1x1+β2x2+···+βkxk
1+eβ0+β1x1+β2x2+···+βkxk
whe e Pi deno es he p obabili y o consume s choosing a
pa icula packaging mode. The eg ession coe icien s β0,
β1, ..., βksigni y he impac o he co esponding indepen-
den a iables x1, x2, ..., xkon he p obabili y o choice. The
logical p obabili y dis ibu ion unde lies he assump ion o
his model, conside ing he bina y na u e o he dependen
a iable. In his case, he e o e m o he logis ic eg ession
model adhe es o a binomial dis ibu ion (Jiang e al., 2020).
Simila o Jiang e al. (2020) his esea ch employed an
induc i e app oach and used o wa d o backwa d and s ep-
wise eg ession o objec i ely analyse he independen a i-
ables based on hei signi icance o he o e all model and
hei in luence on he coe icien o de e mina ion (R2). Cen-
al o he analysis was he assessmen o he signi icance o
each model pa ame e . A signi icance le el o less han 0.05
was es ablished as he c i e ion o de e mine he ele ance o
each a iable in in luencing consume p e e ences and adop-
ion ba ie s. To e ine he model and imp o e i s accu acy,
e ec i e pa ame e modi ica ion echniques we e employed
based on likelihood and Hosme -Lemeshow es s (Dema is,
1995; Hosme & Lemeshow, 2000; Jiang e al., 2020; Smi h
& Mckenna, 2013).
By adhe ing o an unbiased and comp ehensi e explo-
a ion o he ela ionships be ween he independen a i-
ables and he dependen a iable, his induc i e app oach
allowed o disce n he mos in luen ial ac o s d i ing con-
sume s’ p e e ences be ween eusable and single-use pack-
aging op ions.
4. Resul s
This sec ion p esen s he desc ip i e analysis and eg es-
sion model applica ion applied o he su ey esponses ob-
ained om he pa icipan s. The desc ip i e analysis p o-
ides a comp ehensi e o e iew o he collec ed da a, high-
ligh ing key ends and pa e ns in he esponses. Subse-
quen ly, a eg ession model is employed o examine he e-
la ionships be ween he a iables and explo e he ac o s in-
luencing he consume ’s adop ion o RPSs.
4.1. Desc ip i es
The subsequen sec ions comp ise he comp ehensi e de-
sc ip i e analysis o he su ey esponses pe aining o he
p e ailing adop ion s a us o RPSs, poli ical awa eness, and
ma ke knowledge, as well as he de e mining ac o s and
hind ances in luencing he adop ion o eusable packaging
and RPSs. Fu he mo e, hese sec ions expound upon he
ac o s mo i a ing consume s o swi ch om single-use o
eusable packaging and p o ides insigh s in o pa icipan s’
a i udes ega ding u u e adop ion upon comple ing he su -
ey.
M. Polle /Junio Managemen Science 9(4) (2024) 1994-2023 2011
4.1.1. Cu en Adop ion S a us
The i s pa o he su ey in es iga es cu en pu chas-
ing beha iou s ela ed o co ee o go, akeaway ood, and
deli e y ood, and examines he ex en o eusable packag-
ing adop ion wi hin hese domains. The adop ion o eusable
packaging o co ee o go appea s o be ela i ely highe
compa ed o akeaway ood and deli e y ood (please e e o
Table A2 o a comp ehensi e o e iew o he esul s). As in-
dica ed by he su ey esul s, app oxima ely one hi d (39%)
o he pa icipan s epo ed pu chasing co ee o go a leas
once pe week, while he majo i y (58%) had p io expe i-
ence pu chasing co ee o go in eusable packaging. How-
e e , i is impo an o acknowledge ha he p ac ice o buy-
ing co ee o go in eusable packaging has no ye become he
p e ailing no m. E en among hose who a e amilia wi h
eusable cups, egula usage is no commonly obse ed. In
e ms o equency, he da a e eals ha o e he pas hal
yea , 49% o he pa icipan s pu chased co ee in a eusable
cup less han once a mon h. Addi ionally, 33% pu chased i
a leas once a mon h and 18% a leas once a week. I is
no ewo hy ha he e is a p e e ence among consume s who
op o eusable cups o b ing hei own cup, emphasizing
a p oac i e app oach o educing was e. Howe e , he e is
also a endency obse ed among pa icipan s o accumula e
cups be o e e u ning hem. The su ey indings indica e ha
he majo i y o pa icipan s s ill had cups pending o e u n,
wi h 81% needing o e u n be ween 1 o 5 cups. This sug-
ges s a ce ain le el o cup accumula ion among consume s,
po en ially a ibu ed o ac o s such as con enience o logis-
ical challenges in e u ning he cups p omp ly.
The adop ion o eusable packaging o akeaway ood ap-
pea s o be ela i ely lowe compa ed o co ee o go (please
e e o Table A3 o a comp ehensi e o e iew o he e-
sul s). Despi e a conside able numbe o pa icipan s (41%)
epo ing pu chasing akeaway ood a leas once a week,
p edominan ly o dinne (50%) o lunch (44%), and p ima -
ily on weekdays (64%), his sugges s ha con enience and
ime cons ain s play a signi ican ole in d i ing akeaway
ood consump ion. Howe e , i is no ewo hy ha he majo -
i y o pa icipan s (77%) had no ye engaged in pu chasing
akeaway ood in eusable packaging. Me ely one pe cen
o pa icipan s epo ed egula usage o eusable packaging
o akeaway ood, anging om 34 o 400 imes o e he
pas six mon hs. The p e e ence o as ood op ions among
pa icipan s may con ibu e o he obse ed lowe adop ion
o eusable packaging o akeaway ood. No ably, 61% o
pa icipan s exp essed a p e e ence o dishes such as Döne ,
pizza, o bu ge s as hei p e e ed akeaway choices. Fu -
he mo e, pa icipan s highligh ed hei dissa is ac ion wi h
as ood se ed in egula akeaway con aine s, speci ically
men ioning ha i nega i ely impac s he as e and ex u e
o ce ain i ems, such as ies becoming s icky o slouchy.
The adop ion o eusable packaging o deli e y ood is
also ela i ely low ( o a comp ehensi e o e iew o he e-
sul s, please see Table A4). Pa icipan s indica ed a ela i ely
in equen occu ence o o de ing ood online, wi h o de -
ing equencies anging p edominan ly om once a mon h
(29%) o less han once a mon h (25%). Me ely 20% o pa -
icipan s epo ed ha ing e e o de ed hei ood in eusable
packaging. Among hose who did o de in eusable packag-
ing, hei o de equency anged om 1 o 10 imes in he
pas six mon hs, wi h only a ew pa icipan s o de ing ood
in eusable packaging on a equen basis.
In summa y, he indings demons a e di e ing le els o
adop ion ega ding eusable packaging ac oss he ca ego ies
o co ee o go, akeaway ood, and deli e y ood. Reusable
cups o co ee o go exhibi a ela i ely highe deg ee o
adop ion, al hough i has no become he p e ailing no m.
Con e sely, he adop ion o eusable packaging o akeaway
and deli e y ood emains ela i ely low. Addi ionally, he
esul s indica e ha while consume s ha e shown occasional
engagemen in pu chasing ood o be e ages wi h eusable
packaging, such beha iou is no pe o med wi h equency.
4.1.2. Poli ical Awa eness and Ma ke Knowledge
The second pa o he su ey ocused on assessing pa ic-
ipan s’ awa eness and ma ke knowledge ega ding eusable
packaging. Speci ically, esponden s we e que ied abou
hei amilia i y wi h he amendmen o he packaging law,
which manda es akeaways, es au an s, and deli e y se -
ices o p o ide eusable packaging as an al e na i e o
single-use packaging, and hei a i ude owa ds his eg-
ula ion. Addi ionally, pa icipan s we e asked abou hei
awa eness o pool sys ems such as Recup, Vy al, Rele o, o
Reci cle, hei p e e ences, and whe he hey could dis in-
guish he di e ences be ween hese sys ems (please e e o
Table A5 o a comp ehensi e o e iew o he esul s).
Rega ding poli ical awa eness, a no able majo i y (61%)
o pa icipan s con i med hei knowledge o he amendmen
o he packaging law and pe cei es i as impo an (77%).
Rega ding ma ke knowledge conce ning pool sys ems, he
indings e ealed a lack o amilia i y among he pa icipan s.
60.2% o he esponden s s a ed ha hey we e unawa e
o any pool-sys ems p o iding eusable packaging. Among
hose wi h knowledge o pool sys ems, Recup eme ged as
he mos ecognized (30%), ollowed by Reci cle (11%). Re-
ma kably, pa icipan s who engaged wi h pool sys ems p e-
dominan ly a ou ed Recup o Reci cle and indica ed Recup
as hei p e e ed sys em. Op ional commen s p o ided by
pa icipan s u he elucida ed he easons o Recup’s pop-
ula i y. No only is Recup widely known among consume s,
bu i is also app ecia ed o i s ex ensi e pa ne ne wo k and
s aigh o wa d app oach. This p e e ence o Recup aligns
wi h i s longe es ablishmen , conside ing bo h Recup and
Reci cle we e ounded in 2016, whe eas Vy al and Rele o
we e es ablished in 2019 and 2020, espec i ely. Mo eo e ,
since bo h Recup and Reci cle ope a e on a deposi -based
model, he inclina ion owa ds deposi sys ems may indica e
a gene al p e e ence among consume s. This inding aligns
wi h p e ious consume beha iou s udies ha show indi id-
uals a e mo e likely o engage in p ac ices hey a e al eady
amilia wi h (G eenwood e al., 2021), which, in his case,
M. Polle /Junio Managemen Science 9(4) (2024) 1994-20232012
includes deposi sys ems widely u ilized o bo les in Ge -
many (Simoens e al., 2022).
The lack o ma ke knowledge becomes u he e iden
when conside ing pa icipan s’ amilia i y wi h he indi idual
pool sys ems. The majo i y o esponden s (93% s. 7%)
we e unable o dis inguish he di e ences be ween he ou
RPSs.
4.1.3. D i e s and Ba ie s o Reusable Packaging
In he hi d pa o he su ey, pa icipan s we e p esen ed
wi h conc e e ques ions conce ning he design, ma e ial, and
gene al a ibu es hey pe cei e as signi ican o he adop-
ion o eusable packaging (please e e o Table A6 o de-
ailed esul s).
In e ms o design p e e ences, no de ini i e consensus
eme ged among pa icipan s. While he box design is pe -
cei ed as mos sui able o a a ie y o dishes by 90% o
he pa icipan s, i is closely ollowed by he bowl design
(88%). Con e sely, only 77% o he pa icipan s pe cei ed
he clamshell as sui able o a a ie y o dishes ende ing i
compa a i ely less a ou ed in he assessmen . A mo e de-
ailed analysis e ealed ha design p e e ences we e con-
ingen upon he ype o dish. Speci ically, pa icipan s pe -
cei ed he box design as pa icula ly sui able o noodle, ice,
and po a o dishes (86%), salads (84%), and bowls (80%).
Meanwhile, he bowl design was conside ed especially sui -
able o salads (85%), noodle, ice, o po a o dishes (81%),
and bowls (79.3%). On he o he hand, he clamshell de-
sign was pe cei ed as pa icula ly sui able o salads (80%),
ollowed by noodle, ice, o po a o dishes (86%), and as
ood (63%). In ligh o p e ious su ey esul s indica ing
as ood as he a ou ed choice o akeaway and he pa -
icipan ’s inclina ion owa ds he clamshell design o such
dishes, i is pe inen o conside i s signi icance, despi e i s
compa a i ely lowe o e all sco e in e ms o sui abili y. Due
o he con igui y be ween he ype o dish and he design,
businesses may enhance consume ecep i eness o eusable
packaging op ions by selec ing packaging designs ha com-
plemen hei akeaway dishes.
Rega ding ma e ials, polyp opylene ga ne ed he highes
a ou abili y, wi h 89% o all pa icipan s conside ing i pa -
icula ly sui able o ood anspo and p ese a ion. S ain-
less s eel ollowed a 78%, hen ice husk a 73%, and glass a
65%. A de ailed analysis o pa icipan s’ commen s shed ligh
on hei e alua ions and p o ided speci ic easons o posi-
i e and nega i e a i udes owa d he ma e ials. Pa icipan s
p aised polyp opylene con aine s o being ligh weigh , easy
o clean, and p ac ical, wi h some emphasizing economic ad-
an ages due o cos -e iciency and anspo abili y. How-
e e , conce ns we e exp essed ega ding s ains, hygiene, and
sus ainabili y, as polyp opylene is a o m o plas ic, leading o
ea s o unsus ainabili y and po en ial di usion o mic oplas-
ics in o he ood. Fo s ainless s eel, pa icipan s highligh ed
a ibu es such as du abili y, ease o cleaning, ligh weigh na-
u e, insula ion, and leak p oo ness. Howe e , economic con-
ce ns we e aised due o pe cei ed high cos s, and some pa -
icipan s opposed s ainless s eel con aine s due o po en ial
me allic as e ans e o he ood. Rice husk was consid-
e ed sus ainable and ligh weigh by some pa icipan s, bu
he majo i y exp essed limi ed amilia i y wi h he ma e ial
and belie ed i o be less du able and challenging o clean,
leading o s ains and aes he ic conce ns. In con as , pa ic-
ipan s who a ou ed glass con aine s highligh ed a ibu es
such as ease o cleaning, du abili y in e ms o washing and
euse, leak p oo ness, sus ainabili y, as e neu ali y, and aes-
he ics. Howe e , conce ns we e aised abou glass agili y
and weigh , making hem unsui able o deli e y se ices due
o inc eased cos s and highe uel consump ion.
In e ms o gene al a ibu es o eusable packaging, pa -
icipan s placed g ea e impo ance on unc ionali y han sus-
ainabili y. Hygiene was conside ed he mos c ucial c i e ion
by 92.3% o pa icipan s, ollowed by leak p oo ness (92%)
and du abili y (81%). In con as , he design aspec was pe -
cei ed as he leas c i ical, wi h a me e 24% o pa icipan s
a ibu ing impo ance o i . In ligh o hese indings, i is im-
pe a i e o businesses o accen ua e he aspec s o hygiene
and anspo abili y in hei packaging solu ions, he eby e-
assu ing consume s o hei sa e y and eliabili y. By doing
so, hey can cul i a e consume us and enhance he adop-
ion o eusable packaging.
In conclusion, he hi d pa o he su ey p o ided in-
sigh s in o pa icipan s’ pe cep ions ega ding he design,
ma e ial, and gene al a ibu es in luencing hei adop ion
o eusable packaging in he gas onomic indus y. While
no dis inc p e e ences eme ged conce ning he design and
ma e ial o eusable packaging, ac o s such as hygiene, leak-
p oo ness, and du abili y we e ound o play a c ucial ole in
shaping pa icipan s’ adop ion decisions.
4.1.4. D i e s and Ba ie s o Reusable Packaging Sys ems
The ou h segmen o he su ey s ands as he mos pi -
o al componen o his s udy, as i del es in o he d i e s and
ba ie s in luencing he adop ion o RPSs in i s en i e y. This
sec ion examines he gene al a ibu es ha hold signi icance
o consume s, encompassing hei p e e ences conce ning
con aine e u ns, accep able p icing conside a ions, as well
as hei inclina ions owa ds deposi and digi ized sys ems,
alongside ac o s ei he inhibi ing o encou aging he adop-
ion o RPSs.
The in es iga ion in o he gene al a ibu es encom-
passed se e al key ac o s, namely he densi y and di e si y
o he pa ne ne wo k, he dis ance o he nex e u n poin ,
and he a iance o e u n me hods and paymen op ions
(please e e o Table A7 and Table A8 o de ailed esul s).
The esul s demons a e ha a low dis ance o he nea es
e u n loca ion and a high densi y o pa ne ne wo ks a e
indispensable o he widesp ead accep ance and u iliza ion
o RPSs. A subs an ial p opo ion o pa icipan s, 86%, con-
side ed dis ance, and 78% conside ed densi y as decisi e
ac o s, while only 2% and 5% o he pa icipan s, espec-
i ely, pe cei ed hem as unimpo an . Fu he mo e, con-
sume s exp essed he impo ance o pa ne di e si y wi hin
RPSs, encompassing a ious ypes o gas onomic businesses
such as es au an s, akeaways, o deli e y se ices o e ing
M. Polle /Junio Managemen Science 9(4) (2024) 1994-2023 2013
di e en cuisines, wi h 69% o pa icipan s emphasizing i s
signi icance. Addi ionally, 69% o pa icipan s indica ed ha
he op ion o di e en paymen me hods was essen ial. The
su ey indings also e ealed ha 67% o pa icipan s alue
he a ailabili y o a ious e u n me hods, including sel -
e u n o pick up om home. In u he de ail, pa icipan s
we e inqui ed abou hei p e e ed e u n me hod, he ac-
cep able dis ance o he e u n loca ion, and he pe cei ed
densi y o he pa ne ne wo k equi ed o he adop ion o
RPSs. Rega ding he e u n me hod, a signi ican majo i y
o pa icipan s (88%) exp essed a p e e ence o pe sonally
e u ning hei eusable packaging, while only 12% a ou ed
collec ion by he ope a o . In e ms o he accep able e u n
dis ance, mos o he pa icipan s (38%) indica ed ha hey
ind a 1km dis ance accep able. Howe e , a signi ican p o-
po ion (32%) exp essed a p e e ence o he e u n loca ion
o be no a he han 500 me e s. Consequen ly, o op imize
consume adop ion, he nex e u n loca ion should be wi hin
a 500-me e adius. To explo e he co ela ion be ween will-
ingness o adop and pa ne ne wo k densi y, pa icipan s
we e p esen ed wi h h ee gene ic maps, each depic ing a
ci cled a ea wi h a 1 km adius. Wi hin hese a eas, ma ks
we e placed o indica e di e en pa ne s o a ne wo k. The
maps a ied in pa ne densi y, wi h he i s map showing
he lowes densi y and subsequen maps exhibi ing inc eased
densi y. The esul s clea ly demons a e ha he willingness
o adop is indeed linked o he densi y o he pa ne ne -
wo k. Speci ically, 68% o pa icipan s we e willing o adop
a sys em wi h only 3 pa ne s wi hin he gi en a ea, and
he willingness inc eased by nea ly 10% wi h each subse-
quen map. Fo ins ance, when 16 gas onomic businesses
pa icipa ed in he eusable packaging sys em wi hin a 1 km
adius, he willingness o adop eached 88% o he pa ici-
pan s. Rega ding he e u n pe iod o he packaging, 41%
pa icipan s indica ed ha hey ind a e u n pe iod o wo
weeks accep able.
In e ms o p icing conside a ions, pa icipan s we e
asked o indica e on a scale anging om 1=
C o 20=
Cwha
p ice hey ind accep able o a deposi o inancial penal y
wi hin a digi ized sys em ha ope a es wi h speci ied e u n
pe iods. Su p isingly, he accep able p ice o bo h deposi
and digi ized sys ems was qui e simila . Fo he deposi
sys em, mos pa icipan s (25%) indica ed ha hey would
be willing only o pay he minimum o 1=
C. This aligns wi h
addi ional commen s p o ided by some pa icipan s, exp ess-
ing conce n abou he po en ial ex a cos s associa ed wi h
RPSs. While one pa icipan indica ed a maximum willing-
ness o pay 20=
C, he a i hme ic mean was 3.41=
C. The e o e,
i can be in e ed ha he deposi should no exceed 3.4=
C
o achie e he highes le el o consume accep ance. Fo
digi ized sys em, he eluc ance o pay mo e han he mini-
mum ee, con ingen on he condi ion ha he packaging was
no e u ned wi hin he designa ed e u n pe iod, was e en
highe . 41% o he esponden s indica ed hei unwillingness
o expend an amoun exceeding 1=
C o such ci cums ances.
Howe e , since some o he esponden s we e also willing o
pay mo e, he a i hme ic mean amoun s o 3.36=
C. Conse-
quen ly, simila ly o he deposi , he inancial penal y should
no su pass 3.4=
C o a ain he highes consume accep ance.
Upon compa ing consume a i udes owa ds deposi and
digi ized sys ems, i becomes e iden ha consume s end
o a ou deposi sys ems (please e e o Table A9 and Ta-
ble A10 o an exhaus i e summa y o he esul s). A sig-
ni ican p opo ion o pa icipan s, 77%, exp essed a posi-
i e sen imen owa ds deposi sys ems, inding hem easy o
comp ehend (80%), p ac icable (70%), and lexible o use
(59%). In con as , only 38% o pa icipan s pe cei ed dig-
i ized sys ems as easy o unde s and, 37% as p ac icable,
and 34% as lexible in hei u iliza ion. This dispa i y may
s em om consume s’ pe cep ion ha engaging wi h a digi-
ized sys em equi es commi ing o a single pla o m, esul -
ing in sys emic lock-ins and educed lexibili y. Fu he mo e,
he su ey esponses shed ligh on he willingness o pa ic-
ipan s o pay a deposi on each eusable packaging i em o
akeaway ood, wi h nea ly 59% exp essing no objec ions.
In addi ion, 82% o pa icipan s exp essed us in ecei ing
eimbu semen o hei deposi s. In e es ingly, 47% indi-
ca ed a p e e ence o o egoing eimbu semen a he han
acing inancial penal ies o ailing o e u n he packaging
wi hin he speci ied pe iod o a digi ized sys em. The adop-
ion ba ie s o digi ized sys ems appea highe compa ed o
deposi sys ems. While 39% o pa icipan s had no objec ions
o downloading an app o he usage o RPSs, app oxima ely
35% exp essed ese a ions. Consequen ly, he willingness
o emb ace a digi ized sys em is compa a i ely lowe when
jux aposed wi h paying a deposi o engage wi h he sys em.
This dispa i y is u he e iden in he esponses p o ided by
he pa icipan s when ques ioned abou hei inclina ion o
ei he download an applica ion o pay a deposi ee. P e-
cisely, a majo i y o 61% exp essed a p e e ence o paying a
deposi , while me ely 14% indica ed willingness o egis e
o an applica ion. P i acy conce ns eme ged as ano he el-
e an ba ie o he usage o an app, wi h 36% o pa icipan s
exp essing ese a ions ega ding app usage. In con as , a
me e 36% indica ed ha ing no p i acy conce ns. This aspec
highligh s he impo ance o add essing p i acy conside a-
ions o acili a e he adop ion o digi ized sys ems. Despi e
he mo i a ional aspec o digi ized sys ems, which aims o
engage consume s by showcasing he was e and ene gy sa -
ings esul ing om he use o eusable packaging, he impac
on consume mo i a ion appea s limi ed. A signi ican ma-
jo i y o pa icipan s (47%) ha e exp essed ha he u iliza-
ion o an applica ion does no yield addi ional mo i a ion
o hem o make ood pu chases in eusable packaging. This
obse a ion leads o he implica ion ha he po en ial mo i-
a ional ad an ages o employing an app in his con ex may
be deemed negligible. Despi e he bene i s o a oiding up-
on deposi ees and acking en i onmen al impac s, only
27% o pa icipan s belie e ha digi ized sys ems o e sig-
ni ican ad an ages in compa ison o deposi sys ems. A no-
able 34% o esponden s do no pe cei e digi ized sys ems
as ha ing many ad an ages, unde sco ing he gene al p e e -
ence o deposi -based app oaches. In esponse o a eques
o addi ional commen s, some pa icipan s exp essed ese -

M. Polle /Junio Managemen Science 9(4) (2024) 1994-20232014
a ions owa ds digi al sys ems due o ac o s such as lack
o sma phone owne ship o unwillingness o download an-
o he app. Besides p i acy conce ns, his aises he ques ion
o whe he digi ized sys ems a e su icien ly accessible, pa -
icula ly conside ing he demog aphic s uc u e o Ge many,
whe e some olde gene a ions may ace challenges in engag-
ing wi h such echnologies. In conclusion, he su ey esul s
s ongly indica e a p e ailing p e e ence o deposi sys ems
among consume s o e digi ized al e na i es.
Rega ding he d i e s and ba ie s ha in luence he
adop ion o RPSs (please e e o Table A11 o a comp e-
hensi e o e iew o he esul s), con enience ac o s eme ge
as c ucial de e minan s. Pa icipan s highligh ed he ime
equi ed o e u n he packaging and he ease o anspo
as he mos c i ical aspec s a ec ing hei decision o engage
wi h RPS. To encou age widesp ead adop ion, i is essen ial
o design RPSs ha minimize he dis ance and ime neces-
sa y o picking up and e u ning he con aine s. The highe
he le el o con enience, he g ea e he likelihood o con-
sume accep ance. O he ac o s ha signi ican ly impac he
adop ion o RPS include conce ns ela ed o addi ional cos s
and hygienic conside a ions. Pa icipan s also exp essed
ese a ions abou commi ing o one speci ic RPS. On one
hand, consume s exp essed app ehensions abou he pos-
sibili y o no being ully eimbu sed o acing penal ies in
case o loss o damage o he eusable packaging. To add ess
hese conce ns, ope a o s o RPSs may conside p oac i ely
in o ming consume s abou he cleaning p ocess and he
speci ic ci cums ances ha could lead o a denial o eim-
bu semen , hus alle ia ing hei conce ns. On he o he
hand, pa icipan s a ailed hemsel es o he oppo uni y o
p o ide commen s, exp essing a collec i e desi e o a cen-
alized RPS in Ge many. They con eyed hei p e e ence o
a sys em ha does no necessi a e choosing among a ious
exis ing op ions. This indica es a desi e o a mo e uni ied
app oach, simila o he deposi sys em o bo les, which
could enhance consume con enience and willingness o
pa icipa e in eusable packaging p ac ices. Con e sely, ce -
ain ac o s, such as he willingness o pay a deposi , p i acy
conce ns, and scep icism owa ds he sus ainabili y o he
RPS, did no yield signi ican esul s. In hese cases, he e
was no subs an ial di e ence be ween he le el o ag ee-
men and disag eemen among pa icipan s, indica ing a
lack o consensus o a common opinion. In conclusion, ad-
d essing conce ns ela ed o addi ional cos s, hygiene, and
commi men o a pa icula sys em, along wi h explo ing
he po en ial o a cen alized eusable packaging app oach,
may p o e bene icial in encou aging b oade accep ance and
adop ion o RPSs in he gas onomic indus y.
O e all, he indings e eal a clea consume s p e e -
ence o deposi sys ems o e digi ized sys ems. To achie e
widesp ead adop ion, se e al key a ibu es mus be con-
side ed. These include minimizing he dis ance and ime
equi ed o con aine e u ns o enhance consume con-
enience. Addi ionally, add essing conce ns ela ed o ad-
di ional cos s and ensu ing hygienic p ac ices a e c ucial
ac o s. The p e e ence o a cen alized sys em, exp essed
by pa icipan s, sugges s he impo ance o o e ing a uni ied
app oach ha does no equi e consume s o choose among
a ious sys ems. By inco po a ing hese a ibu es in o he
design and implemen a ion o RPS, a b oade consume ac-
cep ance and pa icipa ion in eusable packaging p ac ices
can be achie ed.
4.1.5. Adop ion D i e s
The i h pa o he su ey ocuses on consume mo i a-
ions o using RPSs. Pa icipan s we e ini ially que ied abou
hei key conside a ions when pu chasing ood in eusable
packaging, ollowed by an in es iga ion in o he ac o s ha
would encou age hem o swi ch om single-use o eusable
packaging, and hei gene al a i ude owa ds sus ainabili y
(please e e o Table A12 and Table A13 o de ailed esul s).
Th ee c ucial ac o s o consume s when pu chasing
eusable packaging a e educing plas ic was e (83%), con-
se ing esou ces (75%), and con ibu ing posi i ely o he
en i onmen (65%). Mo eo e , 57% o pa icipan s ex-
p essed he impo ance o being a ole model in e ms o
sus ainable beha io , and 54% s a ed hei desi e o educe
CO2emissions by using eusable packaging. These indings
ha e implica ions o he design, ma e ial selec ion, and ma -
ke ing s a egies o RPSs. The packaging should be c a ed
om ma e ials ha minimize esou ce consump ion, and
ma ke ing e o s should highligh he amoun o esou ces
sa ed and he posi i e en i onmen al impac o RPSs o es-
ona e wi h consume s.
When he pa icipan s we e su eyed abou he ac-
o s ha would mo i a e hem o swi ch om single use
o eusable packaging, a majo i y (74%) exp essed ha i-
nancial incen i es, such as discoun s on ood o be e age
pu chases, would se e as a mo i a ing ac o . Addi ionally,
a conside able p opo ion o he pa icipan s (50%) ound i
mo i a ing o ack he amoun o plas ics sa ed, e en i his
necessi a es he use o an addi ional applica ion. In e es -
ingly, he esul s indica e ha acking he amoun o was e o
CO2sa ed does no exe a signi ican impac on mo i a ion.
Speci ically, only 37% o he pa icipan s ind i mo i a ing
o moni o he amoun o CO2 hey sa e h ough he adop-
ion o eusable packaging. Consequen ly, o encou age he
adop ion o RPSs and aking he esponden s sen imen o-
wa ds digi ized sys ems in o accoun , i is mos ad isable o
implemen inancial incen i es, such as discoun s on o de s
o inc easing he p ice o single-use packaging.
In he con ex o assessing he le el o suppo o en i-
onmen al p o ec ion h ough pu chasing and consump ion
beha io , a signi ican majo i y (73%) emphasized he impo -
ance o using p oduc s ha do no con ibu e o en i onmen-
al pollu ion. Simila ly, 68% o he pa icipan s e ealed con-
ce ns abou he esponsible u iliza ion o he plane ’s ini e e-
sou ces. This conce n o sus ainabili y was u he e lec ed
in 62% o he pa icipan s desc ibing hemsel es as en i-
onmen ally conscious indi iduals. Mo eo e , many o he
pa icipan s (61%) showed a conscious conside a ion o he
po en ial en i onmen al impac o hei decisions, epo ing
ha hey ac i ely conside he en i onmen al consequences
M. Polle /Junio Managemen Science 9(4) (2024) 1994-2023 2015
o hei ac ions in a ious aspec s o hei li es. This awa e-
ness highligh s a willingness o make in o med choices based
on hei en i onmen al implica ions. Fu he mo e, he ind-
ings indica e ha en i onmen al conce n in luences pa ici-
pan s’ pu chasing beha io . 60% epo ed ha hei en i on-
men al consciousness signi ican ly in luences hei decision-
making p ocess when i comes o making pu chases. Finally,
a no able pe cen age o pa icipan s (54%) exp essed a will-
ingness o emb ace incon enience in a o o adop ing mo e
en i onmen ally iendly measu es.
In conclusion, he indings demons a e ha pa icipan s
place g ea impo ance on sus ainabili y wi h a ocus on e-
ducing was e and conse ing esou ces when conside ing
RPSs. Financial incen i es, such as discoun s on pu chases,
se e as e ec i e mo i a o s o consume s o swi ch om
single-use o eusable packaging. O e all, hese insigh s un-
de sco e he signi icance o inco po a ing sus ainable p ac-
ices and appealing incen i es in he design and p omo ion o
RPSs o os e b oade consume adop ion and engagemen .
4.1.6. Fu u e Adop ion
The inal segmen o he su ey aimed o p o ide insigh s
in o he u u e adop ion o RPSs based on consume a i-
udes upon he comple ion o he su ey. Fo his pu pose,
pa icipan s we e asked o exp ess hei p e e ence o ei-
he single-use o eusable packaging when pu chasing ake-
away ood (please e e o Table A14 o a comp ehensi e
o e iew o he esul s). Su p isingly, a majo i y o 70% in-
dica ed a p e e ence o eusable packaging, while 30% a-
o ed single-use packaging. No ably, among hose who p e-
e ed single-use packaging, only 57% could en ision pu -
chasing akeaway ood in eusable packaging in he u u e,
wi h 43% emaining opposed o he idea. These esul s sug-
ges an inc eased awa eness o RPSs among pa icipan s du -
ing he su ey, leading o a highe inclina ion owa ds engag-
ing wi h such sys ems. Consequen ly, imp o ed consume
educa ion on he a ailabili y and bene i s o pu chasing in
eusable packaging is c ucial. Fu he mo e, a small bu dis-
inc po ion o pa icipan s may s ill be esis an o swi ching
o RPSs due o pe sonal a e sions. These insigh s unde sco e
he impo ance o s a egic app oaches o os e wide accep-
ance and pa icipa ion in eusable packaging p ac ices.
4.2. Reg ession Analysis
In o de o examine he de e minan s impac ing con-
sume adop ion o RPSs, his s udy employed a bina y logis ic
eg ession, wi h he p e e ed packaging choice (single-use
o eusable) se ing as he dependen a iable. Following
he me hodology ou lined by Jiang e al. (2020), SPSS was
used o sys ema ically e alua e he independen a iables
using o wa d o backwa d and s epwise eg ession ech-
niques. The aim was o objec i ely assess he signi icance o
hese independen a iables in ela ion o he o e all model
and hei in luence on he coe icien o de e mina ion (R2).
As a esul , six dis inc independen a iables we e iden i-
ied. The eg ession coe icien s and signi icances o hese
a iables a e shown in Table 7.
As sugges ed by Jiang e al. (2020), he goodness-o - i
analysis was conduc ed using he likelihood a io es and
he Hosme –Lemeshow es , wi h hei esul s epo ed in Ta-
ble 8.
The -2 log-likelihood alue o 160.6, coupled wi h he Cox
and Snell R2o 0.4 and Nagelke ke’s R2o 0.581, indica e a
mode a ely s ong i o he model (Albe & Ande son, 1984;
Backhaus e al., 2006; Dema is, 1995; Smi h & Mckenna,
2013). This sugges s ha he model e ec i ely explain he
a iances ega ding he ou come a iable. Fu he mo e, he
Hosme -Lemeshow es , which assesses he calib a ion o he
model, yielded a non-signi ican p- alue o 0.437. This ou -
come implies ha he p edic ed p obabili ies o he model
align well wi h he obse ed ou comes ac oss a ious g oups,
indica ing a sa is ac o y calib a ion o he model (Hosme &
Lemeshow, 2000). O e all, he s a is ical model exhibi s a
signi ican i wi h he da a, explaining a subs an ial p opo -
ion o he a iance in he dependen a iable. Addi ionally,
he model appea s o be well-calib a ed, u he enhancing
i s eliabili y.
The six independen a iables can be classi ied in o h ee
ca ego ies: awa eness o sus ainabili y, conce ns ela ed o
RPSs design and p e e ed akeaway op ions. Wi hin he
awa eness o sus ainabili y ca ego y, "Law Impo ance" as-
sesses he le el o signi icance a ibu ed o he ecen amend-
men o he Ge man packaging law, while "Sus ainabili y In-
clina ion" ep esen s he a e age esponses ob ained om
a scale de eloped by Haws e al. (2014). This scale mea-
su es he ex en o which indi iduals demons a e suppo
o en i onmen al p o ec ion h ough hei pu chasing and
consump ion beha iou s.
The conce ns ela ed o he design o RPSs a e cap u ed
by "Time Conce ns," which e lec s he addi ional ime e-
qui ed when u ilizing RPSs, and "P i acy Conce ns," which
pe ain o anxie ies a ising om da a collec ion associa ed
wi h he use o RPSs. The hi d ca ego y, p e e ed akeaway
op ions, encompasses "Bowls P e e ence" and "Bu ge P e e -
ence," which indica e he p e e ences o bowls o bu ge s as
akeaway dishes espec i ely.
While Table 7shows ha all independen a iables sig-
ni ican ly in luence he adop ion o RPSs, Figu e 5 isualizes
he impac o he a iables on he adop ion o RPSs based on
hei co ela ion coe icien s.
On one side, “Bowls P e e ence”, “Sus ainabili y Inclina-
ion” and “Law Impo ance” posi i ely impac he adop ion
o RPSs.
"Bowls P e e ence" exe s he mos subs an ial posi i e in-
luence on he likelihood o consume adop ion o RPSs. Con-
sume s who p e e akeaway dishes in he o m o bowls a e
mo e likely o adop eusable packaging compa ed o hose
who do no exp ess a p e e ence o bowls. The coe icien
alue o 1.195 sugges s ha he log odds o adop ion inc ease
by app oxima ely 1.195 imes o indi iduals wi h a p e e -
ence o akeaway bowls.
Likewise, "Sus ainabili y Inclina ion" demons a es a
highly signi ican and posi i e associa ion wi h consume
adop ion o RPSs. Consume s who possess a s onge incli-
M. Polle /Junio Managemen Science 9(4) (2024) 1994-20232016
Table 7: Resul s o he Reg ession Analysis
Va iables Reg ession S anda d Wald Deg ees o Signi icance
Coe icien E o F eedom
Bowls P e e ence 1.195 0.369 10.485 1 0.001
Sus ainabili y Inclina ion 1.070 0.234 20.862 1 0.000
Law Impo ance 0.955 0.287 11.065 1 0.001
Bu ge P e e ence -1.193 0.368 10.534 1 0.001
Time Conce ns -0.724 0.257 7.933 1 0.005
P i acy Conce ns -0.569 0.186 9.391 1 0.002
Table 8: Goodness-o -Fi Resul s (Adap ed om Jiang e al. (2020))
-2 Log Cox & Snell Nagelke ke R2Chi-squa e Deg ees o Signi icance
likelihood R2F eedom
160,600 0.400 0.581 7.967 8 0.437
Figu e 5: Impac o Independen Va iables on RPS Adop ion
na ion owa ds sus ainabili y, as e idenced by hei suppo
o en i onmen al p o ec ion h ough hei pu chasing and
consump ion choices, a e mo e likely o adop eusable pack-
aging. Wi h each uni inc ease in Sus ainabili y Inclina ion,
he log odds o adop ing eusable packaging ise by app oxi-
ma ely 1.070 imes.
Las ly, "Law Impo ance" exe s a ela i ely lowe , albei
signi ican , posi i e impac on consume adop ion. This indi-
ca es ha indi iduals who pe cei e he ecen amendmen s
o he Ge man packaging law as mo e impo an a e mo e
inclined o adop RPSs. Fo e e y uni inc ease in Law Impo -
ance, he log odds o adop ing eusable packaging inc ease
by app oxima ely 0.955 imes.
In con as , bu ge p e e ence and he conce ns ela ing
o ime and nega i ely a ec he adop ion o RPSs.
The a iable "Bu ge P e e ence" exhibi s he mos sig-
ni ican and nega i e associa ion wi h consume adop ion
o RPSs. Consume s who exp ess a p e e ence o akeaway
dishes in he o m o bu ge s a e less likely o adop eusable
packaging compa ed o hose wi hou such a p e e ence.
Each uni inc ease in Bu ge P e e ence co esponds o a
dec ease o app oxima ely 1.193 imes in he log odds o
adop ing eusable packaging. These indings align wi h he
esul s om he desc ip i e s a is ics, whe e consume s e al-
ua ed a ious design op ions o eusable packaging based
on hei sui abili y o di e en akeaway choices. In e es -
ingly, all designs we e pe cei ed as leas sui able o as ood
i ems, such as bu ge s o cu ywu s wi h ies. Pa icipan s
u he u ilized he oppo uni y o p o ide commen s along
wi h hei e alua ion o he packaging ma e ial, exp essing
hei a e sion o eusable packaging o as ood, e e ing
o i s nega i e impac on he ex u e o ies.
The a iables "Time Conce ns" and "P i acy Conce ns"
demons a e a ela i ely milde impac on he adop ion o
eusable packaging. Consume s who pe cei e addi ional
ime equi emen s when using RPSs and hose who ha bou
conce ns abou da a collec ion linked o he use o RPSs a e
less likely o adop hem. Each uni inc ease in Time Con-
M. Polle /Junio Managemen Science 9(4) (2024) 1994-2023 2017
ce ns esul s in a dec ease o app oxima ely 0.724 imes in
he log odds o adop ing eusable packaging, while each uni
inc ease in P i acy Conce ns leads o a dec ease o app oxi-
ma ely 0.569 imes in he log odds o adop ion.
O e all, he esul s o he eg ession analysis e eal ha
he p e e ence o bowls, sus ainabili y inclina ion and he
le el o signi icance a ibu ed o he amendmen o he Ge -
man packaging law posi i ely in luence he adop ion o RPSs.
Con e sely, he p e e ence o bu ge s, he addi ional ime e-
qui ed o he u iliza ion o RPSs, and p i acy conce ns neg-
a i ely a ec he adop ion o RPSs.
Howe e , i is c ucial o acknowledge he po en ial impac
o mul icollinea i y, which a ises when wo o mo e indepen-
den a iables a e highly co ela ed wi h each o he (Fa a
& Glaube , 1967). In his case, mul icollinea i y can lead o
uns able coe icien es ima es and complica e he in e p e-
a ion o indi idual a iable con ibu ions o he dependen
a iable. The p esence o mul icollinea i y can be assessed
using s a is ical measu es such as ole ance and he a iance
in la ion ac o (VIF) o he independen a iables (Oke e
al., 2019; Sh es ha, 2020).
The ole ance measu es how much o he a ia ion in one
independen a iable can be explained by he o he indepen-
den a iables in he model. While he alues o ole ance
ange be ween 0 and 1, a ole ance alue close o 1 indi-
ca es low mul icollinea i y (Oke e al., 2019). The VIF is he
ecip ocal o he Tole ance and p o ides a measu e o how
much he a iance o an es ima ed eg ession coe icien is
inc eased due o mul icollinea i y (Oke e al., 2019). A VIF
alue g ea e han 1 indica es he p esence o mul icollinea -
i y. Typically, a VIF alue exceeding 5 o 10 sugges ha
he eg ession coe icien s a e poo ly es ima ed due o s ong
mul icollinea i y among he independen a iables (Oke e
al., 2019; Sh es ha, 2020). The collinea i y s a is ics o he
eg ession model a e summa ized in Table 9.
In he p esen eg ession model, he ole ance alues
o mos independen a iables a e close o 1 and he VIF
a e lowe han 5, which sugges s ha he e is no signi i-
can mul icollinea i y among he independen a iables. In
o he wo ds, hese a iable’s a iances a e no subs an ially
explained by he o he a iables in he model. Howe e ,
special a en ion is wa an ed o he a iables "Bowls P e -
e ence" and "Bu ge P e e ence." The Tole ance alues o
hese a iables a e excep ionally low a 0.001, while hei
co esponding VIF alues a e ex emely high a 1762.412
and 1763.458, espec i ely. Such ex eme alues sugges he
exis ence o mul icollinea i y be ween hese wo a iables.
As a esul , sus ainabili y inclina ion, he pe cei ed signi -
icance o he amendmen o he Ge man packaging law, and
conce ns ela ed o ime equi emen s and p i acy a e iden-
i ied as he mos meaning ul de e minan s associa ed wi h
he adop ion o RPSs. On he o he hand, he p e e ences o
bowls and bu ge s should be ea ed wi h cau ion when con-
side ing hem as p edic o s o he choice be ween single-use
and eusable packaging.
4.3. Discussion o Resul s
A ep esen a i e consume su ey was ca ied ou o as-
sess he cu en le el o adop ion o RPSs in Ge many and
o iden i y he d i e s and adop ion ba ie s ha ei he acil-
i a e o hinde he widesp ead accep ance o hese sys ems
among consume s.
O e all, he s udy e ealed ha he adop ion o RPSs in
Ge many emains ela i ely limi ed. Despi e a majo i y o
he pa icipan s ha ing p e iously pu chased co ee- o-go in
eusable cups, such beha iou is no habi ual. Fu he mo e,
when i comes o RPSs o akeaway and deli e y ood, he
cu en le el o adop ion is e en lowe , wi h only a mino i y
o esponden s epo ing u iliza ion o eusable packaging in
his con ex . One plausible explana ion o his disc epancy
could be ha he es ablishmen o RPSs o be e ages p e-
ceded hose o ood, leading consume s o be mo e awa e o
he a ailabili y o co ee- o-go op ions in eusable con aine s.
In esponse o he need o enhancing he adop ion o
RPSs o ood, he Ge man go e nmen has implemen ed
an amendmen o he na ional packaging law. This amend-
men manda es gas onomic es ablishmen s o o e eusable
packaging as an al e na i e o single-use packaging (Bun-
des egie ung, 2022). Howe e , despi e his poli ical ini-
ia i e, he indings om he su ey sugges ha he e is
s ill conside able oom o imp o emen in RPSs o ensu e
hey align wi h consume s’ p e e ences and hus achie e
widesp ead adop ion. The esul s highligh he need o
imp o e awa eness and unde s anding among consume s
ega ding bo h he legisla i e manda e o eusable pack-
aging and he pool sys ems a ailable. Enhancing consume
knowledge in hese a eas can play a pi o al ole in os e ing
g ea e adop ion o sus ainable p ac ices and encou aging
mo e in o med choices o eusable packaging solu ions.
Based on he empi ical indings, indi iduals wi h heigh -
ened awa eness o sus ainabili y demons a e a highe
p opensi y o op o eusable packaging. The eg ession
analysis conduc ed e ealed ha inclina ions owa d sus-
ainabili y and pe cei ed signi icance o he amendmen o
he Ge man packaging law a e in luen ial p edic o s o he
decision o emb ace eusable packaging. These ou comes
a e consis en wi h he esponses ob ained om he gene al
su ey, which indica ed ha pa icipan s’ p ima y mo i a-
ions o u ilizing RPSs s em om he desi e o cu ail plas ic
was e and conse e esou ces (Coelho e al., 2020; Long
e al., 2022; Miao e al., 2022). Fu he mo e, sc u inizing
he in e ela ionships be ween he assessed ac o s and hei
mo i a ional impac on packaging selec ion demons a ed
ha in insic mo i a ions hold g ea e sway o e ex insic
ones in d i ing he adop ion o RPSs. Despi e nea ly all e-
sponden s acknowledging he po en ial in luence o inancial
incen i es, as e idenced in p io esea ch (B adley & Co sini,
2023; E z e al., 2017; Long e al., 2022; Miao e al., 2022;
Šuške iˇ
c˙
e & K uopien˙
e, 2021), solely he mo i a ion de i ed
om en i onmen al s ewa dship demons a ed a subs an ial
impac on adop ion (please e e o Table A15). Rema kably,
he eg ession analysis sugges ed ha a p e e ence o bowls
as a akeaway op ion eme ged as ano he obus p edic o