On 21 May, the packaging industry will gather at Posthuset in Stockholm when Pack Point Nordic celebrates its tenth anniversary. The focus will be on the EU's new packaging regulation, PPWR, which will come into force in 2026 and is expected to change the playing field for the entire value chain.
One of the speakers during the programme item ‘Sustainable distribution in practice – from packaging to delivery’ is Catherine Alsén Gelfgren from Gordon. She has been a driving force in the development of Gordon's circular delivery system and will talk about what happens when reuse moves from pilot projects to full-scale operation.
"It's easy to talk about circular systems in theory. The challenge is to make them work in reality," says Catherine Alsén Gelfgren.
Gordon is a Nordic player in temperature-controlled home deliveries and currently reaches over 90 per cent of Sweden's population. The company delivers food and medicines directly to consumers and businesses, among other things, and has rolled out reusable delivery bags on a large scale in recent years.
“Reuse is fundamentally a logistical challenge”
Now that PPWR is tightening its requirements for reuse and circularity, Catherine believes that developments are moving in the right direction.
"We see that PPWR clearly favours reuse systems. That is positive. At the same time, there are parts that are not yet fully defined, such as requirements for minimum number of rotations and harmonised labelling. For those of us who already have large volumes in circulation, it is important that implementation takes place with long-term harmonisation, so that functioning products do not need to be removed from the system in order to meet future requirements."
Since its inception, Gordon has built traceability into the packaging level and can measure the number of loops per unit. The packaging has undergone ISO testing and washing tests, but according to Catherine, the most important knowledge comes from daily operations.
"A bag that encounters families with children, stairwells, shop environments and refrigerated trucks lives a completely different life than in a test protocol. It is only when it is in use that we see where it actually wears out and what consumer behaviour looks like over time."
She also highlights an aspect that is often overlooked in the debate.
"There is a lot of talk about the design of reusable packaging, but considerably less about how it should actually be returned. Reuse is fundamentally a logistical challenge. Without simple return flows, the whole system collapses."
From a bag to a connected system
In Gordon's system, climate gains compared to a traditional paper bag are achieved after just five rotations. In some existing flows, five loops have been achieved in just 2.5 months.
But Catherine believes that the real potential lies in systems thinking.
"Packaging is just one component. Equally important is how we link information, traceability and communication. Consumers receive clear information about returns, drivers receive notifications about pick-ups, and our partners register washing and repairs. It is this interaction that creates scalability."
As part of a Vinnova project in collaboration with Jönköping Municipality, Gordon has also trialled collecting deposits in his circular bags. The shop accepts the bottles and handles the deposits, while the refund goes back to the customer.
"This shows that once we have the infrastructure in place, we can build more circular services on top of it,’" says Catherine.
“The market is ready”
At Pack Point Nordic, she wants to send a clear message to industry colleagues, producers and decision-makers.
"That it already works. It has been rolled out, it is happening here and now. We have insights into consumer behaviour and return rates on a large scale. Now we need to collaborate more between actors, regions and industries. Parallel systems risk becoming both expensive and inefficient."
She also calls for the courage to experiment.
"We must dare to move from PowerPoint to practice. Test, measure, adjust. And at the same time, set requirements, both for ourselves and for each other."
Pack Point Nordic brings together representatives from government agencies, industry and trade to discuss how the role of packaging changes throughout its life cycle. For Gordon, participation is part of a larger effort.
"Sustainable distribution is not just about the choice of materials. It is about how the entire system is designed, from packaging to delivery and back again," says Catherine Alsén Gelfgren.
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