SusChem contributes to NWO-funded ReLabel it project on reusable e-commerce packaging

15 September 2026

erik.verheij@m… Tue, 09/15/2026 - 15:36

Researchers from Maastricht University will contribute to the newly funded ReLabel it…! project, led by Dr Stefano Fazi at Delft University of Technology. The project aims to accelerate the transition from single-use cardboard boxes towards flexible, reusable and intelligent packaging systems for e-commerce.

The rapid growth of e-commerce generates large volumes of single-use packaging waste. Reusable packaging offers a promising alternative, but whether it provides environmental benefits depends on the entire system. Packaging design, logistics, return flows, repeated use and end-of-life management all need to be considered.

ReLabel it…! brings together expertise in industrial design, logistics and optimization, circular economy, and sustainability assessment to develop and evaluate reusable packaging solutions across the complete logistics chain.

From Maastricht University, Prof. Yvonne van der Meer from the Sustainability of Chemicals and Materials (SusChem) group at AMIBM and Dr Cris García Saravia Ortiz de Montellano, who holds a bridging position between SusChem and the Circular Chemical Engineering (CCE) group, will contribute expertise in sustainability and circularity assessment. Their research will assess the environmental and circularity performance of reusable packaging systems and identify the conditions under which reuse provides benefits compared with conventional single-use packaging.

“Reusable packaging has considerable potential, but whether it actually delivers sustainability benefits depends on the entire system, including the number of reuse cycles, logistics and return flows. By combining sustainability and circularity assessment with packaging design and logistics, we can identify where reusable systems really create environmental value,” says Prof. Yvonne van der Meer.

The research consortium brings together Delft University of Technology, Maastricht University, Linköping University and Newcastle University Business School, together with partners from industry and society.

More information

Faculty of Science and Engineering

Maastricht University

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