Amcor supports city‑scale reusable packaging initiative in Ottawa

Amcor is participating in a city-scale reusable packaging pilot launching in Ottawa, designed to test how shared reuse systems can operate across multiple retailers and brands within existing retail environments.

The initiative, called The Reuse City Canada Project, is led by The Consumer Goods Forum (CGF) in collaboration with Reposit. It will begin operations in Q3 2026 and aims to generate practical, data-driven insights on the technical, operational, and economic viability of reuse at city scale.

The project integrates shared return points, reverse logistics, professional washing infrastructure, and connected data systems. Consumers will purchase selected personal and home care products in durable, reusable packaging with a refundable deposit, returning empty containers at in-store collection points for cleaning and recirculation. Standardized return instructions will be provided in both English and French to reduce user friction.

Participating retailers and brands include Loblaw, L’Oréal, P&G, Shoppers Drug Mart, Superstore, Unilever, Walmart Canada, and Your Independent Grocer. Solution partners supporting system implementation include Avery Dennison, Circulr, and IBM, alongside Amcor.

Reposit is responsible for system design, deployment, and day-to-day operations, coordinating logistics and ensuring interoperability across participating stores and brands. The shared infrastructure model allows companies to test reuse without building standalone systems, while maintaining compatibility with existing retail operations.

The pilot is intended to complement recycling by reducing reliance on single-use packaging for selected products, while continuing to use recycling for packaging not suited to reuse. Non-confidential technical and operational learnings from the project will be shared with industry and policy stakeholders to support replication in other cities.

The Reuse City Canada Project is partially funded by the Government of Canada, Handelens Miljofond, and the Norwegian Retailers’ Environment Fund, with support from the Canada Plastics Pact.

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