MIWA provides a complete business ecosystem for smart-powered reuse packaging. Through a refill-on-the-go business model, the Czech company aims to offer a waste-free shopping experience — eliminating the potential for single-use plastic packaging to pollute natural environments and threaten biodiversity. In 2020, the company’s system was implemented by Nestlé to offer high-tech bulk dispensing solutions for instant coffee and pet food. The system was trialled in three Nestlé shops in Switzerland during a four-month period. The pilot proved itself successful, as most customers said they were satisfied with the experience and, by the end of the pilot, 50% of customers brought their own reusable packaging for refill. As a result, Nestlé scaled the refill solution to 16 shops with its Purina One brand across Switzerland to test operational viability at a larger scale. MIWA is also continuing to advance its reuse solution in the Czech Republic and beyond, including countries like Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Germany and the UK.
Biodiversity benefits
MIWA’s refill-on-the-go system can reduce packaging waste by 90% if customers bring their own reusable container, reducing the potential impacts on biodiversity associated with packaging waste disposal or leakage. Furthermore, a general Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) performed by the University of Chemistry and Technology in Prague showed that the MIWA system can reduce the overall negative environmental impact by up to 71% in comparison to conventional food distribution in disposable packaging, reducing the pressures on global biodiversity.
This page is part of a deep dive into biodiversity and plastic packaging, where we delve deeper into tackling plastic pollution through elimination, innovation, and circulation.
