Tracking and identity
Every box has its own digital record, ready, out, back or lost, and how many trips it has made.
Reusable take-away packaging.
A food-grade silicone box we designed, made in our own mould, with a digital identity on every unit. And the software that keeps it moving, from loan to return.
- Food-grade silicone Safe in the microwave, oven, freezer and dishwasher. 750 ml.
- The message on the lid "I am reusable. Return me." Moulded into the lid.
- Laser-engraved identity Every box carries a laser-engraved QR code and serial number. Scanning the code opens that box's own record.
- One piece Body and lid come out of the mould as one piece, joined by a silicone hinge. Nothing comes apart, nothing gets lost.
- RFID in the material In research We are testing an RFID tag embedded in the silicone, for contactless reading.
- Specification
- Food-grade silicone
- 750 ml
- Our own industrial steel mould
- Designed and made in Portugal
- Food-contact certification of the finished box in progress Ongoing
From sketch to steel
Every step, documented.
June 2024
Study with Instituto Superior Técnico, June 2024
Three master's teams studied reusable take-away with restaurants and customers.
September 2024
R&D project with Sociedade Ponto Verde
Development of the box and of the reuse system begins.
The mould
An industrial steel mould with two cavities. Body and lid in a single shot.
The first prototype
The first parts out of the mould, still with flash, to fine-tune sizes and fit.
The first production run
The first batch in coral silicone, with the message moulded into the lid.
Permanent marking
Laser engraving tests at several power settings, until we had a mark that is readable and permanent.
August 2026
70 boxes with a laser-engraved identity
Each with a QR code and serial number, linked to its own digital record.
Now Ongoing
Certification
Food-contact certification of the finished box in progress.
Next Next step
Closed-loop pilots
Canteens, campuses and events, to measure returns, washing and real costs.
One box, many lives
How the box moves.
Loan
The restaurant serves the meal in the box and records the loan in seconds.
Use
The customer takes the meal away. 15 days to return it, with reminders.
Return
They bring the box back to the restaurant. The return is recorded and earns points.
Washing
The box is washed and ready.
Back in service
Every trip goes into the box's record.
The system
The software behind every box.
Loyalty
Points for returning a box or bringing your own container, for the customer and the restaurant.
Deposits and payments
An optional deposit set by each restaurant, with MB WAY payment in testing. A deferred charge, taken only if the box does not come back.
Digital wallet
A wallet for deposits, rewards and returns anywhere in the network.
Loops
Closed first, then open.
Closed loop
Canteens, campuses, events and hotels. The boxes move within a controlled space, which is why the pilots start here, to measure returns, washing and real costs.
Open loop
Take-away across a network. Take it from one restaurant, return it to another. It is the next step, once the closed loop is proven.
Why now
The law already asks for reuse.
Since 1 January 2024, Portuguese food businesses that sell take-away in single-use packaging must offer a reusable alternative, with a system that encourages its return.
Under the EU packaging regulation, from 12 February 2027 customers can bring their own container, and from 12 February 2028 take-away must offer a reusable option.
For a restaurant, every single-use container is a cost repeated with every meal. A box that comes back spreads its cost over every trip.
Funding
This R&D project is financed by the PRR and Sociedade Ponto Verde.
With: SIBS LAB · GS1 Portugal · Instituto Superior Técnico
Take part
Let's test it together.
Restaurants, canteens and events
Would you like to try reuse at your place? We are preparing closed-loop pilots.
I want to take partFor people who order take-away
The free reuse tool already works. With a username, you can take and return boxes and earn points.
Use the app