With a target of 250,000 reusable packages and twenty pioneering brands, DS Smith, an International Paper company, and a leading global provider of fibre-based and sustainable packaging, is supporting the REUSE FAST TRACK initiative in collaboration with RE-ZIP, and the RAJA Group. The programme aims to develop a reusable fibre-based packaging solution with French e-commerce manufacturers and suppliers.
REUSE FAST TRACK, which is scheduled to run for a year, is anticipated to demonstrate that packaging can be reused with tangible benefits for sustainability targets, commercial profit, and operational efficiency when provided to e-commerce customers at scale. The intention is to promote the reuse of 250,000 packages within a twelve-month period by recirculating returned packaging.
The initiative comes at a time when packaging regulations, such as the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR), require businesses across the European Union (EU) to invest in solutions that are designed, used, and disposed of, within a harmonized framework.
The project is funded by EU LIFE, the EU’s dedicated investment vehicle for initiatives promoting environmental protection and sustainable development, with the aim of making reuse a credible alternative and accelerating its adoption.
E-commerce sectors
REUSE FAST TRACK is open to businesses and brands from across e-commerce sectors, ranging from cosmetics, fashion and apparel, and FMCG (Fast-Moving-Consumer-Goods), and participants, will benefit from personalized support, supply chain deployment, IT configuration, marketing, consumer engagement, and performance monitoring.
Sustainable collaboration for e-commerce
The initiative incorporates the combined expertise of RE-ZIP a Denmark based start-up that is managing the program's operations by providing a traceability app to track returns and facilitate its implementation, the RAJA Group, a European leader in multichannel distribution of supplies and equipment for businesses, and DS Smith, a leading global provider of fibre-based and sustainable packaging solutions. The collaborators will ensure that the reusable packaging solutions are in optimum condition before they are returned to the e-commerce marketplace.
Comments from the founding partners:
Anne-Laure Daniel, Managing Director, RE-ZIP, France, “The market is waiting for a strong signal. REUSE FAST TRACK is that signal: not just another pilot, but the largest reusable packaging rollout program ever launched. We are opening the door to brands that want to be on the right side of history to decide now”.
Mathieu Bultelle, Head of New Markets, DS Smith, France, “DS Smith designs sustainable and circular packaging. This program is an opportunity to put that expertise to work for large-scale reuse, with committed brands and real impact data”.
Marie-Aurore Marichy, Group Product Manager, RAJA, “As Europe’s leading packaging distributor, RAJA wants to give its customers a concrete opportunity to switch to reuse.” “We provide them with packaging, advice, and distribution services.”
Applications are now open and the three partners will select twenty businesses and brands starting in July 2026. REUSE FAST TRACK will launch in France in September 2026 and will potentially be rolled out to wider European countries and participants from 2027.
Further details can be found at https://communication.re-zip.com/reuse-fast-track
DS Smith has a target-led sustainability strategy and is committed to leading an industry-wide transition to the circular economy, while delivering sustainable circular solutions to customers worldwide.