Single-use packaging is everywhere, from salads to sushi, and its convenience is heavy on the environment. Luckily, New Zealand’s New World supermarkets are trialling a game-changing solution that makes eating well and treading lightly on the planet simple. Meet RePlay, a returnable container system designed to bring circular thinking to the supermarket deli.

Eat, Return, Repeat: How RePlay Works

RePlay is refreshingly simple. Customers select their deli favourites and borrow a polypropylene container with a quick tap of their card or phone. The container is theirs to enjoy for up to four weeks. If returned within that period, there is no charge. Late returns incur a $3 fee to help replenish the fleet of containers, and if returned between four weeks and six months, a partial refund of $1 may apply.

Lunch, Reimagined

At the heart of RePlay is a circular business model: packaging as a service. Rather than single-use containers that head straight to landfill, RePlay containers are designed to be used multiple times, potentially up to 50 cycles. While reusing plastic is not the ultimate solution to packaging waste, this trial is a practical step in the right direction. It helps shoppers understand how returnable systems can work and how these small actions can add up to real environmental wins. According to Bonson Packaging, the system balances durability and environmental performance, showing that convenience doesn’t have to come at the planet’s expense.

Where You Can RePlay

For now, RePlay is available at New World Birkenhead in Auckland and New World Metro Willis Street in Wellington. Shoppers can return containers to smart bins located in-store, making the process as seamless as popping a jar into a recycling bin. Each container has a unique QR code to track returns, ensuring no container gets lost in the system and no customer gets unfairly charged.

Learning From the Trial

New World’s two-year trial, is as much about understanding human behaviour as packaging. Debra Goulding, Foodstuffs’ sustainable packaging manager, explains that the trial is exploring how customers interact with returnable systems and whether this approach can become the “new normal” in supermarkets. It’s a fascinating example of sustainability in action, showing that even small shifts in habit can add up to big environmental wins.

The Future of Food Packaging

While currently a Kiwi initiative, there’s already talk of expanding RePlay into Australia, potentially in early 2026. For those of us committed to reducing single-use waste, it’s inspiring to see practical, circular solutions in action. We would also love to see even more plastic-free options introduced in the future.

RePlay proves that reducing waste doesn’t need to be complicated. With smart design, easy returns, and a focus on circularity, it offers a glimpse into a future where supermarkets can be sustainable and shoppers can feel good about every meal. Sometimes, the smallest changes, like returning a container, can have the biggest impact. So next time you pick up your lunch, remember: sustainability doesn’t have to be hard. It just needs a little RePlay.

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With Love, 
Ellie xox