SusChem contributes to NWO-funded ReLabel it project on reusable e-commerce packaging
Researchers from Maastricht University will contribute to the newly funded ReLabel it…! project, led by Dr Stefano Fazi at Delft University of Technology. The project aims to accelerate the transition from single-use cardboard boxes towards flexible, reusable and intelligent packaging systems for e-commerce.
The rapid growth of e-commerce generates large volumes of single-use packaging waste. Reusable packaging offers a promising alternative, but whether it provides environmental benefits depends on the entire system. Packaging design, logistics, return flows, repeated use and end-of-life management all need to be considered.
ReLabel it…! brings together expertise in industrial design, logistics and optimization, circular economy, and sustainability assessment to develop and evaluate reusable packaging solutions across the complete logistics chain.
From Maastricht University, Prof. Yvonne van der Meer from the Sustainability of Chemicals and Materials (SusChem) group at AMIBM and Dr Cris García Saravia Ortiz de Montellano, who holds a bridging position between SusChem and the Circular Chemical Engineering (CCE) group, will contribute expertise in sustainability and circularity assessment. Their research will assess the environmental and circularity performance of reusable packaging systems and identify the conditions under which reuse provides benefits compared with conventional single-use packaging.
“Reusable packaging has considerable potential, but whether it actually delivers sustainability benefits depends on the entire system, including the number of reuse cycles, logistics and return flows. By combining sustainability and circularity assessment with packaging design and logistics, we can identify where reusable systems really create environmental value,” says Prof. Yvonne van der Meer.
The research consortium brings together Delft University of Technology, Maastricht University, Linköping University and Newcastle University Business School, together with partners from industry and society.
More information
TU Delft – En route to reusable packages: NWO funds the ReLabel it project
NWO – Zes nieuwe toewijzingen binnen het Open Technologieprogramma
Introducing Life Cycle Assessment: A Student Blog Contribution
This blog post was written by Circular Engineering student Beatrice Bos, who follows the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) course, and was published in collaboration with Our Youth 4 the Climate (OY4C). It introduces LCA as a method for assessing the environmental impacts of products across their life cycle, using a simplified classroom example to explain key concepts.
The example refers to a hypothetical case discussed in educational materials linked to our research group (SusCheM)
Click here to go to the blog
The CIRCULAR Pathway Methodology
The CIRCULAR Pathway is an educational and exploratory tool for product and value chain redesign in the circular economy. Developed at Maastricht University and the Aachen-Maastricht Institute for Biobased Materials, the methodology translates theory into practice through an eight-step process (Co-define, Identify, Recognize, Create, Uncover, Level-up, Analyze, Reflect). It equips students, educators, and practitioners with a structured yet creative approach to rethinking products, processes, and business models for value retention and sustainability. Originally applied in master’s and bachelor’s programs, it is now widely used as a hands-on framework to support learning, research, and collaboration with and within companies.
Sustainability Research and Education Now Live in the Newly Opened Research Computer Lab at Chemelot Campus, Geleen
This week, we officially launched the Research Computer Lab with a workshop on data sources for Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), held as part of the course Sustainability of Biobased Materials. During the session, students learned to use Aspen Plus for process modeling and how to apply the results in their LCA projects.
The Research Computer Lab is also open to students conducting Bachelor’s and Master’s thesis research within our group. Our software portfolio includes all the necessary tools to support high-quality research in LCA, techno-economic analysis, and social LCA.
