Using Rewards and Penalties to Promote Reusable Packaging Systems: A Review of Current Practice and Analysis of Effects on Consumer Engagement

Reusable packaging systems (RPSs) offer a promising solution for mitigating environmental harm caused by single‐use plastics, but their success depends largely on consumer engagement. This multi‐method study examines the use and effects of material consequences to promote consumer engagement with RPSs. A scoping review of 52 systems using the Behaviour Change Intervention Ontology revealed the use of positive material consequences (i.e., rewards), primarily through refundable deposits, and negative material consequences (i.e., penalties) mainly through late fees and surcharges. Interviews with RPS providers and operators revealed that decisions about incentives typically rely on intuition and business constraints rather than evidence. Quasi‐experimental analysis of field data from 31 German outlets suggested that €0.30–0.90 surcharges on single‐use containers increased reusable container transactions by 74%–98%, with effects persisting over 12 months. Effects tend to be stronger for higher surcharges and workplace settings. This research provides evidence that surcharges effectively increase reusable container transactions and provides a template for designing and testing other forms of material consequences to provide the evidence‐base needed to accelerate circular economy transitions through RPSs.