Tony McGurk, founder of re-universe, and Steve Clarke, commercial director for re-universe, explain why better system design is the key to encouraging people to change their behaviours.
For the best part of two decades, the circular economy conversation has been built on a familiar premise: if we can encourage people to behave differently, we can solve the waste problem.
Better labelling, clearer messaging, and financial incentives and penalties have all been deployed as strategies – each designed to nudge individuals toward better choices.
And yet, despite progress, the core challenge remains. Behaviour change at scale is slow, inconsistent and highly sensitive to context. Even the most well-intentioned consumers default to convenience under time pressure.
The uncomfortable truth is that we are still placing too much of the burden on the individual. It is time to reframe the problem.
What if the goal is not to change behaviours but to remove the need altogether?
The limits of behaviour-led reuse
Reuse systems have historically underperformed not because of a lack of demand, but because they introduce friction into otherwise simple transactions.
Consumers are asked to:
- Download apps.
- Register details.
- Understand deposit systems.
- Scan items multiple times.
- Actively remember to return.
Each step adds complexity. Each moment of hesitation reduces participation.
In controlled pilot environments, these systems can work, but when adopted at scale across busy campuses, venues, and transport hubs, friction accumulates and performance drops.
Operators, faced with inconsistency and operational overhead, often revert to single-use for reasons that are entirely rational from a commercial perspective. This is not a behavioural failure. It is a system design failure.
Engineer the outcome, not the behaviour
Single-use systems succeed for one simple reason: they are effortless.
You buy. You use. You dispose. No cognitive load.
If reuse is to compete, it must meet this standard of simplicity, not approximate it. This is where true one-tap technology represents a structural shift.
This is what we call ‘invisible returns’, where the customer sees no real difference in how they need to behave.
Rather than asking consumers to adapt, the system is designed so that returning an item becomes the natural, frictionless continuation of the journey.
- No apps.
- No additional steps.
- No behavioural burden.
The desired outcome is engineered into the process itself. This thinking is not new, but it is now technically achievable.
Since re-universe created the world’s first digital deposit return system (Digital DRS), our focus has been clear: make reuse and, crucially, returning, simpler, faster, and inherently rewarding, without adding complexity for the end user.
Payments as the operating system
The key enabler for this shift is the recognition that payments already underpin modern commerce.
Every transaction carries an identity, authentication and settlement capability. By linking a reusable item to a digital payment token at the point of sale, we establish a digital connection between product and purchaser without requiring user registration or data capture.
When the item is returned, the system recognises it and triggers an automatic refund back to the original payment method.
- No manual scanning.
- No intervention.
- No delay.
This is ‘invisible returns’: a system where the financial mechanism exists, but the user experience is seamless.
From a behavioural standpoint, this is critical. The consumer is not asked to think about deposits or processes; they simply act within an environment where return is the easiest option available and where that action is instantly rewarded.
QR and RFID: Enabling a managed asset system
This model is made possible by the convergence of two technologies: the shift from barcodes to QR codes and the maturation of RFID.
QR codes provide item-level digital identity. They are flexible, low-cost and globally standardised. RFID removes the need for line-of-sight interaction, enabling automatic, bulk reading of items in real time.
Together, they create a resilient identification layer:
- QR for accessibility and redundancy.
- RFID for automation, speed and accuracy.
The result is not just traceability, but real-time asset management. Every item can be tracked through its lifecycle – issue, return, wash, and redeploy, without manual intervention. This transforms reusable packaging from a consumable into a managed asset class.
Friction, not awareness, is the barrier
Circular economy discourse often emphasises awareness and education. These are important, but they are not decisive. At the point of use, behaviour is governed by friction.
If returning a cup takes longer than discarding it, most people, regardless of intent, will choose the easier option. Invisible returns invert this dynamic. By embedding return points within natural pathways and automating the process, the system makes return the path of least resistance.
Well-designed systems are already demonstrating return rates above 90% without apps, campaigns or enforcement. That is not the result of better messaging; it is the result of better design.
From pilots to infrastructure
One of the persistent challenges in reuse has been scaling beyond pilot schemes.
Pilots benefit from focus, resources, and engagement. Scaling introduces variability, multiple operators, environments, and user groups.
A payments-led, RFID-enabled approach standardises the core mechanics:
- A consistent transaction model.
- A unified return process.
- A shared data framework.
This delivers interoperability across sites and sectors, allowing reuse to function as infrastructure rather than initiative.
Importantly, this aligns with emerging standards work, such as GS1 identifiers (Product Passports) and PR3 frameworks, which are critical to enabling reuse at the supply chain and national levels.
Aligning with UK policy direction
This system-level approach is increasingly relevant in the context of UK policy.
Reforms such as Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), the evolving Deposit Return Scheme (DRS), and Simpler Recycling all point toward a more structured, data-driven approach to resource management.
However, many of these mechanisms still rely explicitly or implicitly on consumer participation and compliance. The next phase should focus on reducing that dependency.
By integrating reuse into payment systems and infrastructure, policymakers can shift from influencing behaviour to designing default outcomes. This includes:
- Supporting open identification standards for reusable packaging.
- Enabling payment-integrated deposit and refund mechanisms.
- Incentivising deployment of automated return infrastructure.
- Aligning EPR frameworks with reuse performance data.
The opportunity is to move from behavioural policy to systemic enablement.
The economics of frictionless reuse
From a commercial perspective, reducing friction delivers measurable value.
Manual systems introduce cost: labour, reconciliation, loss, and customer support. Automated systems remove these inefficiencies. At the same time, organisations eliminate ongoing spend on single-use items and reduce waste management costs.
This creates a model where reuse is not only environmentally beneficial but economically advantageous, often achieving cost parity or better within short operational cycles.
Sustainability that depends on subsidies will struggle to scale. Sustainability that improves margins scales rapidly.
Reuse as invisible infrastructure
The logical end state is clear.
Reuse becomes an invisible layer of everyday transactions:
- The item is issued.
- The item is used.
- The item is returned naturally.
- The deposit is refunded instantly (or penalty/card-hold removed).
No instructions. No behavioural prompts. No friction.
In this model, reuse is not something consumers do. It is something the system delivers.
A final thought
The circular economy will not be delivered by asking millions of people to make better decisions, millions of times a day.
It will be delivered by designing systems where the natural behaviour requires no decision at all.
True one-tap invisible returns show what that future looks like: payments, identification and infrastructure working together to remove friction, align incentives and enable reuse at scale.
In the end, the behaviour change the circular economy requires to adopt reuse over single-use won’t be won by changing consumers’ behaviours; it will be won by smart design of the system.
