Large sporting events and entertainment venues generate enormous amounts of packaging waste in a relatively short period of time. Beverage cups alone can account for tens of thousands of single-use items during a single tournament, concert series, or festival weekend. As sustainability commitments across the events industry become more ambitious, reusable packaging systems are increasingly being positioned as a practical way to reduce waste and support circular economy goals.
Yet despite growing interest, reusable systems have not scaled consistently across live events. The challenge is rarely the packaging itself. More often, the barrier is operational.
For many venues, implementing reusable packaging introduces entirely new logistical requirements: collection infrastructure, return participation, washing operations, staffing, inventory management, and reverse logistics. Even when sustainability objectives are clear, the systems behind reuse can quickly become difficult to manage in high-volume, fast-paced event environments.
This is particularly relevant as regulatory pressure around packaging waste continues to intensify. Across Europe, policymakers are increasingly prioritising waste prevention and reuse as part of broader circular economy strategies. The Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR), Extended Producer Responsibility frameworks, and national waste reduction targets are accelerating conversations around reusable systems in sectors traditionally dominated by disposables, including hospitality, sports, and entertainment.
At the same time, expectations from visitors, sponsors, and venue partners are changing. Sustainability reporting has become a visible component of major sporting and cultural events, and organizers are under growing pressure to demonstrate measurable environmental outcomes rather than symbolic initiatives.
However, achieving meaningful waste reduction at live events requires more than replacing disposable cups with reusable ones. Participation rates ultimately determine whether these systems work in practice.
Historically, one of the largest obstacles facing reusable packaging systems has been user friction. Long return queues, unclear instructions, inconvenient collection points, cash handling, and manual processing have often discouraged participation. When returning a reusable cup feels slower or more complicated than discarding a disposable one, return rates suffer.
This operational reality is important because the environmental value of reusable packaging depends on repeated circulation. A reusable cup only delivers sustainability benefits when it is consistently returned, washed, and reused enough times to offset the environmental footprint associated with its production and transport.
As a result, the conversation around reusable packaging is increasingly shifting away from the packaging itself and toward infrastructure design. Convenience is becoming one of the most important success factors.
For venue operators, this means integrating reuse systems into the broader visitor experience rather than treating them as standalone sustainability projects. Return points must be accessible. Refund mechanisms must be fast. Processes must work efficiently during peak crowd movement. Staff cannot be overwhelmed by manual collection procedures during high-demand periods.
Automation is beginning to play a larger role in addressing some of these challenges. In several European markets, event organisers are experimenting with systems that simplify returns and reduce the operational burden on concession operators. The objective is not necessarily to introduce more technology for its own sake, but to reduce friction for both attendees and venue staff.
At the same time, reuse systems are not without challenges, and not every deployment has delivered consistent results. Some venues have struggled with lower-than-expected return rates, particularly when return processes create friction for attendees or cups are perceived as souvenirs. Others have faced operational barriers related to washing infrastructure, logistics, storage, and upfront implementation costs. Industry experience increasingly shows that convenience plays a critical role in participation. In fast-paced event environments, requiring visitors to download applications, scan QR codes, or navigate manual refund processes can discourage returns. By contrast, systems that enable immediate deposit refunds directly to payment cards through automated return infrastructure can significantly simplify participation and improve the overall visitor experience.
One recent international hockey championship in Europe demonstrated how this approach can support circular event operations at scale. Organisers implemented a reusable cup system across multiple arenas, serving more than 55,000 beverages during the tournament while enabling attendees to return cups through automated collection infrastructure positioned throughout the venues.
The system helped reduce reliance on single-use cups while also minimizing manual handling requirements for concession staff. Returned cups were washed and recirculated throughout the event, allowing multiple reuse cycles during the championship. Equally important, the return process itself was designed to require minimal effort from visitors, supporting higher participation and smoother operations during peak attendance periods.
Examples like this suggest that the future viability of reusable packaging systems may depend less on environmental messaging and more on operational integration. Consumers generally support sustainability initiatives in principle, but participation increases significantly when sustainable behavior becomes fast, intuitive, and convenient.
This has broader implications beyond sports arenas. Similar operational questions are emerging across airports, universities, entertainment venues, corporate campuses, and quick-service hospitality environments. As reuse systems expand, organizations will increasingly need to evaluate not only the environmental benefits of reusable packaging but also the infrastructure required to make circular systems function efficiently in practice.
Another important consideration is labor. Many live event venues already face staffing constraints, particularly during large-scale events with concentrated visitor demand. Systems that rely heavily on manual sorting, collection, or refund handling may become difficult to sustain operationally. Reducing manual intervention can improve efficiency while allowing venue staff to focus on visitor service rather than packaging administration.
At the same time, standardization and interoperability are likely to become more important as reuse systems mature. Today, many reuse initiatives still operate as isolated pilots with venue-specific packaging formats and operational models. Over time, broader adoption may require more standardized approaches to collection, washing, tracking, and logistics across event ecosystems.
The economics of reuse will also continue to evolve. While reusable systems often require higher upfront investment than disposable packaging, rising regulatory pressure, landfill costs, and waste management fees may increasingly shift the long-term financial equation in favor of circular models. Organizations that begin developing reuse infrastructure now may ultimately be better positioned for future regulatory and operational requirements.
What is becoming increasingly clear is that reusable packaging cannot succeed through sustainability ambition alone. Circular systems must work operationally under real-world conditions involving large crowds, limited staffing, time pressure, and consumer convenience expectations.
The next phase of reusable packaging adoption at live events will likely depend on infrastructure that makes participation almost invisible to attendees. The systems that scale successfully may be the ones that integrate sustainability into the visitor experience so seamlessly that returning packaging becomes a natural part of attending the event rather than an additional responsibility.
As venues continue searching for practical ways to reduce waste and meet sustainability goals, reusable packaging is likely to remain an important part of the conversation. But the long-term success of these systems will depend not simply on replacing disposable products, but on building the operational infrastructure necessary to support circular behavior at scale.
Andrea Basilová is Co-Founder of Sensoneo, a company focused on digital solutions for the waste and recycling sector. Sensoneo’s technologies have supported the digital transformation of waste management systems globally, with waste monitoring solutions deployed in more than 90 countries. and IT solutions for the management of nationwide deposit return schemes currently deployed in 9 countries.
