Borro offers a cashless deposit system for returnable meal delivery tableware
According McKinsey and Eastman, only 1% of all plastics get recycled. The growth of food delivery during the pandemic has contributed significantly to this problem. We want to help restaurants transition to a more sustainable, reusable system. Currently, there are no systems that make it easy for (larger) food chains to integrate reusable packaging within delivery services, cash registers, or their operational flow.
Borro aims to solve this problem by creating a frictionless deposit system!
Cross-border/international
Belgium
Netherlands
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Mainly urban
It refers to a physical transformation of the built environment (hard investment)
Yes
European Green Deal, 12: Anders Verpakt -- 2022
No
As an individual in partnership with other persons
First name: Glenn Last name: Verhaege Gender: Male Age: 27 Please attach a copy of your national ID/residence card:
By ticking this box, I certify that the information regarding my age is factually correct. : Yes Nationality: Belgium Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation)<br/>Street and number: Generaal Lemanstraat 104 Town: Berchem Postal code: 2600 Country: Belgium Direct Tel:+32 470 19 85 07 E-mail:glenn@homegrown.ventures
BORRO is a reusable packaging system for take-out and delivery meals.
BORRO focuses on developing a frictionless customer journey to make the transition from single use to reusable packaging as easy as possible for both: Restaurant owners & end users. To design our lean startup, we co-created together with a diverse group of stakeholders varying from restaurant owners, delivery services, company caterers, grocery stores, and their customers. In 1 year time, we tested 3 MVP's which went live in 10 restaurants, giving us super relevant insights to develop our final application.
In 2023 we are developing & launching our web-application: the cashless deposit system, which has the following benefits over other re-use applications:
- No need to integrate with existing cash registeres (can be live within a day)
- No delay during the ordering proces (no need to connect packaging with user ID during the order moment), our research highlighted that this is currently the biggest reason for restaurants to not provide a reusable option
- No interaction needed to take back the packaging
- A cashless system: no cash money interaction needed
- BioPP packaging optimized for take-out meal delivery
- Cash for Cash: People pay a cash deposit, and receive their money back on their bankaccount after returning the packaging (no wallets, digital coins, etc.)
Our mission is to make reusable packaging work in more complex systems such as: quick service restaurants, corporate canteens, etc.
In these environments you need to handle high volume, and not alle people are tech-savvy or actively making sustainable decisions. To make our solution work in these contexts, we designed an inclusive service which also could work without creditcards, and in some cases even without a phone or computer!
The development of the system will be done in April 2023, and the same month we will launch larger pilots in Belgium & The Netherlands.
Reusable Packaging
Cashless-Deposit-System
Frictionless
Inclusion
Scaleable
Our key objective is to reduce the amount of waste driven by single use plastics used by take-out & delivery of food. The linear way we sell
packaging is flawed, only 1% of plastics gets recycled (Ref. Mcinsey / Eastman). Compostable aren’t necessarily better. Most of these packages still ends up at landfills, and the production of these packaging is creating other problems as deforestation.
Most of the packaging in the delivery context is only used for a couple of minutes. In some cases (such as large fast food chains) we trow away tons of packaging just for dine-in purposes. The obvious switch to a reusable packaging system is often declined because of practical reasons: it takes too much time during the order proces, managing the deposit is too much hassle, etc.
With Borro, we want to make the switch to reusable easy, by focussing a frictionless user journey. This way we can convince restaurants to actually use these packaging in their daily operation. As a result, more packaging will go circular, and less waste will be created.
Our goal for the past year has been to create the ultimate user experience by removing any friction. We firmly believe that this approach is the key to getting both restaurants and customers to embrace our app. To achieve this, we've streamlined the process of returning deposits for reusable packaging. Our team, which includes experts in UX/UI design, has worked tirelessly to make this process as simple as possible.
For users, ordering food in reusable containers should take no more time than using single-use containers, and returning the packaging for a deposit should take no more than a minute. For restaurants, the transition to using reusable containers should not require any additional investments or complicated integration processes with their cash registers. The process should be easy, with minimal tasks for restaurants to manage.
A key objective of this concept is to promote inclusiveness and accessibility to all individuals, regardless of their socio-economic status or technological capabilities. In order to achieve this goal, the concept has been designed with several key features that make it easy to use, accessible, and affordable for everyone.
One of the most significant ways in which this has been achieved is by eliminating the requirement for a credit card, making the service available to individuals who may not have access to this financial services. This is a critical aspect of the concept, as it helps to address the issue of financial exclusion, which affects a large portion of the population in many countries.
Another decision we made was to run the whole application as a progressive webapp. This way all people can use the app even without downloading it, and this way also older smartphone are able to keep using the app. People without smartphone can use the same solution via computer or other devices with internet acces.
In the next version of the concept, we want to take this even further by offering alternative methods of access. The whole application can run in the background, without the need of a consumer facing app.
In conclusion, the key objectives of this concept are to promote inclusiveness and accessibility to all individuals, regardless of their socio-economic status or technological capabilities. By making it easy to use, accessible, and affordable for everyone, and by incorporating principles of "design for all" and "new societal models," this concept sets an example for others to follow in creating a more equitable and inclusive society.
The concept has involved citizens and civil society in a co-creation process that has helped to define various aspects of the concept.
One of the key areas of focus in the co-creation process was understanding the preferences of citizens and civil society with regards to the time to bring back the packaging, the amount of deposit, etc. This helped to inform the design of the concept, ensuring that it meets the needs of those who will be using it.
The co-creation process also provided valuable insights into the ideal way to bring back the packaging, which helped to inform the order flows and overall design of the concept. This is important because it ensures that the concept is user-friendly and meets the needs of those who will be using it.
Additionally, the co-creation process helped to gather information about the perception of citizens and civil society towards reusables and who should be responsible for cleaning them. This information was used to shape the messaging and overall approach of the concept, helping to ensure that it is well received by the public.
Finally, the co-creation process gathered information about the tech knowledge of citizens and civil society, including how easy it is for them to use the app and where they may make mistakes. This information was used to improve the design of the app, ensuring that it is user-friendly and easy to use.
Overall, the involvement of citizens and civil society in the co-creation process has had a significant impact on the concept. It has helped to ensure that the concept is designed to meet the needs and preferences of those who will be using it, making it more likely to be successful and well-received. The co-creation process not only focused on early adopters but also kept the "average" user in mind during the whole design project.
The engagement of various stakeholders helped to ensure that the concept was shaped by a wide range of perspectives and was designed to meet the needs of different communities.
One key stakeholder group engaged in the design process were restaurants, including large fast-food chains, company caterers, and small neighborhood traiteurs. Understanding the workflows of these different types of restaurants was important in order to understand how to implement a reusable system that would work within each of these different contexts. The input from restaurants helped to inform the design of the concept and ensure that it would be feasible to implement within a variety of settings.
Another important stakeholder group engaged in the design process were partners, including local delivery services. Many reusable systems start at a local level, but most delivery services have headquarters that are internationally based. Engaging with local delivery services helped to understand the challenges of integrating a reusable system within their existing infrastructure and processes. Additionally, because most delivery services do not share customer data, it was important to design a solution that would allow for independent ID matching.
Finally, the concept was designed to be easily integrated with cash registers, with a modular backend to make implementations possible when there is extra budget. Our basic module can be used without investments or integrations, but for those who like to invest in RFID tags and smart bins we can setup a whole seamless cash register integration.
In summary, the engagement of different stakeholders at various levels helped to ensure that the concept was informed by a wide range of perspectives and was designed to meet the needs of different communities.
In the design and development of our concept, different disciplines and knowledge fields were reflected. My background in service design helped in creating the ideal service flow and customer journey. Then, a tech agency with experience in building applications for large corporations and governments was brought in to improve the MVP's UX/UI and develop a secure technical backend. The packaging company "dester," with its expertise in developing packaging for large QSRs and airlines, played a role in designing the ideal range of reusable packaging.
During the co-creation process, restaurants shared their knowledge about ideal order flows, and delivery services contributed insights about the logistics of reusable packaging. The representatives of these different fields interacted with each other to ensure a smooth and efficient user experience. The added value of this interdisciplinary approach was a well-rounded and comprehensive solution that considered all aspects of the service, from packaging to customer journey.
Our concept stands out in the field by focusing on a solution that is truly usable by restaurants and not just a PR stunt. Unlike other concepts that often require a lot of effort, we aim to create a frictionless user journey that makes it easy for both restaurants and customers to use our app. This includes an automatic payment system that transfers money from the restaurant's bank account to the customer who returns the packaging.
Another innovative aspect of our concept is that it requires no investment to get started. We work with simple technologies such as QR codes and SEPA transactions, and do not use collection bins with RFID, which lowers the costs. Furthermore, the solution is optimized to the restaurant's flow and does not require the packaging to be identified when it is ordered or returned, making the process more efficient.
In conclusion, our concept stands out from mainstream actions in the field by providing a usable, frictionless solution with a low barrier to entry. The automatic payment system, optimized flow, and use of simple technologies make it easier for restaurants to adopt reusable packaging, and for customers to use it in their daily lives.
Our concept has elements that can be replicated or transferred to other places, groups of beneficiaries, and contexts. As part of the "anders verpakt" green deal, we share our knowledge and insights with all participants to tackle the problem of reusable packaging together.
We believe it's key to work with other initiatives to avoid a scattered approach, which is why we keep an open conversation with other start-up initiatives in other countries. We share our learnings and explore possibilities for collaboration to tackle this problem together.
Moreover, our concept can be implemented in other circular solutions where there is a switching responsibility between users and providers, not just in the context of take-out food packaging. By sharing our methodology, technology, processes, products, and learnings, we hope to contribute to the growth of the circular economy and a more sustainable future.
Our concept addresses the global challenge of the reduction of plastic waste by eliminating single-use packaging. We launched our first solution in only 10 restaurants to optimize our user journey. Now we translate this solution in a more robust webapp, so we can scale it to more restaurants.
To tackle this challenge, our concept partner up with other parties to make all local initiatives also work on a global level.
We understand that testing in one location of a fast-food chain can provide valuable insights, but the real impact is achieved when an organization decides to switch completely to reusables. Making this transition is not always easy, however, as it requires significant investment, time, and effort.
To make this happen, we need a frictionless solution that is widely used by a range of people. Our concept is designed to provide a solution that is as simple and efficient as possible, making it easy for both restaurants and customers to adopt reusable packaging. By offering an easy-to-use, efficient, and low-cost solution, we hope to inspire more organizations to adopt reusable packaging and make a positive impact on the environment.
