Navigating Environmental and Convenience Functions of Reusable Packaging for Products Sold in Bulk: A Consumer Logistics Perspective

Fanny Reniou () and Elisa Robert‐monnot
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Fanny Reniou: CREM - Centre de recherche en économie et management - UNICAEN - Université de Caen Normandie - NU - Normandie Université - UR - Université de Rennes - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique
Elisa Robert‐monnot: CY - CY Cergy Paris Université

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Abstract: Products sold in bulk and the reuse of packaging are attracting growing attention. While consumers perceive reusable packaging as providing an environmental function, it is not always convenient. Reusable packaging, as a reverse logistics model, forces them to consider a new logistical role—namely, packaging that requires balancing potentially conflicting functions. So, how do consumers logistically organize the shopping activity for products sold in bulk and tackle reusable packaging to reconcile its environmental and convenience functions? To answer this question, this research builds on consumer logistics research and applies activity theory as a theoretical framework. It uses a qualitative approach, including 30 in‐depth interviews and photograph data revealing consumer activity. The findings reveal two conditions that enable consumers to reconcile their perceptions of the environmental and convenience functions of reusable packaging: (1) coordination of logistical actions and operations with other household activities and (2) optimization of activity system elements. Consumers adopt various supply chains, which implies different ways of coordinating and optimizing and leads to different outputs in terms of the environment and convenience. This research offers actionable insights into how consumers can mitigate perceived logistical constraints and impact on the environment, thereby enhancing their engagement with new ways of packaging.

Keywords: reverse logistics; reusable packaging; consumer logistics; bulk; activity (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
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Published in Journal of Business Logistics, 2026, 47 (3), pp.e70066. ⟨10.1111/jbl.70066⟩

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:hal:journl:hal-05619151

DOI: 10.1111/jbl.70066

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