Project overview
Mercari aims to create a world where items that no longer have value to one person are accessible to someone else who needs them. However, we face an increasing amount of packaging materials going to waste due to the rapid growth of the e-commerce market.
With the aim of offering a reusable choice for packaging materials, Mercari launched the Mercari Eco Pack in June 2019 and distributed about 10,000 units on a trial basis. Through this experiment, we were able to test whether users would accept reusing packaging materials as a new practice and culture. Three years later, in June 2022, we released the second edition of our Mercari Eco Pack. For this second edition, we improved the design and set up a system to return them at Mercari Stations nationwide.
Areas of circular economy covered in this experiment: Reuse and shipping
Reuse of packaging materials
What is the Mercari Eco Pack?
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Characteristics:
It is made of materials used in tents. It boasts sturdiness to withstand repeated deliveries.
The tarpaulin material is also resistant to flooding.
A 3mm-thick cushioning material is used on all surfaces to absorb external shocks.
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Compatible shipping sizes:
RakuRaku Mercari Shipping (NekoPos, A4, up to 3 cm thick)
YuYu Mercari Shipping (Yu-Packet / Yu-Packet Post, A4, up to 3 cm thick)
Future outlook
Based on the results of this study, we will examine how to solve concerns and issues of those users who still feel uncomfortable with reused packaging materials, and search for methods to make packaging reuse a more common practice.