Reuse Case Study Explorer
The case for reuse is strong. Many dozens of case studies from pilots and projects around the world and across many sectors prove cost and environmental savings. In order to illustrate the potential for reuse in every documented scenario, Upstream has gathered this filterable database of reuse case studies. By using the filters, you can identify and/or download all case studies pertaining to the most common fields of inquiry. (Discover more sorting tags by clicking into each case study).
If you know of a case study you do not find here, please let us know and we will happily add it! If you would like further information about any of these case studies or would like to further explore how such data can inform your reuse operations, contact us.
Sector Key
Click an icon to see case studies by sector — and/or use the filters in the side bar.
StopWaste: Veritable Vegetable
Project size: 500 customers
Funding Source: Public grant - StopWaste
Material: Mesh pallet wrap
Disposables Avoided: 7 miles of plastic wrap
Cost Savings: $6,258 (annual)
Break-even: 1.5 years
StopWaste: US Foods
Project size: 250,000 distribution sites
Funding Source: None
Material: Plastic pallets & rubber bands
Disposables Avoided: 50 tons
Cost Savings: $8,000 (annual)
StopWaste: Fifth Crow Farm
Project size: 200 CSA customers
Funding Source: Public Grant - StopWaste
Material: Plastic totes
Disposables Avoided: 1,440 (annual)
Cost Savings: $1,200 (annual)
StopWaste: Boulder Valley School District
Funding Source: Public Grant - StopWaste
Material: Plastic totes & tubs
Disposables Avoided: 3,400 (annual)
Cost Savings: $4,500 (annual)
StopWaste: America’s Best Coffee Roasting Company
Funding Source: Public Grant - StopWaste
Material: Plastic totes & bins
Disposables Avoided: 52,500 (annual)
Cost Savings: $11,750 (annual)
Break-even: 10 months
Grocery Manufacturers of Sweden: Svenska Retursystem
Funding Source: Government Grant - EU Environment Fund (LIFE)
Material: Plastic
Disposables Avoided: 10,400,000
Cost Savings: $22,000,000 (annual)
StopWaste: Finelite
Funding Source: Government Grant - StopWaste
Material: Plastic racks
Disposables Avoided: 12.45 tons
Cost Savings: $28,300 (annual)
Break-Even: 2 years
StopWaste: Full Belly Farms
Project Size: 150 distribution sites
Funding Source: Government Grant - StopWaste
Material: Plastic totes
Disposables Avoided: 8,330
Cost Savings: $14,161 (annual)
StopWaste: PepsiCo (Gatorade)
Funding Source: None
Material: Plastic pallets
Disposables Avoided: 1,320
Cost Savings: $380,000 (annual)
StopWaste: Bay Area News Group
Project Size: 4 Locations
Funding Source: Government Grant - StopWaste
Material: Plastic pallets
Disposables Avoided: 1,700
Cost Savings: $46,000 (annual)
ROI: 125%
StopWaste: Fiddlehead Farm
Funding Source: Government Grant - StopWaste
Material: Plastic totes
Disposables Avoided: 4,000
Cost Savings: $7,000 (annual)
StopWaste: Toyota Logistics Services
Project Size: 6 Facilities
Funding Source: None
Material: Plastic totes
Disposables Avoided: 3,000 tons
Cost Savings: $3,500,000 (annual)
StopWaste: Peerless Coffee & Tea
Funding Source: None
Material: Plastic totes
Disposables Avoided: 3,000
Cost Savings: $10,000 (annual)
Break-Even: 4 years
StopWaste: Kaiser Permanente
Project Size: 12 Hospitals
Funding Source: None
Material: Plastic totes
Return/Retention Rate: 93-97%
Disposables Avoided: 360,000
Cost Savings: $40,000 (annual)
Break-Even: 4 years
StopWaste: Ghiradelli Chocolate
Funding Source: Government Grant: Business Waste Prevention Fund
Material: Plastic totes
Disposables Avoided: 580,000
Cost Savings: $1,950,000 (net)
Break-Even: 1.2 years
Additional Resources
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![stadium]()
3 Chart-Reuse Case Studies
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![Two people are holding reusable cups of beer at an event, with a staff member wearing a black shirt and a green staff badge in the background.]()
Reuse Wins at Events
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![People working on wireframes and sketches for a website or app, with colorful sticky notes, markers, and a laptop on a white table.]()
A design sprint with business innovators
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![A bowl of pasta salad with green peas, parsley, lemon wedges, and a dollop of ricotta cheese, with a fork on the side, a glass of water, a stack of salad containers, and a red and white checkered napkin.]()
Serve it Safe
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![Dining area in a restaurant with wooden tables set with white napkins, forks, and empty glasses, large windows showing city buildings outside.]()
5 impact profiles of restaurants that switched to reuse
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![Person holding a metal tray with a meal including strawberries, green peas, blueberries with yogurt, a slice of bread, and fried food, with a metal cup and spoon on the tray.]()
The Conscious Cafeteria Report
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![dinosaur fossils in a natural history museum]()
Chart-Reuse Case Study: Reuse at a Cultural Attraction
