Identifying the climate benefits of reusable takeout container systems in campus online food delivery services

With the development of digital technology and changes in people’s lifestyles, the number of takeaway orders has grown rapidly. University students are one of the main takeaway consumers, producing a large amount of plastic packaging waste. ShuangTi, a college smart canteen catering system provider, developed the reusable food container system for Chinese universities which is successfully adopted in the Southern Medical University, Shunde Campus. Taking it as a case study of the practical application of reusable takeaway container, this study used the life cycle assessment to quantify the carbon footprint of the reusable food container systems and explore the carbon emissions reduction potential of reusable food container systems. Results show that ordering a takeaway with reusable container produces 0.1492 kgCO 2 eq of carbon emissions, and carbon emissions per order are reduced by 24.2%, compared with using disposable containers. Reusable food containers offset the carbon footprint of single-use containers after being reused 27 times. The operation stage contributes 59.9% of the carbon footprint in the reusable system. The cleaning technical process update would reduce carbon emissions by 25.4% throughout the entire life cycle. The adoption of reusable food container across Chinese universities could reduce carbon footprint by 76.1 kt CO 2 eq annually. The adoption of reusable food container system promotes the green campus construction and shift in consumer behavior toward sustainability, thus accelerating China’s transition to a circular economy.