We have tested a reusable pizza case in Dubai?? Here is how it went

Half a year ago we launched a delivery in reusable packaging at a Dubai pizzeria. Why did we do it, how did we persuade our clients and our team — and did the experiment pay off?

Altyn Nagumanova

supervises ecological and social projects at Dodo Brands

Behind the experiment, there was a simple question — how do we lessen the amount of waste from pizza deliveries? The business is developing, sales are growing, so the amount of packaging is growing too: it worries both us and our clients.

The most ecology-friendly decision is always to not create any waste at all. So, we have tried to swap a disposable paper box for a reusable plastic case.

Unfortunately, there is a popular opinion that paper is by default more ecology-friendly than plastic. But it is a misconception. The problem with paper packaging is that the vast majority of clients do not recycle it after using it, simply throwing it out??

We think that you can’t put the responsibility for recycling packaging on clients. But you can put it on a business!

It is unrealistic to expect that every client will recycle their paper box, while we can easily recycle all the cases.

Okay, so it’s simple in theory, but what should we start with in practice?

With looking for the right packaging.

How did we find the packaging

The Greenpeace organization has given us the cue that there is a German project PIZZycle that is making reusable pizza boxes. They have already been working with German Domino’s and other smaller pizzerias.?

We have written the PIZZycle’s cofounder Filipino Raketic, relying on luck. He has turned out to be a very friendly person, and we have quickly arranged a collaboration.?

Soon, we have already purchased a test batch — and turned out to be very happy with it.?

Why Dubai?

The climate and ecological issues matter massively in Dubai. It is a capital of symbolical consumerism, where there is not enough fresh water and the weather is often unbearably hot (it goes without mentioning that Emirates’ wealth is based on oil and gas production).?

That’s why the city’s level of energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, and waste generation is high.?

The country’s government is actively trying to push forward the environmental agenda. For example, a sheikh has recently given Fedor Ovchinnikov a reusable water bottle at their meeting, so he can pour water for free from vending machines on the streets.?

Also, the crime rate in Dubai is close to zero, no one steals here — it’s punished very strictly. We haven’t lost any cases and we take no deposit.

We haven’t even considered fining the clients who do not give the cases back — everything is completely trust-based.?

There was a strange incident, when a client tipped the delivery man four times more than the worth of a reusable case and kept it for himself. Basically, he bought it from us??

Additionally, Dubai is the showcase of Dodo’s international franchise, the hub where we are testing all the innovations. After that, the successful cases go to Europe and Asia.?

After choosing the location we have started testing the process of manufacturing the cases and delivering pizza. And while doing that, we faced two conceptual issues that provoked doubts that the experiment was going to be successful.?

Is it possible to evade condensation?

Paper absorbs moisture, but plastic doesn’t. So, if a hot pizza spends too much time in a reusable case, it gets a bit wet. How do we fight it?

We have tested the case in the Moscow office together with the R&D department specialists and made sure that the pizza maintains its usual way if the delivery is less than thirty minutes.?

So, now we have ten minutes to prepare pizza and twenty minutes for a courier’s way from a pizzeria to a client’s door.?

Will it be convenient for a client?

At first, we assumed that some clients might want to have the box for themselves after ordering. We didn’t know if it would be convenient for a client to transfer pizza from a case to a plate or a tray, while a courier is waiting at the door.?

After two hundred deliveries we can tell that it actually doesn’t happen: everyone is comfortable.?

Our next step was to announce the possibility of a delivery in a reusable case in our app. And we have encountered a wave of clients’ objections.

“Plastic packaging is not safe for hot pizza”

People have written that our pizza is so hot that after contact with plastic, it starts releasing toxic substances.?

Our answer: Our pizza is actually hot, but not enough to make plastic melt or release anything. The cases are made out of safe food grade BFA free plastic: it can be safely heated up to 96 degrees, while pizza can be heated only up to 90-92 degrees.?

“Reusable packaging in unhygienic”

We have been asked questions: “How properly do you wash the cases? What if there is something left inside? What if the last client has licked the case?”

Our answer: After 15 real pizza deliveries and full cycle in a dishwasher (without hand washing) we have done tests for any presence of bacteria in the ventilation holes of a case. Based on the test results, we can tell that the case is absolutely clean.?

Moreover, we have not one but three steps while washing: first, hand-washing in hot water with a detergent; then in a professional dishwasher; and, at last, we disinfect. After, the case is crystal clean.?

“Any plastic is environmentally unfriendly”

For many people plastic is firmly associated with ecological problems. We have been told that we should rather use paper and recycle it.?

Our answer: 1. We recycle all the cases. 2. We use one reusable plastic case instead of 500 (!) disposable paper boxes. So, by default, we create much less waste.?

On the landing page, created specifically for the new packaging, we tried to briefly go through all the clients’ primary objections. We have also made a video where we debunk all the myths about plastics.?

The process has been launched, and a number of clients have taken to innovation with inspiration and gratitude. But we have been avoiding one very important question, that has the most influence on the future of the experiment.?

Does it all pay off?

During 21 weeks since the launch we have delivered 217 orders in reusable cases — it makes up 11% out of all the deliveries ordered through the website and the app. An average order had two pizzas, while the biggest order contained 8 pizzas. 16 % of the clients have ordered their pizza in a reusable case again.?

We deliver in reusable cases only when our couriers are doing the delivery. We do not use aggregators, as their couriers can’t bring our cases back to the pizzeria.?

The main thing we understood was: on a large scale, using reusable packaging becomes profitable!

One brand reusable case costs a bit less than 40 dirhams, while the cost of one paper box in Dubai ranges from 7 to 13 dirhams.?

We have counted that 11 deliveries in one case will cost less than the same amount of deliveries in paper boxes.?

The only thing left to do is persuade our team that we are doing the right thing, and the experiment can be considered successful.?

How did our team react to the innovation

For most employees the introduction of reusable cases is something interesting and unusual. The food safety and quality control teams are looking at it in a special way: they are a bit worried that the kitchen processes might suffer.?

Their feelings can be easily understood as reusable packaging is not something usual for fast food restaurants.?

??A reusable case takes up a lot of space.?

??After the delivery, a courier has to be able to carry the case separately from other orders, or it would be unhygienic.?

??It is necessary to make sure that couriers bring back cases and that they are not lost at the pizzeria.?

??At the pizzeria, the cases have to be washed and dried separately from other dishes.??

??After washing, a case has to be stored separately in a sterile place, so there is no dust or anything else inside.?

To conclude, reusable packaging does complicate the process. Consequently, the risk of making a mistake is growing.?

For now, there have been no major mistakes in Dubai. First of all, the number of orders is not that big. Secondly, that option has been available from the moment of the pizzeria’s opening. So, the team knows about delivery in reusable cases from the first work day and is ready for the challenge.?

It’s another thing when you have been packing pizzas in paper boxes for three years, and now you have to relearn everything. So, when we will introduce reusable cases at other pizzerias, we will very attentively track mistakes and feedback from our workers.?

What to expect in the future

We are planning to grow the number of deliveries in reusable cases up to 30% from the orders made through the website and the app. Additionally, it will be the default option in all of our pizzerias in Dubai.?

But it shouldn’t be expected that we will get rid of paper boxes completely. It’s a utopia. That will never happen, because a client's comfort is our priority.?

It’s the same thing as with utensils: when we order food from home, we don’t need utensils. But sometimes, we order food somewhere, where there are no utensils. For example, for a picnic at the park. With packaging, it’s the same: if a client is sitting at the park, it’s not likely that they have a plate with them to transfer the pizza to.??

Our prediction is: the demand for disposable packaging will always be there, and we won’t be able to fully get rid of it. But the potential that delivery in reusable cases has is huge!

That’s why we are planning to develop reusable packaging not only in Dubai. Now, we have? launched in Slovenia and Poland, and have already started tests in Russia.