Compass Group UK & Ireland is expanding the deployment of Cauli’s reusable food and drink packaging system across its operations following a proof-of-concept phase, as the foodservice group works to reduce single-use packaging waste. The rollout is being extended across high-volume operating environments within Compass’ Restaurant Associates Group, Eurest, Chartwells and Healthcare sectors. The partnership focuses on reusable packaging formats including coffee cups, takeaway boxes and pizza boxes.
According to Compass, each piece of Cauli packaging can be reused up to 400 times and carries a unique digital ID to support tracking, lifespan management and data transparency. The system enables customers to borrow and return food and drink containers through smart tracking technology. Compass estimates that the system has so far helped eliminate more than 383,000 single-use packaging items. The partnership will also include the integration of Cauli’s AI-powered Reverse Vending Machine across selected Compass sites to automate and simplify the container return process.
The initiative supports Compass Group UK & Ireland’s wider waste reduction targets under its Our Planet Promise sustainability programme. The company’s commitments include reducing single-use foodservice packaging by 30% by 2035, increasing recycling and anaerobic digestion to 65% by 2035, and achieving a 5% reduction in food waste in FY26 against a FY25 baseline.
Ashleigh Taylor, Head of Environment at Compass Group UK & Ireland, said the company had been encouraged by the performance of Cauli’s reusable cup and container system and is looking to expand it further across the business.
Mingqiao Zhao, Co-Founder of Cauli, said smart traceability is central to keeping reusable packaging in circulation and delivering measurable waste reduction at scale. The development reflects growing interest in technology-enabled reuse models in foodservice packaging, particularly among operators seeking to reduce dependence on single-use formats while maintaining convenience for customers and operational efficiency at site level.