Designing a Workplace Reuse System
Overview
​This case study documents the strategic pivot from Return Ware’s B2C takeaway service to a Workplace Lunch model after early testing revealed that relying on individual consumer behaviour limited user adoption.
Through user research and service design, I repositioned​ the service around sustainability in the workplace and employee well-being, addressing business needs while improving operational efficiency. The pilot achieved 572 container reuse cycles in 52 days, reduced logistics time by 50%, and supported 7 new workplace sign-ups.
Client
My Role​
Tools
Little Jasmine Spa
Nostos Restaurant (Partner)
UX Designer
Research Facilitator
Product Designer
Google Workspace, Figma, Adobe CS, Zoom, Typeform
Challenge
Create a reuse service
that fit naturally
into existing
business workflows
The outcome needed to deliver clear value for businesses by improving adoption and retention, while designing a scalable framework to increase container reuse cycles and reduce operational friction.
​
Success also required influencing user behaviour through low-effort interactions and direct incentives.
Research
Research
Define
Ideate
Prototype
To inform the pivot, I investigated why reuse adoption was low in the B2C model. Feedback revealed that the web based borrow/return process had multiple friction points, relied heavily on individual user effort and had limited reach.
I also analysed the reuse market using a combination of research methods and conducted interviews with founders of similar initiatives. These conversations highlighted their challenges and insights which helped to accelerate my model.
Competitive Analysis
Product Benchmarking
Cost Benefit Analysis
Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)
Direct
Emerging
Indirect
Legacy
The container system required multiple users within the eco system, so I conducted qualitative research across each stakeholder group through field studies and interviews to ensure a holistic experience.​
Caterer
Return Ware
Purpose led businesses
Return Ware
Workplace
Workplace
End User Employee
Key Questions
What type of food packaging
do you currently use?
How much do you spend waste management per month?
Can you envision using
a reuse service?
This outreach also validated key hypotheses around demand for a reuse service, confirming that businesses, caterers, and employees were open to adopting a workplace reuse model.
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“I’ve been waiting for a reuse service like Return Ware all along”
Reuse systems can succeed at scale when the model is convenient, affordable, and incentivised.
Many businesses were already spending on single-use and disposal. Highlighting these costs alongside their sustainability goals showed how partnering with Return Ware could reduce overhead and drive environmental impact.
Define
All stakeholders were aware of the need to reduce waste. Their pain points resonated with what I could offer as a service. My strengths included combining a circular model with strong cultural insight, positive behaviour-change messaging, and product design expertise.
Return Ware
Goals
Client retention and new partnerships.
Lean frameworks that are easy to implement.
Shift user behaviour towards reusables.
Pain Points
High labour requirements.
Inefficient container return cycles.
Delayed adoption, increasing time to value.
Persona
Clara Hart
​Managing Director
Age 50
Sussex
Ambitious
Organised
Curious
Practical
Bio
Clara has been running a small business in Brighton for over 15 years. She collaborates with other sustainable brands and actively seeks opportunities to innovate alongside her local community.
​
Clara is relationship driven, proactive, and motivated by creative collaboration and social impact.
Goals
"I want to be part of this movement, we can do much more together.”
-
Improve employee productivity through well-being initiatives.
-
Move towards Net Zero.
-
Gain new clients by showing up as a purpose-led business.
Frustrations
-
High waste management costs.​
-
Limited overhead and infrastructure within the business.
-
Modest budget towards sustainability goals.
Wants and needs
Convenience
Affordability
Networking
Eco-conscious
Touch points
Key Insights
Reducing waste is a shared motivation
Convenience
drives adoption
Value-driven behaviour with incentives
Providing an impact report became the core value driver, reducing operational overhead, enabling social promotion, and creating a meaningful user experience within a low-cost membership model.
Brand Voice
Modern brand which represents value without feeling ownership
​
Sharing optimistic knowledge to inspire without shouting
​
Utilitarian functional style without feeling cold
​
Smart but not snobbish
​
Reliable and encourage teamwork
​
Distinctive with clarity but not obtrusive
During my research and talks with stakeholders, we started to collaborate with the research participants who became my first clients
Ideate
I built a user flow with touchpoints, motives and opportunities, from onboarding through to completing their first food order. This helped identify friction points and surfaced key opportunities.
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Problems
​Too many
touchpoints
A new model requires a simple process that can be easily shared
Lack of
motivation​
Opportunities
User pays once
Submit a one tap weekly
food poll in the workplace group
Clear onboarding process
Easy access and cross collaboration on WhatsApp
Impact report
Assign a sustainability leader
for each business
This outcome defined
4 core service benefits
I aligned our shared vision for well being with sustainability in mind.
Policy shift in waste disposal, brand loyalty, improve user experience and optimised operations.
​
, resulting in social interactions in the workplace and increased productivity.
Prototype
I facilitated a weekly well-being lunch by partnering with Nostos restaurant and 3 workplace locations at Little Jasmine Spa with funds raised by the Council. Iterations were driven by observations, feedback and surveys.
Designed to support large workplace orders. Pilot data later showed an average of 12 meals per order per business, informing the need for smaller, more flexible delivery bag solutions.
Initial deliveries used a trolley over a 10 minute walking route. Although low-cost, this method proved labour-intensive and time-sensitive, reinforcing the need for e-bike delivery to meet client expectations.
Clear, leak-proof lids streamlined labelling and improved deliveries, while bag dividers enabled compact, organised storage by workplace.
Designed to support large workplace orders. Pilot data later showed an average of 12 meals per order per business, informing the need for smaller, more flexible delivery bag solutions.
Pilot testing uncovered the optimal balance of delivery speed, packaging usability, and operational efficiency, informing scalable, user-centred solutions.
Measuring Impact
Our reframe of language and further aligning our goals with the users created an increased uptake. To evaluate ROI and guide iteration, I defined success with both environmental and business outcomes for this pilot study.
80%
Increase in social media engagement increased
98%
Redesign of lids
increased container sales
96%
Positive Net Promoter Score
572
Reusable containers used
50%
Reduction in logistics time from 1 hour to 30 mins
7 months
Client retention period
7
New workplace sign-ups
This project demonstrated how research-led service design can turn sustainability goals into scalable, user-centred solutions with measurable impact. It reinforced my passion for designing circular systems that drive real behaviour change.