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Yasmine Dahmane is co-founder of BIBAK (formerly La Consigne GreenGo). For 5 years now, BIBAK has been helping manufacturers in a variety of sectors to switch to reuse and reusable tableware. A growing phenomenon, driven by legislative constraints and the ecological and CSR ambitions of the various protagonists.
Yasmine talks to Prod&Pack about the support offered by BIBAK, and the growing importance of reuse. Interview.

Yasmine, could you start by telling us about BIBAK?

My partner Lucas and I set up BIBAK (formerly La Consigne GreenGo) 5 years ago now, well before the whole reuse trend we're seeing today. Today, BIBAK employs 45 people. We help different sectors such as the catering industry, but not only, to simply switch to a reuse model for their packaging, in order to eliminate or considerably reduce disposable packaging and introduce reusable crockery that can be managed in a very simple, fun and low-cost way.

We're also putting our technology, which is currently at an industrial level, at the service of our customers, to achieve a model that will "scale up" to help our customers make the transition to reuse on a large scale. This technology will have several objectives, but if we want to summarize our solution in two blocks: one would be focused on "pure traceability", which transmits data on containers, and a second financial block, around incentives for consumers to return their packaging to the right place.

Who are your main customers today?

For the most part, the foodservice sector, with which we expanded enormously 5 years ago. In this field, our biggest customers are Sodexo, Elior & Compass, and through them we serve end customers such as Société Générale, Danone...
Over the past 2 years, we have diversified into fast food and commercial catering, with customers such as Quick, and our motivation is directly linked to the AGEC law concerning this sector. All in all, we now have over 200 customers, also from the agri-food, cosmetics and events sectors.

In concrete terms, what are your missions with manufacturers, such as those in the commercial catering sector?

 

First of all, we assess the maturity of our customers with regard to this notion of reuse: if they are not sufficiently advanced in their approach, we can supply the reusable crockery, or at least source it for them. Once their references have been validated, the manufacturer then has the choice of renting it from us or buying it and owning it.
We then take care of the traceability of the tableware. There are two options: either we stretch unique QR codes, or we use RFID chips. Why one or the other? In a nutshell, the larger the volume you handle, the more interesting RFID will be, as it will reduce the need for human scanning.
Today, manufacturers need to maximize the rotation of their crockery and, above all, make it profitable, since it costs more than disposable crockery. With traceability, we'll be able to give them a real-time snapshot of their stock, and quantify the number of times a particular container has been reused, the number of dishes lost...

 

Once the data has been mastered, BIBAK also supports its industrial customers in setting up incentive models that will encourage consumers to return the container first of all, and in the right place above all. It's important to note that we don't touch our customers' equipment: all fast-food chains have their own branded garbage cans for reusable crockery. We integrate our technology into this reusable garbage can, where the sensors are invisible and serve to ensure that the consumer has returned the packaging.

What kind of services are manufacturers looking for?

It always starts with traceability technology and data recovery. Some capitalize on data to optimize their operational processes for inventories, stocks, washing...

"Today, manufacturers are facing an upheaval in their business model. They need to join forces and think together."
What motivates the people who come to you? Is it purely because of the legislative context, or do they also have ecological motivations?

Overall, 70% of people are motivated but constrained by the AGEC law. And the remaining 30% are manufacturers who are aware of the benefits of reuse. It has to be said that there is a very strong awareness among consumers, who are now shunning the disposable version. For example, more and more cosmetics manufacturers are coming to us to transform their packaging. We also have other major brands (Coca-Cola, Heineken, etc.) who are working hard on the reusable version of their containers, and therefore on optimizing their return flows.
Every week, we receive requests from the food industry. Why do we do this? Because, as of 2027, they will be bound by the AGEC law. From then on, they will have to justify a 10% reusable version of their packaging, which will entail changes to their production and marketing... These are big projects, and it's a good thing they're preparing for them now.

In the agri-food sector, for example, what does this mean? What are they putting in place?

Today, manufacturers are faced with an upheaval in their business model, which was initially based on disposable products. They need to join forces and think together about the best options available to them in terms of packaging standardization, logistics, etc., to move towards zero waste. We support this sector in a number of ways, but above all in the way we collect used containers. For example, we are installing return terminals in supermarkets, compatible with all container formats. Consumers will be able to obtain an instant refund of the deposit.

It's also very often the case that manufacturers want to focus on reuse, but don't know where to start...

In fact, it's the vast majority. You'd think everyone would know how it works, but they don't. As I said, it's a huge project. The tip of the iceberg seems simple: "I do away with disposables and use reusable crockery/packaging, and that's it". But in reality, it's much more complex than that. You have to recover it, optimize it... And that's not easy. Especially as there's an economic stakes involved: if you do it alone or badly, you'll lose money. If you do it well, with experts like BIBAK, you'll make your model profitable and set up consumer paths that are appreciated by buyers, and that will lead to loyalty and brand preference.

For more information on BIBAK: www.bibak.fr