Every e-commerce delivery comes with a hidden cost: layers of packaging designed to be used once and thrown away within minutes. For beauty brands, where unboxing is part of the experience, that waste problem becomes even harder to solve.
At London Packaging Week, one company proposed a different model; one where packaging doesn’t end its life at the customer’s doorstep. Movopack, the reusable packaging company, was announced as the winner of the Supplier Gallery at the event for its innovative e-commerce packaging design, in partnership with Decathlon Italia, the sports retail giant.
Movopack is addressing one of beauty’s biggest packaging challenges: the environmental and financial cost of single-use shipping materials. By replacing disposable mailers with reusable packaging, the company helps brands lower long-term costs while reducing emissions and waste. Its model also focuses on end-to-end management, overseeing the full packaging cycle, from reverse logistics and refurbishment to sanitization, redistribution, and live tracking data.
The win at London Packaging Week gave Movopack visibility in a new and highly competitive market. “It was a very positive show for us,” said Movopack CMO Eleonora Protopapa in a press release. “We already have meetings being booked. Our main objective was brand awareness, lead generation, and initial customer acquisition. And in that respect, it was exactly what we hoped for—especially as this is one of our first real-life touchpoints in the UK since expanding here late last year.”
According to an independently verified life cycle assessment, each Movopack unit reduces CO₂ emissions by up to 84% and packaging waste by 98% compared to standard cardboard boxes made from recycled paper.
Movopack’s durable pouches are made from recycled materials and designed to replace single-use mailers. Partnering with brands like Decathlon Italia, Movopack creates packaging that integrates into a brand’s storytelling rather than relying on generic bags printed with a supplier’s logo.
“We build the packaging entirely around the customer’s needs,” Protopapa explained. “Dimensions, materials, opening mechanisms, design—everything is bespoke. We don’t offer a standard box with our logo. The packaging becomes their brand moment.”
When consumers receive their goods in Movopack packaging, the return process is made clear through messaging printed on the security seal, a flyer inside the parcel explaining how to return it, and a sticker reiterating those instructions. From there, Movopack handles the rest.
“People often focus only on the material,” continued Protopapa. “But here, the innovation is not just in the product—it runs through the full business model. That’s how it distinguishes itself from anything else at the show.”
After unboxing their purchase, customers are prompted to drop the Movopack pouch into any postbox or partner store across Europe. While returns are free of charge, there is also an incentive. Consumers may be rewarded with discounts and loyalty points. Movopack says this helps increase average order values, encourage repeat purchase behavior, and even drives more in-store shopping.
“You can position yourself as a sustainable brand,” said Protopapa. “You increase customer retention. You tell a story your audience wants to hear. And you impact key business metrics directly.”
With Decathlon, Movopack reported a 26% organic return rate of its packaging. The partnership has helped the company scale significantly and strengthen its sustainability mission, but it is also just a stepping stone for its increased expansion into the United Kingdom.
“The UK has higher buying power than Italy,” Protopapa said. “Our price points are more competitive here. And the volume of e-commerce is three times greater.”
With one of the most advanced and competitive e-commerce ecosystems in Europe, where more than 90% of internet users shop online and e-commerce accounts for over 28% of all retail sales, the UK presents a major opportunity for the company.
“In Italy, we have major brand recognition thanks to Decathlon and other strong partners,” she noted. “In the UK, we’re new. So, the challenge is building social proof—getting that first major brand that becomes the reference point for the rest.”
As the beauty and e-commerce industries continue searching for more sustainable, net-zero solutions and stronger extended producer responsibility (EPR) compliance, Movopack’s reusable delivery system offers a practical model to reduce waste and improve long-term brand value.