Compass doubles down on Cauli roll-out to reduce packaging waste

Compass Group UK & Ireland has accelerated the roll-out of Cauli’s reusable food and drink smart system in a bid to meet its ambitious waste reduction targets.

The contract catering giant implemented Cauli across its high-volume operating environments within Restaurant Associates Group, Eurest and Chartwells during a proof-of-concept phase.

Every piece of Cauli packaging, including coffee cups, takeaway boxes and pizza boxes, is reusable up to 400 times.

Each product comes with a unique digital ID to maximise lifespan and data transparency.

Smart tracking technologies are also used to ease customers into borrowing and returning food and drink containers.

Compass estimated the system has eliminated more than 383,000 single-use packaging items to date.

The partnership also enables the integration of an AI-powered Reverse Vending Machine (RVM) across Compass sites to automate the container return process.

The focus on waste reduction coincides with Compass’ aims to cut single-use foodservice packaging by 30% by 2035, increase recycling and anaerobic digestion to 65% by 2035, and achieve a 5% reduction in food waste in FY26 compared to FY25.

Ashleigh Taylor, head of environment at Compass Group UK & Ireland, said: “We’ve been really impressed by Cauli’s innovative reusable cups and container initiative, and the statistics we’ve seen back up that the system can have a positive impact in reducing single-use packaging. We are now looking to roll out Cauli further within our business, which will support our commitment to reducing single-use packaging and help our clients in becoming more sustainable.” 

Mingqiao Zhao, co-founder at Cauli, added: “A truly circular economy relies on accountability, not just alternatives. Many reuse schemes fail because without tracking, packaging simply disappears. By integrating smart traceability into the Cauli Reuse System, we keep containers in circulation and deliver data-backed waste reduction at scale. Partnering with Compass has allowed us to prove our technology in high-volume, cross-sector environments, and we are thrilled to expand this rollout to help more of their clients seamlessly transition to a frictionless, circular model.”

Cauli, a climate technology start-up based in the UK, received the Supplier Excellence Award at the 2024 Foodservice Cateys.