Royal Mail, Movopack to Launch Circular Packaging in UK

Movopack’s UK launch will allow consumers to easily return packaging through the extensive Royal Mail postal system.

Movopack, a company providing ecommerce platforms with circular and sustainable packaging, has raised £2 million seed funding to launch in the UK via a partnership with Royal Mail.

The company’s first expansion outside of Italy aims to help tackle a growing packaging waste crisis, where an estimated 1.7 billion pieces of plastic are discarded weekly.

As the EU introduces legislation that will require 10% of ecommerce packaging to be reusable by 2030 – rising to 50% by 2040 – Movopack claims to offer retailers cost-effective, returnable and customisable packaging solutions to help them meet these targets affordably.

Movopack’s UK launch will allow consumers to easily return packaging through the extensive Royal Mail postal system, providing access to any of its 115,000 postboxes across the country.

The Milan-headquartered company was co-founded by high school friends Tomaso Torriani (CEO), Alberto Cisco (CCO) and Andrea Cipollone (COO).

Its packaging, made from recycled plastic bottles (rPET) and woven recycled polypropylene (PP), is designed to endure postal handling and can be reused by retailers up to 20 times.

Compared to standard ecommerce packaging, which typically uses single-use cardboard with 70% recycled content, each Movopack package – when reused 20 times – claims to deliver significant environmental benefits, reducing CO₂ emissions by 84%, energy consumption by 80% and water consumption by 76%, according to a Life Cycle Assessment conducted by Life Cycle Engineering.

The round was led by early-stage investor 360 Capital with participation from Greiner Innoventures and Techstars.

“This funding round demonstrates the growing enthusiasm for Movopack’s potential to transform the eCommerce industry with sustainable, circular packaging solutions,” said Torriani. “We’re particularly excited about this investment as it enables us to launch in the UK at a time when the demand for sustainable solutions has never been stronger.”

“Consumers and brands alike are seeking impactful ways to contribute to a world where societies and economies can grow and thrive without compromising the environment – and we are here to meet that need. At Movopack, we’re working on making sustainability not just an option, but a standard in ecommerce.”

Lucrezia Lucotti, Partner at 360 Capital, added, “To date, sustainable packaging for ecommerce has garnered growing attention; however, it continues to be marked by fragmentation, and, notably, a lack of digital integration.

“We are backing the movement to make ecommerce more sustainable through our investment in Movopack’s returnable ecommerce packaging. As they launch in the UK, we believe Movopack is perfectly positioned to lead the charge in transforming how brands implement sustainable practices, and we are glad to support their mission.”