Reusable Food & Drink Packaging Case Study Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

Background
Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust (NHFT) is committed to meaningful progress toward the NHS Roadmap to Net Zero. Recognising an opportunity to reduce carbon emissions, costs and waste, Joanne Fitzgerald, Deputy General Manager, Hotel Services and Clare Gwilliam, Food & Beverage Compliance Officer initiated a zero-waste, reusable food and drink packaging program within the Café Vie restaurants, spanning six hospital sites.
Initiative
In November 2023, NHFT took a bold step by eliminating single-use cups and containers through the “GET Greener with Café Vie” campaign, launched initially at Berrywood Hospital. Through a collaboration with FSG Returnables and supplier Whitco, NHFT swiftly brought this vision to life.

Implementation
The initiative launched a token exchange system where customers pay a one-time fee to join. Upon joining, each customer receives a token that can be exchanged for a reusable cup or food container and returned after use. A loyalty card also encourages ongoing participation, rewarding customers with a free meal or drink after collecting 10 stamps.
To build awareness, FSG hosted pre-launch pop-ups to educate staff and customers about the environmental and cost-saving benefits of reusable options over disposables. Clear posters and communications were also developed to explain the system, rolled out four weeks prior to the scheme’s launch at each site.
3 Year Projected Savings

Customer Engagement
NHFT encourages customers to bring their own containers or purchase branded ones, offering discounts to participants. This initiative fosters a sustainable culture across the hospitals, empowering both staff and visitors to contribute to waste reduction.
Outcomes
Through the leadership of Joanne and Clare, supported by FSG and Whitco, NHFT’s sustainable foodware initiative has enabled staff and customers to actively participate in the journey towards a greener NHS, with a 100% ban on single waste disposables.
Next Steps
Building on the success of the Café Vie initiative, NHFT has partnered with FSG on an Innovate UK Research Project to pilot a returnable packaging program for patient feeding at St Mary’s Hospital. This pilot has already demonstrated significant reductions in single-use packaging, contributing further to NHFT’s sustainability goals.
Joanne Fitzgerald said, “This has been an incredible step forward by NHFT in our journey to protect the planet! With the expertise of Gary and Lynn from FSG, we’re moving closer to our Net Zero goals. Six sites are now running like a sustainability powerhouse, and the transition has been seamless. Staff, visitors, and patients alike have embraced this change wholeheartedly!”
