Eco-Products’ Veda reusable foodservice container system, built with OZZI’s return tech, just picked up the 2025 Balpex Innovation Center Award, a signal that closed-loop takeout is moving from pilot to playbook for campus and on-site dining.
BOULDER, Colo. — Oct. 20, 2025 — Eco-Products®, a Novolex® brand, has been named the 2025 Balpex Innovation Center Award winner for its Veda™ line of reusable foodservice containers, a system built to make reuse easy to run in cafeterias, campus dining halls, corporate sites, hospitals and other on-site operations.
Developed with reuse partner OZZI®, Veda pairs durable, dishwasher-ready containers with tracking and return technology. Diners obtain a container through a deposit or dining-services program, eat on-site or to go, then drop the empty into an OZZI collection machine. The machine scans the container and automatically credits the user for the next one; operators route the returned containers to wash and back into circulation. The OZZI platform can run standalone or tie into campus meal plan systems such as Atrium®, Transact® and CBORD®.
“We see reuse as the next frontier in sustainable foodservice,” said Wendell Simonson, General Manager of Eco-Products. “Veda pairs smart technology with durable design to make reuse easy for customers and achievable on a large scale.”
Balpex, a not-for-profit buying group for independent distributors across Canada, grants its Innovation Center Award to products that show clear innovation, business impact and partner value. The recognition highlights the growing interest among foodservice operators in systems that reduce single-use packaging without creating new friction for guests or back-of-house teams.
“Our goal was to make reuse effortless,” Simonson said. “We’ve created a system that’s simple for diners, seamless for operators and powerful in reducing waste.”
The honor continues a run for Novolex brands at Balpex. In 2024, Waddington North America earned the same award for Cutlerease®, a one-at-a-time utensil dispenser designed to cut waste, save counter space and reduce touch points. Cutlerease is compatible with Eco-Products’ compostable cutlery, underscoring the parent company’s parallel tracks of compostable and reusable solutions.
Veda also recognized with a Bronze Stevie® Award
Veda reusable foodservice packaging has also drawn U.S. recognition this year, receiving a Bronze Stevie® Award from the American Business Awards® in the Reuse & Recycle category. Together, the awards signal market validation for closed-loop takeout models that rely on durable containers, automated returns and simple user crediting.
“These awards represent an important milestone in advancing reusable systems that work in the real world,” Simonson said. “Our goal is to make it easy for operators to adopt circular systems that reduce waste while maintaining convenience for customers.”
About the partners
Eco-Products, a certified B Corp and Novolex brand, focuses on packaging made from renewable, recycled and reusable materials and works with operators to improve recovery outcomes. OZZI provides the container return machines and tracking layer that underpin the Veda workflow, including scanning and account crediting. Balpex unites independent distributors in foodservice, jan-san and packaging across Canada through collective purchasing, marketing programs and education.
For more information on Veda reusable containers, visit Eco-Products at ecoproducts.com/veda.
Rick LeBlanc, EMBA, is the founder and editor of Reusable Packaging News (subscribe to the free newsletter) and editor of Western Pallet Magazine. A supply chain journalist with more than 30 years of experience, he specializes in pallets, reusable packaging, material handling and related operations. Rick is co-author of Pallets: A North American Perspective and Pallets & Progress: A Collected History of Pallets and Palletized Handling 1922–1945. He is also an advisory board member of the Virginia Tech Center for Packaging and Unit Load Design. Read Rick’s full bio.
