RePack, Paardekooper, Circular Shipping or Stonepacker: which pooling partner fits which kind of webshop
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The question comes up almost every week: who do I call about reusable shipping packaging? Four serious players are active in the Netherlands and wider Europe. They do broadly the same thing, differ where it actually matters, and overlap mostly in their limits. What follows is not neutral (we are one of the four), but we are not going to pretend we win in every scenario. We do not.
The four players
| Provider | Material | Cycles | Return mechanism | Strongest market |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RePack | Recycled PP + banners | 20+ (rated) | Foldable, prepaid mail return, voucher | Fashion, cross-border EU |
| Paardekooper x BOXO | Recycled PP/PET | Comparable to CS box | BOXO drop-off points, checkout deposit | Existing Paardekooper customers |
| Circular Shipping | Recycled PP (upcycled Big Bags for pouches) | Pouch up to 80, box ~20 | BOXO drop-off points, deposit | Volume webshops fine with plastic |
| Stonepacker (that's us) | Stone paper (calcium carbonate + recycled HDPE) | 25 rated, 12-20 in practice | BOXO drop-off, 3.95 euro deposit | Tree-free first, EUDR-exempt, smaller volumes |
What each provider is good at
RePack: broad cross-border, strong foldable mailer
RePack is Finnish and the only one of the four that seriously sells beyond one national market. The core product is a foldable PP mailer good for 20+ cycles. Returns run via a voucher or discount at the same webshop, which converts well in fashion where a portion of orders comes back anyway. What they do not have: a proper box for 3D products, and no NL drop-off network comparable to what BOXO offers. If you run a fashion webshop shipping across DE, BE and FR, this is your fit.
Paardekooper: existing procurement relationship
Paardekooper is one of the largest cardboard suppliers in the Netherlands. Their reusable line hooks into BOXO Return and the range (PP boxes, recycled PET) sits alongside the rest of their catalogue. Biggest advantage: if you already buy your cardboard from Paardekooper, you keep the same contact person, invoicing and logistics. Biggest limit: reusable is not their core. It is an add-on category, not their flagship. For larger volumes we would ask for reference calls with existing customers.
Circular Shipping: highest cycles on pouch, transparent pricing
Circular Shipping is the only one of the four that publishes tariffs on their site. Their pouch starts at 1.69 euro for M and runs to 1.99 euro for XL, averaging around 80 cycles per pouch. The box sits between 2.29 euro and 3.29 euro for around 20 cycles. Strong for volume webshops that do not mind PP as their primary material. They hook into the same BOXO drop-off network. Limit: it is plastic, so not tree-free, and no EUDR advantage over cardboard later this year.
Stonepacker: the only tree-free option
We are open about the fact that we are the only offer in this comparison that uses no wood-based material and no plastic as its primary. Stone paper is calcium carbonate plus recycled HDPE as binder, from the same mill that has supplied MOYU for seven years. From 30 December 2026 cardboard falls under EUDR reporting. Stone paper does not, because there is no wood in it. Limit: our practical cycle count (12-20) is lower than the Circular Shipping pouch (80). And below ~300 shipments per week the TCO breakdown for reusable packaging is tight in any case.
Which one fits which kind of webshop
Fashion, cross-border EU, high return affinity: RePack. The foldable mailer plus voucher return fits a customer who is already considering sending something back. Cross-border logistics run stronger here than at the rest.
Large NL webshop already buying cardboard from Paardekooper: Paardekooper. Not because their reusable product is superior, but because the switching cost (contact, invoicing, logistics) is minimal and you can pilot quickly.
High volume, plastic acceptable, hard requirement for lowest cost per shipment: Circular Shipping. The pouch option with up to 80 cycles is hard to beat in TCO terms if you run several thousand shipments per week and the material is not an issue.
Brand with sustainability at its core that treats tree-free as a value, or B2B webshop wanting to avoid EUDR admin: Stonepacker. This is the niche where we add most. For smaller volumes up to ~300 per week we often fit better than Circular Shipping because we do not enforce minima and the intake conversation is directly with Roel.
What we left out of this comparison
We did not compare customer service, real-world retention percentages (those are estimates without shared data), or dashboard integrations. Those are things everyone can show in a demo but only become clear after a 3-6 month pilot. For that, you need a pilot conversation, not an article.
What to do
Request a 100-shipment pilot from two or three parties. Measure return rate, per-shipment cost and inbound customer questions yourself. Compare after. Our free sample and pilot conversation runs directly with Roel, and in that call we will tell you honestly if one of the other three fits you better. That costs us a customer sometimes, but it is the only way to keep this comparison honest.