Pallets, crates, totes, foldable boxes, kegs and IBCs are often treated as simple carriers of goods. In circular logistics they are operating assets that must be recovered, counted, cleaned, repaired and repositioned. With the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation applying from August 2026 and setting transport-packaging reuse targets from 2030, reusable packaging is becoming logistics infrastructure whose performance depends on rotations, reverse flows and tracking data.