I tried a meal kit prepared by a local restaurant group at the peak of the pandemic, and it was actually very good, though pricey. At the time, I think it was an alternative to eating out given the circumstances and was priced accordingly. I've been wanting to get on one again for a little while as a way to potentially reduce my use of take-out.

Packaging wise, a lot of these meal kits seems far preferable to buying my own supplies where everything is packaged in plastic. Paper/cardboard is far more common, and is preferable as an easily and effectively recyclable material. On the other hand, the CO2 emissions from the delivery seems like it would easily cancel out any potential benefits.

"Paper/cardboard is ... preferable as an easily and effectively recyclable material"

If the paper was waxed/plastic coated (which is very common for paper food containers) it is probably not recyclable.

The ones I've used in the past (HelloFresh and one other I can't remember) used plain paper bags, like you'd get at the grocery store.

I used Chef's Plate in Vancouver ~5 years ago, and it was the best meal kit service I've tried. The recipes were varied, and often had unique ingredients or garnishes that I'd never have tried otherwise. None of the meal kits in Germany match that level of quality or uniqueness.