The Recycling Partnership has opened up its Pathway to Circularity
Recyclability Framework for public comment — a first-of-its-kind opportunity
for brands, designers, materials manufacturers, NGOs, retailers and other
stakeholders representing the entire recycling value chain to shape the future
of packaging recyclability.
The Framework is being
developed in collaboration with the Pathway to Circularity Industry
Council, 35
industry leaders spanning the packaging value chain — including senior
sustainability, product and packaging leaders from companies including
Amazon,
Ball, Closed Loop Partners,
Colgate-Palmolive,
Johnson & Johnson,
PepsiCo, Starbucks and
Walmart, to name a few. It defines a clear set of criteria to help companies
determine if their packaging can navigate the recycling
system
and to provide them with the necessary actions to put forth truly recyclable
packaging options and meet their sustainability goals.
In June, the US Plastics Pact — a consortium launched in
August
by The Recycling Partnership and World Wildlife Fund, as part of
the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s global Plastics Pact Network —
unveiled an aggressive national
strategy
to ensure all plastic packaging will be reusable, recyclable or compostable by
2025. The Pathway to Circularity Recyclability Framework will be key to the
feasibility of the strategy.
“This is the beginning of a massive, system-changing initiative to advance
package design and system innovation in tandem, to drive us toward a more
sustainable and circular economy for all materials,” explains Sarah Dearman,
SVP of Circular Ventures at The Recycling Partnership. “Never has more urgent
action been demanded to protect our planet’s resources and reduce greenhouse
gases, as evidenced in the most recent United Nations report.
We look forward to open dialogue with stakeholders to whom this matters most.”
The Framework defines five building blocks critical to progressing packaging
design for recyclability — design for circularity, recyclability prevalence,
access and adoption, capture journey, and packaging fate — along with key
requirements within each block. The Framework is a catalytic tool for
transforming the US recycling
system
by aligning stakeholders behind the steps needed to evolve the packaging that is
going into it.
Designing a package to be recyclable is currently complex and
ambiguous,
with no transparent national framework or guidelines in place. Clear,
data-driven solutions are needed to assist producers and to instill public trust
and drive consistent recycling behaviors. The Framework will be open for comment
for 30 days, beginning August 19. The final Framework will play a critical role
in advancing package design, affecting community access, helping policymakers
define what is recyclable, informing recyclability claims, and driving new
innovations.
“The Recycling Partnership is committed to its mission to transform the US
recycling system and activate a circular economy. The Pathway to Circularity
Framework is a vital tool in our journey to deliver both,” Dearman says.
“Through our work on the ground with thousands of communities to improve
underperforming recycling programs, we’ve learned that you can’t transform the
system without improving the nature of the packaging going into it.
“The Circularity Council’s leadership helped us develop the Framework and set
the course for transparency, and we’re thrilled to have the opportunity to share
what we’ve built together and engage with a broader group of stakeholders for
feedback.”
The stakeholder engagement period will remain open until September 17, after
which feedback and alterations to the Framework will be compiled and released.
In conjunction with this engagement period, The Recycling Partnership will host
two introductory webinars on August 19 and September 2 to explain the Pathway to
Circularity in more detail.
Learn more about Pathway to Circularity and the
Recyclability Framework here.
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Sustainable Brands Staff
Published Aug 16, 2021 2pm EDT / 11am PDT / 7pm BST / 8pm CEST