Pregis discusses market trends and insights highlighted at Sustainable Packaging Coalition’s recent SPC Impact 2024 conference; topics include recent EPR legislation, driving behavior change through education

This month the organization held their SPC Impact 2024 conference in New Orleans, LA, where over 750 attendees gathered around the common goal of achieving “Less Carbon with Better Packaging.”As companies across the supply chain work to tackle the climate crisis and reach net-zero emissions, it’s crucial to cross-collaborate to best meet customers’ goals. Topics this year highlighted the impact of recent legislation and driving behavior change through education.

#1 – Recent Legislation – Extended Producer Responsibility

This year SPC focused on Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), a policy approach that designates packaging producers as responsible for the end-of-life of their products. SPC Impact 2024 focused on concrete actions for EPR requirements including source reduction, recycled content, and recyclability.

Why This Matters

It’s important to advocate for well-constructed EPR programs that aid in the promotion of a circular economy. The responsibility falls on all of us to educate ourselves in supporting EPR programs utilizing science-based reasoning that keeps funding within recycling infrastructure to support and improve waste collection and sortation systems.

With the implementation of EPR programs, sustainability goals will become requirements. It’s necessary to align products with the three pillars of EPR (source reduction, recycled content, and recyclability) and incorporate these requirements into product development.

#2 – The Effectiveness and Role of Education in Sustainable Packaging

The headlining topic of SPC Impact 2024 “Less Carbon with Better Packaging” highlighted the challenges of balancing circularity with carbon emissions. With the objective of achieving net-zero emissions, it’s necessary to embrace a holistic packaging approach that educates and meets sustainability goals.

Why This Matters

With emerging sustainable innovation, balancing environmental perception with actual impact should be transparent across all audiences to create a more informed, understanding society. Begin by assessing the package lifecycle from cradle to grave while drawing factual data for production and end-of-life circumstances.

Utilize life-cycle analysis (LCA) metrics, such as carbon emissions, paired with the probability of that material being recycled or landfilled to provide a holistic approach to the circularity and emissions of a package. Refer to market-based research to understand the perceptions around sustainable packaging and to direct where further education is needed.

For further insight into the topics of EPR compliant packaging, circularity, and carbon emissions, please reach out to the Pregis team here at:

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