Mark Buckley
Programme Manager, Ellen MacArthur Foundation
Brands and companies have the opportunity to embrace a reusable packaging revolution in order to tackle the ongoing plastics crisis.
Packaging is an important part of our everyday lives. From drink bottles to food containers, it is everywhere. In the fight against plastic waste and pollution, championing packaging that can be returned and reused will be critical.
Urgent need to adopt reusable packaging
Today, the use of reusable packaging remains at a small scale, remaining flat at just 1–2% since 2018. Although voluntary efforts have shown some progress in combating plastic waste and pollution, a substantial transition towards reuse is necessary to effectively reduce worldwide virgin plastic usage.
Our current linear economy is depleting our natural resources and cannot work in the long term. By 2050, it is estimated that plastic production alone could swallow 15% of the carbon budget we have left to limit global warming to two degrees Celsius.
Plastic production alone could swallow 15%
of the carbon budget we have left to limit
global warming to two degrees Celsius.
Benefits of transition to circular economy for packaging
In contrast, a circular economy for plastics is one where we eliminate all problematic and unnecessary plastic items; innovate to ensure that the plastics we do need are reusable, recyclable or compostable; and circulate all the plastic items we use to keep them in the economy and out of the environment.
By 2040, a circular economy for plastics has the potential to reduce the annual volume of plastics entering our oceans by 80%, reduce greenhouse gas emissions by a quarter and create 700,000 net additional jobs.
Impact of returnable plastics model
‘Unlocking a reuse revolution: scaling returnable packaging’ (a recent study by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation) has shown that returnable plastic packaging has the potential to offer significant environmental benefits and, if designed correctly, can economically compete with single-use plastics for some products.
In the most ambitious scenario, it could even lower greenhouse gas emissions and water use by up to 70% compared with single-use plastics.
To kickstart a reuse revolution, leaders from across the private, public and finance sectors must take a fresh, collaborative approach to build shared infrastructure, create packaging standards and reach higher return rates.
This cannot be achieved overnight. To make return models at scale a reality, we must see increased ambition from brands and retailers and supportive policies for emerging new reuse systems. We cannot delay. Now is the time for brands, policymakers and investors across the value chain to embrace the reuse revolution and champion a new approach to packaging.
