“US Plastics Pact Unveils Design-for-Circularity Playbooks to Advance Sustainable Packaging”

**US Plastics Pact Unveils Design-for-Circularity Playbooks to Advance Sustainable Packaging**

In a significant step toward addressing the global plastic waste crisis, the US Plastics Pact has released a series of “Design-for-Circularity Playbooks” aimed at revolutionizing the way packaging is designed, produced, and managed in the United States. These playbooks are part of the Pact’s broader mission to create a circular economy for plastics, where materials are reused, recycled, or composted rather than discarded as waste. By providing actionable guidance to businesses, policymakers, and other stakeholders, the playbooks represent a critical tool in the fight against plastic pollution and the transition to a more sustainable future.

### The US Plastics Pact: A Collaborative Effort for Change

The US Plastics Pact, launched in 2020, is a collaborative initiative led by The Recycling Partnership and World Wildlife Fund (WWF) as part of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s global Plastics Pact network. The Pact brings together more than 100 stakeholders, including major corporations, non-profits, government agencies, and academic institutions, all committed to achieving ambitious sustainability goals by 2025. These goals include:

1. **Eliminating problematic or unnecessary plastic packaging.**
2. **Ensuring all plastic packaging is 100% reusable, recyclable, or compostable.**
3. **Achieving a 50% recycling or composting rate for plastic packaging.**
4. **Incorporating an average of 30% recycled content into plastic packaging.**

The Design-for-Circularity Playbooks are a key component of the Pact’s strategy to meet these targets, offering a roadmap for stakeholders to align their packaging practices with circular economy principles.

### What Are the Design-for-Circularity Playbooks?

The Design-for-Circularity Playbooks are a set of comprehensive guides that provide practical recommendations for designing plastic packaging that can be effectively recycled or composted. The playbooks are tailored to specific packaging types and materials, addressing the unique challenges and opportunities associated with each. Key features of the playbooks include:

– **Material Selection Guidelines:** Recommendations for choosing materials that are compatible with existing recycling or composting systems.
– **Design Best Practices:** Tips for creating packaging that minimizes contamination and maximizes recyclability, such as avoiding mixed materials or unnecessary additives.
– **Case Studies:** Real-world examples of companies that have successfully implemented circular design principles.
– **Metrics and Tools:** Resources to help businesses measure their progress and assess the environmental impact of their packaging choices.

The playbooks are designed to be user-friendly and accessible, making it easier for companies of all sizes to adopt sustainable packaging practices.

### Advancing Circularity in Packaging

One of the primary goals of the playbooks is to address the systemic barriers that have historically hindered the development of a circular economy for plastics. These barriers include a lack of standardized design guidelines, limited recycling infrastructure, and consumer confusion about what can and cannot be recycled. By

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