Now in its third year, SPC’s analysis of food waste recycling programs and processing facilities shows strong 2023 growth similar to past years   According to research from PMMI Business Intelligence, compostable packaging materials are predicted to increase by 15-16% over the next decade. Historically, acceptance of these materials has been stymied by a lack of widespread infrastructure in the U.S. to process both food waste and other compostable waste such as certified compostable packaging.  Yet as more municipalities understand the urgency and climate-related benefits of diverti ..read more

As delegates prepare to head to Nairobi for the third session of the International Negotiating Committee (INC), which is tasked with creating an International Legally Binding Instrument to address Plastic Pollution, it’s an opportune moment to reflect on the progress made so far. The INC has just introduced a Zero Draft for discussion at INC-3, which outlines various control measures related to the instrument’s objectives, offering one, two, or three options for each. This article delves into the implications of these options and their potential impact on the fight against plastic pollution ..read more

Last month the Biodegradable Products Institute (BPI) held its first-ever event in Minneapolis, Minnesota to spur action within the compostable packaging sphere. Various stakeholders from material manufacturers, composters, brand owners, legislators, compost certifiers, to local and national municipality representatives were in attendance and ready to participate during the 2-day summit. Attendees were able to learn from 10 sessions featuring leaders in the composting space. SPC staff walked away with two key takeaways: (1.) By educating and motivating the public about composting, we will be ..read more

Flexible film packages are ubiquitous in consumer’s lives today. From buying food at the grocery store to ordering furniture online, there is a good chance at least some part of the package is a plastic bag, pouch, or wrap. Despite its prevalence, recycling this material remains challenged. For the majority of the US population, curbside bins are a familiar system to putting recyclable items to be collected. However, when it comes to flexible films, most of us cannot (and should not!) put this material type into our curbside bins. Instead, there are options like Store Drop-off and specialty c ..read more

SPC’s mission is to bring together sustainable packaging stakeholders to catalyze actionable improvements to packaging systems and lend an authoritative voice on issues related to packaging sustainability. SPC has engaged with the U.S. Plastics Pact since its inception as an activator and as a participant in multiple workstreams. The Problematic Materials workstream worked with Pact Activators to “take measures to eliminate 11 problematic and unnecessary resins, components, and formats by 2025 in order to accelerate progress toward a circular economy for plastic packaging in the United State ..read more

SPC’s mission is to bring together sustainable packaging stakeholders to catalyze actionable improvements to packaging systems and lend an authoritative voice on issues related to packaging sustainability. SPC has engaged with the U.S. Plastics Pact since its inception as an activator and as a participant in multiple workstreams. The Problematic Materials workstream worked with Pact Activators to “take measures to eliminate 11 problematic and unnecessary resins, components, and formats by 2025 in order to accelerate progress toward a circular economy for plastic packaging in the United State ..read more

As companies work towards goals to make their packaging recyclable or compostable, and use more recycled materials as feedstock, hazardous chemicals are emerging as an increasingly relevant challenge. While compliance with food contact and other regulations applicable to chemicals in packaging has always been important, we are now seeing that the choice of chemicals in the packaging design phase can have an impact well beyond the limited lifespan of the package, and affects its ability to be used as recycled input for new packaging materials or products, or as feedstock for compost. To help c ..read more

SPC’s mission is to bring together sustainable packaging stakeholders to catalyze actionable improvements to packaging systems and lend an authoritative voice on issues related to packaging sustainability. We support packaging policy as one tool that will accelerate our mission. Our role is of an agnostic subject matter expert and educational resource that helps our members and other stakeholders understand packaging-related policies so they are informed and can participate actively in packaging policy conversations. We believe that engagement of informed stakeholders has the best potential t ..read more

Updated February 2023   The SPC does not support the use of any kind of degradability additives in packaging, including additives that seek to make packaging more degradable (i.e. break down more rapidly) in landfills, marine environments, or open environments (e.g. as litter). This includes “biodegradable”, “degradable”, “oxo-degradable”, and all other types of degradability additives used in petroleum-based plastics. (For brevity, the term “additive” is used as shorthand for “degradability additives” throughout this document). The SPC disagrees with the premise that degradability addit ..read more

The SPC recommends that packaging companies do not use the term “biodegradable” to market their products to suppliers, retailers, or consumers. The SPC further recommends that companies do not design packaging to be broadly biodegradable, unless a specific application such as soil biodegradability has been tested and makes sense for the specific application, e.g. in the case of agricultural films. The SPC’s rationale is outlined below.   Download the PDF 1. “Biodegradable” is a confusing and imprecise term. “Biodegradable” refers to materials that have the ability to break down by bio ..read more