Teamwork from the supply chain sector will transform packaging management
At the 2025 Packaging Recycling Summit in Texas, industry leaders showcased collaborative, results-driven efforts to improve packaging sustainability. Key themes included cross-sector teamwork, data-driven recycling innovations, and extended producer responsibility. Closed Loop Partners and Greyparrot highlighted an AI-powered waste analytics platform that tracks packaging throughout recycling systems, offering granular brand-specific insights to improve recovery rates and reduce landfill waste. Baby food brand Once Upon a Farm partnered with Recyclops on a pouch mail-back program that collected 120,000 pouches, aiming to improve flexible plastic recyclability. Beverage industry leaders emphasized the need for infrastructure upgrades and sorting technology to increase container recovery, with groups like American Beverage and the Can Manufacturers Institute funding MRF enhancements. The Center for Plastics, Paper and Hybrid Packaging (C3PS) launched with NSF support to drive recycling innovation and workforce development by uniting industry and academia. C3PS prioritizes industry-led research into scalable, sustainable packaging solutions, like PFAS-free and compostable materials. Learn more about this plan.
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