Who We Are
Launched in 2020, the Circularity Council is a cross-sector group of industry leaders, material experts, and recycling system practitioners united around one goal: break down barriers to recyclability standing in the way of actionable, system-wide change.
Why it Matters
The U.S. recycling system is being reshaped in real time. New Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) laws are raising the bar for producer accountability and exposing long-standing misalignments in recyclability data, standards, and methodology.
These shifts present a unique and timely opportunity, and the Circularity Council is built to meet it. Now reinvigorated with new EPR state voices and leaders from Circular Action Alliance, the Council is stepping into a stronger role as a bold, focused platform for driving industry alignment and progress.
Our mission: build a cohesive, informed, and pragmatic network that drives unity and accelerates systems integration across the recycling value chain.
Key Priorities for the Next 6–12 Months
Advance and Align Acceptance Data Standards and Methodologies
Establish consistent, industry-aligned standards for what materials and formats accepted—where and why.
Align packaging categories and taxonomy with EPR definitions
Reduce confusion, streamline compliance, and improve communication.
Bridge the gap between MRF capabilities and community acceptance
Ensure what’s collected can actually be processed and sold.
What Success Looks Like
- A system where packaging design, policy frameworks, and processing infrastructure are aligned and built to reinforce one another.
- A national standard for acceptance data, packaging design, and labeling that serves both local program performance and drives producer requirements.
- A stronger, more connected industry network of stakeholders that’s ready to respond and adapt to policy shifts and market demands quickly.
Driving Policy Alignment Through Shared Standards
With the Circularity Council’s renewed focus and expanded expertise, the industry is better positioned to tackle misalignment, clarify recyclability, and build the unified system national progress depends on. This is how we move from fragmentation to function—and from intention to impact.