Take Action to Improve Recyclability

The Circular Packaging Assessment Tool is for brands, retailers, and packaging designers seeking to assess the recyclability of their packaging within the U.S. recycling system. This Tool goes beyond technical recyclability to include information on community access, MRF capture, end markets, and recyclability prevalence.

Policymakers can refer to the full system criteria and stakeholder engagement of the Framework in the Tool when addressing innovations in packaging within recyclability policy.

The Circular Packaging Assessment Tool is a free, publicly-available web-based tool that makes packaging recyclability assessment possible to all companies and package designers, large or small. It leverages all the data and networks of The Partnership, pulling requirements from the five building blocks of the Residential Recyclability Framework and combining them with recycling access data from The Recycling Partnership’s National Database and digitized design guidance from material-specific industry associations. You can see the Framework in the interactive PDF version of the Circular Packaging Assessment Tool.

In the Tool, users can input design elements of their package’s base and additional components, such as an HDPE lotion bottle and its pump, as well as additional packaging like a cardboard multi-pack box. The recyclability assessment output helps companies detect where system-level challenges exist—from design to access, MRF capture and end markets—and see what additional resources, industry groups or material coalitions are available for catalyzing change.

This Tool was built with industry alignment and transparency in mind. The Recycling Partnership worked with several industry associations to digitize material design guides and include relevant, well-respected resources in the Tool.

For example, ReMA (formerly ISRI) and The Recycling Partnership are actively collaborating to ensure that brands, packaging manufacturers, and other users are receiving clear and consistent guidance on fiber packaging recycling through their two complementary tools: the ReMA Fiber Recycling Readiness Tool and The Partnership’s Circular Packaging Assessment Tool.

The Partnership’s assessment tool provides an overview of all material packaging, includes digitized design guides from industry associations, and leverages the National Recycling Database to provide localized information on packaging acceptance in recycling programs. Pass/fail feedback is provided for a material’s inclusion in the ReMA/ISRI Bale Specifications and the material’s performance within eight criteria of end markets.

ReMA’s readiness tool provides more detailed review and feedback on fiber-based packaging specifically. In particular, ReMA’s tool assesses end market contaminants and their cumulative impact on the ability of the package to pass through the current U.S. recycling infrastructure. It can also be used by designers and engineers considering or testing innovative packaging formats given the level of granularity provided on individual design elements.

In addition, the Framework that underpins the Circular Packaging Assessment Tool was generated with input and expertise from the Circularity Council, a group of 35 industry leaders representing stakeholders from across the recycling value chain.

Just as recycling system technology, policy, standards and programs continue to evolve, the harmonization of the most current and accurate industry information within the Tool is ongoing.

The Residential Recyclability Framework, launched under the name Pathway to Circularity in 2021, is the first single-source, industry-informed set of guidelines for determining packaging recyclability. It defines five building blocks critical to progressing packaging design for recyclability – design for recyclability, recyclability prevalence, access and adoption, capture journey, and packaging fate, along with key requirements within each block. The Framework strives to deliver new depth on the varying factors that shape recycling. The Framework will help companies determine if their package can navigate the recycling system and provide them with the necessary actions to advance their packaging toward recyclability and meet their sustainability goals.

The Framework roots the industry in reality while pushing toward a more innovative and circular future by assessing recyclability through a series of “building blocks” or criteria that a package must meet to be considered recyclable. The Framework is a living document, evolving over time to meet the needs of a growing recycling system while providing stability for long-term decisions. For example, The Partnership opened the Framework to public comment for a period of 30 days in late 2021, and the feedback was incorporated into the building blocks of the Circular Packaging Assessment Tool.

Please refer to the Circular Packaging Assessment Tool to access the digital tool and create a free account. The interactive PDF version of the Tool is also available for initial self-assessment of a package. An in-depth discussion of the Framework, including an overview of the building blocks and criteria, can be found in this recording.

The Tool and Framework are living resources, the contents of which will continue to evolve with changing market conditions, advances in technology, etc. Planned upcoming developments include:

• Design Guide updates to the Circular Packaging Assessment Tool
• Increased harmonization of the digital Tool and Pathway Framework with other recycling industry resources
• Updates to the Framework, guided by the inputs and expertise of the industry-led Circularity Council

Reach out to pathway@recyclingpartnership.org to discuss partnership opportunities. Get In Touch with us for general inquiries. Follow The Partnership on social media to learn more about what we’re doing to accelerate recycling and circularity in the U.S.