Why Circularity Matters

A circular economy promotes a closed-loop system where products are designed for longevity, reuse and recycling. Image courtesy of Berlin Packaging

Six Packaging Strategies Accelerating the Circular Economy

By Celine Yang, Global Sustainability Marketing Lead, Berlin Packaging

The packaging industry is accelerating the circular economy in response to growing environmental concerns and innovation opportunities. This model emphasizes resource efficiency, waste reduction, and the continual use of materials, offering significant potential for innovation and enhanced sustainability.

Moving to a circular economy offers numerous advantages. By shifting away from the traditional linear model of “take-make-dispose,” the circular economy promotes a closed-loop system where products are designed for longevity, reuse, and recycling. This approach conserves resources, reduces environmental impact, and can even strengthen supply chain resilience. Extending the life and value of resources reduces the need for extracting raw materials, helping to promote energy efficiency and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

The circular economy can also provide outsized benefits, such as strengthening the resiliency of supply chains, reducing the dependency on limited resources and lessening the risks associated with resource scarcity, price volatility, market disruptions, and geopolitical conflicts. Circular business models can create new economic opportunities through innovation, job creation, and cost savings. They also promote social equity by improving public access to resources and services and supporting community-based recycling programs.

Leveraging Circular Packaging Strategies

Packaging plays a crucial role in implementing circular economy principles. With growing consumer awareness, retailer requirements, and regulatory pressures like extended producer responsibility (EPR), companies are adopting practices that align with expanding sustainability goals.

Here are key strategies to enabling effective circular packaging solutions:

1. Enhance Recyclability

From material selection to shipping, it is key to design for recyclability. Follow industry guidelines, such as those provided by the Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR). As recycling infrastructure varies widely by region, these industry guidelines can help increase recycling rates.

According to the Supply Chain Solution Center, 91% of packaging waste is sent to landfills or into the environment. Using recyclable packaging reduces the amount of waste sent to landfills and incinerators, conserves natural resources, and prevents pollution otherwise used to mine and process new raw materials. Many companies are now innovating to improve the recyclability of challenging packaging materials, and are introducing mono-material packaging.

Colgate-Palmolive introduced a recyclable mono-material toothpaste tube composed of multiple layers of HDPE plastic in varying thicknesses. Image courtesy of Berlin Packaging

2. Integrate Post-Consumer Recycled (PCR) Content

Incorporating post-consumer recycled (PCR) materials into packaging reduces the demand for virgin resources and extends material lifecycles. PCR content recovers materials from the waste stream after consumer use and can include plastic, glass, aluminum, steel, and paperboard (fiber).

Adding PCR content to packaging can help decrease its carbon footprint (reduced energy use, greenhouse gas emissions, extraction of finite natural resources, and landfill disposal) compared to using 100% virgin materials, helping brands meet their sustainability goals.

Amika revamped their shampoo and conditioner bottles, moving from 100% virgin plastic to 90% post-consumer recycled (PCR) plastic through coextrusion. This improved their carbon footprint without sacrificing the brand’s beautiful and vibrant package designs. Image courtesy of Berlin Packaging

3. Incorporate Plant-Based Resins

Bioplastics, derived from renewable sources like sugarcane and corn, are increasingly used in packaging. They can have properties similar to or even identical to conventional plastic resins. Bioplastics helps reduce dependence on fossil fuels, and life-cycle analysis shows that bio-based resins contribute less greenhouse gas emissions than fossil-based plastic resins, depending on the feedstock, product, and application.

Because of their limited availability, bio-based resins can be up to three times more expensive than conventional plastic resins. This makes them more common among premium and high-margin products like organic foods, specialty/fancy foods, cosmetics, personal care, and cannabis.

For their organic blue agave sweeteners, Wholesome Sweeteners uses a custom bottle that is fully recyclable and contains up to 30% plant-based PET. Image courtesy of Berlin Packaging

4. Adopt Compostable Materials

Compostable packaging, made from plant-based materials, can decompose into nutrient-rich organic matter, CO₂, and water in a controlled environment in a home or commercial composting facility. Compostable packaging contributes to the circular economy by diverting waste from landfills and producing compost that enriches the soil, increases carbon sequestration, and promotes cleaner recycling streams by preventing food contamination.

To be certified as compostable, the package’s material and structure/product must be tested in accordance with established third-party standards (e.g., ASTM D6400 for industrially compostable packaging in North America and EN 13432 for home compostable packaging in Europe) to ensure they will completely degrade in the proper environment and within a specific time frame without releasing any toxic chemicals or materials (e.g., microplastics).

5. Promote Refill & Reuse Models

Refillable and reusable packaging can minimize the extraction of natural resources, reduce the energy needed to produce new packaging, lower greenhouse gas emissions, and decrease waste. According to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, reusable packaging is a $10+ billion opportunity.

While reusable packaging spans many product categories, it is becoming more popular for personal care and home care products. Branch Basics’ award-winning refillable glass spray bottles and laundry detergent dispensers have a premium, custom design that provides a superior user experience, optimized functionality, and an elegant aesthetic.

6. Optimize Through Value Engineering

Optimizing for sustainability requires a holistic approach. An effective package must perform well throughout its lifecycle—from warehouse to distribution channels, retail shelves, and consumer use. The key is to integrate sustainability together with functionality, usability, and aesthetic appeal.

Value engineering goes beyond lightweighting. It involves critically examining every packaging component. Consider questions such as:

• How do consumers interact with the package?
• Can we eliminate unnecessary components like overcaps?
• Is secondary packaging necessary, or can we reinforce the primary package?

By addressing these aspects alongside cost and time constraints, companies can develop truly sustainable packaging solutions that meet both environmental and business needs.

About the Author

Celine Yang is the Global Sustainability Marketing Lead at Berlin Packaging. Celine drives sustainable packaging solutions for companies from startups to Fortune 50 brands. Learn more at https://www.berlinpackaging.com.