Impacts of ISO Circular Economy Standard on Sustainable Packaging Metrics

Circular economy is a concept that is gaining traction on a global basis. Circular thinking emphasizes redesigning products and packaging in terms of reuse, recycling, and repurposing up front, with the goal of eliminating traditional disposal at the end of life. Many say now is the time to transition from a linear economy to an economy based on circularity.

In May 2019, the process of developing an ISO international standard for circular economy began with an inaugural meeting led by the French standardization association (AFNOR). Since then, 67 countries including the U.S. are now participating members of ISO’s Technical Committee (TC) 323, which is developing this global circular economy standard. The U.S. delegation was formed under the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) in 2019, consists of over 30 members, and is led by elected co-chairs Alison Conroy of Georgia Pacific and Mike Levy of First Environment. The U.S. delegation has designated experts in all four Working Groups established to develop this standard.

This presentation will highlight some of the key discussions and concepts that may impact sustainable packaging and which are being reviewed in the four Working Groups established under TC 323. In particular, Working Group 3, Measuring Circularity Framework, has an approved scope and deliverable to:

- Specify a generic framework for measuring and assessing circularity, taking into consideration the sustainability (environmental, social, and economic) impacts of circular activities
- Provide guidance to organizations, sectors, and stakeholder groups regarding how to use the generic framework for sector-specific measurement or stakeholder-specific measurement
- Give initial guidance how specific sectors or stakeholders can use this framework and customize it for their purposes

In addition, this presentation will highlight some of the current discussions around metrics and circular economy and the potential impacts for sustainable packaging in the future. These may involve packaging design changes, process changes, and restructuring recovery efforts to avoid waste streams, all with the goal of “closing the loop.” This information will be particularly beneficial to stakeholders considering enacting projects that will comply with the final circular economy ISO standard.