December 9, 2020
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA, December 9, 2020 — The Sustainable Packaging Coalition (SPC) is excited to celebrate 500 members accompanied with a surge of growth, recognition, and passion within and beyond the sustainable packaging space. Since 2004, the SPC defines sustainable packaging by communicating the importance of life-cycle thinking and identifying the relevant and important issues within packaging sustainability. The SPC also helps companies make better decisions by inspiring them to set better goals, providing tools and information to facilitate real-life implementation, and by providing important context about packaging systems to inform members’ broader strategies outside just the design of the package itself.
Being an active member in the SPC community means learning, experimenting, and collaborating as part of a dynamic informational and social network. It is through the three distinct pillars of the SPC — education, collaboration, and action that SPC members’ advancements in the sustainability industry are constantly evolving. By sharing perspectives and building understanding with one’s packaging supply chain peers, SPC members create resilience and connectivity in an increasingly complex world. SPC membership is designed to level-set its participants with fluency in the most enduring and emerging topics in packaging sustainability but also pushes forward the boundaries of collective understanding and action.
The SPC is proud to work with companies across the value chain to address all challenges within packaging sustainability. Since the SPC was formed, over 8,000 individuals from SPC member companies represent a variety of industries that work together through a collection of activities within the SPC space. Over the years, SPC members have remained actively engaged through SPC Events, Collaboratives, the SPC Executive Committee, the Essentials of Sustainable Packaging online training program, SPC Innovator Awards, the Goals Database, How2Recycle, Forests in Focus, and most recently, the Recycled Material Standard (RMS).
Over the years, thousands of individual SPC members have collectively attended 34 SPC events hosted across North America, the United Kingdom, and virtually. In 2020 alone, our members attended 30 SPC webinars that inspired member collaboration based on current trends and research.
SPC members have stayed engaged with one another through SPC Collaboratives where subgroups of passionate professionals from across the supply chain convene to advance the conversation around sustainable packaging topics. Through this collaboration, members pave the way for developing tools and resources from this shared space.
Since the start of the SPC, individuals from member companies representing an accomplished diversity of industries have served on the SPC Executive Committee. These nominated individuals continue to serve as an extension of the SPC team by providing perspective and expertise on sustainability trends and providing insightful feedback on issues related to SPC goals and activities.
To stay up-to-date on trends and technologies within the sustainability industry, SPC members continue to participate in the 13 hours of the Essentials of Sustainable Packaging online training program covering 11 critical sustainability subjects. The Essentials of Sustainable Packaging rolls out new courses quarterly on timely topics continuing to foster growth and education applicable to the expansive SPC membership base.
SPC Members persist in pushing boundaries and innovating through participating in the SPC Innovator Awards. In the three years of its running, a multitude of organizations representing a range of industries have been recognized for their out-of-the-box sustainable thinking. The annual SPC Innovator Award categories, Innovation in Responsible Sourcing, Innovation in Design Optimization, and Innovation in Recovery, recognize meaningful contributions and advancements towards more sustainable packaging.
Members utilize SPC resources such as the Virtual Events Library, Chemical Recycling Webinars, and Design for Recycled Content Guide, to advance their sustainability objectives. They continue to find guidance and support from the Goals Database, which includes a curated compendium of industry commitments aimed at improving packaging sustainability.
Over 300 brand owners and retailers are participating members in the How2Recycle labeling program, educating consumers on how to recycle more and recycle better. How2Recycle issues on-pack labels for over 225 products per day and has issued recommendations for packaging design improvement to its members more than 100,000 times.
Forests in Focus helps SPC members assess risks in the landscapes where they source wood-fiber for paper and packaging, identifying critical ecological needs in those areas, and aid in making measurable conservation impacts on the ground. Forests in Focus’s sustainability risk assessments are based on seven key criteria and backed by trusted data from the USDA Forest Service, NatureServe, and more.
Lastly, members are being introduced to the newest SPC project, the Recycled Material Standard (RMS), which strives to iron-out a third-party recycled material sustainability certification system currently open for public comment through December 18, 2020.
The SPC is as strong as its member organizations who continue to explore and creatively test new ways to be sustainable. Through education, collaboration, and action, the sustainability industry has come a long way and will continue to evolve. Congratulations to these 500 leading organizations for their progress today — and the continual growth not just within the SPC but the sustainability industry as a whole.
About the Sustainable Packaging Coalition (SPC)
The Sustainable Packaging Coalition is a membership-based collaborative that brings together businesses, educational institutions, and government agencies to collectively broaden the understanding of packaging sustainability and develop meaningful improvements for packaging solutions. Our mission is to bring packaging sustainability stakeholders together to catalyze actionable improvements to packaging systems and lend an authoritative voice on issues related to packaging sustainability. The Sustainable Packaging Coalition is a trademark project of GreenBlue Org, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to the sustainable use of materials in society. We bring together key stakeholders to encourage innovation and best practices to promote the creation of a more sustainable materials economy. For more information, follow us on Twitter @SPCSpotlight or visit our website at https://sustainablepackaging.org. Companies interested in joining the Sustainable Packaging Coalition can visit https://sustainablepackaging.org/become-a-member/or contact spcinfo@greenblue.org.
