Circular Economy
Sustainable Packaging
Packaging designed to be reduced, reused or genuinely recycled — the front line of the plastics and EPR policy revolution.
Definition
Sustainable packaging is packaging designed and managed to minimise environmental impact across its life cycle: reduced to the minimum necessary, reusable where systems exist, made from recycled and responsibly sourced materials, and recyclable or compostable in practice — meaning collection and reprocessing infrastructure actually exists for it. The EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (2025) makes recyclability at scale, recycled content and minimisation legally binding, with extended producer responsibility financing the system.
Overview
The overview for this term is being prepared.
Review
Help keep this definition useful and accurate.
Submitted reviews stay private until an editor decides whether to accept and attribute them.
Contribute to this entry
How would you like to contribute?
Every endorsement and suggested edit is checked by an editor before anything changes publicly.