SPC’s mission is to bring together sustainable packaging stakeholders to catalyze actionable improvements to packaging systems and lend an authoritative voice on issues related to packaging sustainability. We support packaging policy as one tool that will accelerate our mission.
Our role is of an agnostic subject matter expert and educational resource that helps our members and other stakeholders understand packaging-related policies so they are informed and can participate actively in packaging policy conversations. We believe that engagement of informed stakeholders has the best potential to increase the effectiveness of legislative solutions.
SPC’s Use of the Term Policy for This Position Statement
In the context of the SPC, packaging policy is a term referring to political efforts from governments, corporations, or other organizations working in the sustainable packaging field on a global scale.
- Overarching laws, regulations, administrative actions, and other decision-making processes that an organization or
government follows or creates. - A mechanism to reach goals or desired outcomes at various governance levels within governments and organizations.
Scope
Based on our current membership concentration, we primarily focus on the United States and Canada while staying aware of Europe and international policies that may inform this primary focus.
The scope of packaging policy related work for the SPC encompasses any policy where the primaryrole addresses the packaging life cycle. Policies can be complex and multi-layered. The SPC limits efforts to packaging life cycle policies as this is core to the organization’s mission. To expand, the packaging life cycle includes the sourcing, manufacturing, distribution, use, and recovery of a package. Policies that fall outside this life cycle scope are acknowledged for
awareness but not incorporated into our direct work.
All work of the SPC must be relevant to current or future programs and member interest with the goal to help translate legislation, keep members informed, and encourage dialogue between all stakeholders in the supply and value chain.
