Welcome to the Sustainable
Packaging Future of 2035!
What if we reimagined our relationship to packaging — and what if we got it right?
At the SPC, we’re painting a picture of what the sustainable packaging paradise of 2035 could look like.
So, take a look, get inspired, and learn how you can play a role in bringing this vision to life!
What Will Bring Us to This Future?
Policy
EPR and labeling bills are the secret sauce behind these scenes, creating systems where consumers can easily, confidently recycle.
Materials
The best materials are collected at end-of-life, easy to sort, and safe with a low environmental impact — and critically, they’ll hit these criteria within your product category.
Goals
With the easy sustainability wins already unlocked, what’s left — like reusable or refillable packaging — is harder but could move you much closer and more meaningfully toward your sustainability goals.
How Will We Get There?
Clear Labeling & Curbside CollectionIn 2035’s sustainable packaging paradise, the ubiquity of easy-to-understand labels means that consumers can sort materials with confidence. Plus, because so many of the materials on the market are recyclable, compostable, or reusable, most packaging completes a full circle instead of a one-way trip to landfills. Your Role: |
Accessible, Incentivized CircularityIn this 2035, stores aren’t just places to shop — they’re centers for circularity. Thoughtful service design gives consumers easy access to reverse vending machines for bottle returns, drop-off points for reuse and refill systems, and Store Drop-off bins for films and flexible packaging. Your Role: |
Circular Packaging SolutionsA sustainable packaging paradise is filled with formats like compostable trays, innovative fiber-based packaging, 100% recycled materials, and even no packaging or reduced packaging. Consumers don’t have to choose between the sustainable and the affordable, because we’ve scaled solutions that are planet-friendly and practical. Your Role: |
Reusable and Refillable PackagingIn our imagined sustainable packaging future, reuse is second nature. Durable, well-designed packaging flows through closed-loop systems, with convenient refill stations and take-back programs making participation easy and rewarding. Your Role: |
Want to play a role in building this 2035?
For inquiries, contact
Olga Kachook
