Top: Image courtesy Closed Loop Partners

Closed Loop Partners’ Center for the Circular Economy, in partnership with the U.S. Plastics Pact, released the findings of a study that analyzed 10 consumer product categories that account for over 90% of purchased packaged goods sold in U.S. grocery retail stores. The study identified the top five retail categories primed for near-term implementation of reusable packaging: Prepared food packaging in retail, such as salad bars, snack bars and rotisserie chickens that are typically packed on site; fresh produce containers, especially if precut and packed locally and manually; beverage bottles for localized supply chains like milk and dairy, leveraging legacy reusable packaging supply chains; home care product bottles, such as liquid-based floor cleaners and detergents, which often are already in durable containers; and personal care product bottles, such as soaps and shampoos, especially if they can leverage similar return infrastructure as bottles from beverage or home care products. A report issued with the findings, Getting Ready for Reuse in Retail: An Actionable Guide for Consumer Product Categories Most Likely to Succeed for Reuse in the U.S., serves as a guide for businesses looking to pinpoint packaging formats best suited for reuse, to help meet single-use waste reduction goals.