Following two years of research into various end-of-life infrastructures and technologies, today GreenBlue® released a suite of reports that provide technical guidance on designing packaging to be compatible with common recovery methods.

Design for Recovery Guidelines for Aluminum, Steel, Glass, and Paper Packaging detail common recovery challenges and barriers for these four major packaging materials, as well as providing practical instructions on how attachments, inks, coatings, and colorants affect recyclability and compostability.

The guidelines are the result of GreenBlue's Closing the Loop research project - funded through
a grant awarded to GreenBlue by the California Department of Resources Recycling and
Recovery with additional support from GreenBlue's Sustainable Packaging Coalition® - which promotes more effective material recovery systems by connecting packaging designers with available recovery options.

"One of the challenges we see in creating closed loop systems for packaging is the lack of coordination between packaging design and packaging recovery," said GreenBlue Project Manager Liz Shoch, who led the GreenBlue research and authored the guidelines. "The most important leverage point in a package's recyclability is during the design phase. These guidelines help packaging designers understand the various end-of-life options so they can design accordingly."

The guidelines were inspired by the Association of Postconsumer Plastic Recyclers Design for Recyclability Guidelines, which outline which plastic bottles are compatible with today's recycling technologies. GreenBlue initiated this project to provide similar guidance for all packaging material types.

Design for Recovery Guidelines for Aluminum, Steel, Glass, and Paper Packaging are each available for free download on GreenBlue's website.

Download
The reports are available free to download at: www.greenblue.org/publications.

About GreenBlue
GreenBlue® is a nonprofit that equips business with the science and resources to make products more sustainable. GreenBlue currently works in three program areas: chemicals, packaging, and forest products, as well as working one-on-one with companies through GreenBlue Advisory Services. The organization's initiatives include the Sustainable Packaging Coalition®, CleanGredients®, Environmental Paper Assessment Tool® (EPAT), COMPASS®, and the Paper Life Cycle.

GreenBlue

GreenBlue

GreenBlue is a nonprofit that equips business with the science and resources to make products more sustainable. We’re building a world where businesses are leaders for environmental stewardship and products are designed from the start with sustainability in mind.

GreenBlue currently works in three program areas: chemicals, packaging, and forest products, as well as working one-on-one with companies through GreenBlue Advisory Services. Our team of scientists, engineers, designers, and business strategists translates complex scientific concepts into concrete business strategies.

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