For many sustainable food and beverage brands, the challenge is not how to formulate a better-for-the-planet product; it’s how to keep that product’s packaging out of the landfill. During an Expo East panel discussion called Reimagining Packaging: Innovations and Tools for a Sustainable Future, industry experts revealed four resources available to brands interested in greening their packaging—and the industry—right now.

1. Sustainable Packaging Innovation Portal

Brands and other industry members are invited to join OSC2’s One Step Closer to Zero Waste Packaging Campaign, which will run through February 2022 and include consumer calls to action, advocacy amplification and best practices of brand storytelling. In December 2021 the campaign will launch a Sustainable Packaging Innovation Portal to connect brands and other industry members featuring resources including packaging materials, trends data, roadmaps, partners, a discussion board and more.

2. HowGood

HowGood is a portal offering the world’s largest product and ingredient sustainability database, with over 2 million products assessed across over 200 different sustainability attributes. HowGood works with brands and retailers alike to help them understand the impact of their products, from the most regenerative to those lagging behind. The goal? To bring powerful data to every sustainable brand and data-driven decisions to every corner of the sustainable market.

3. American Sustainable Business Council 

The ASBC is a network of about 250,000 businesses around the country, all dedicated to the same sustainable mission and values, providing a voice for the sustainable business community in both government and trade. Any brands interested in getting the messaging of sustainable businesses out there are welcome to join.

4. Loop

An initiative from TerraCycle, Loop is a platform for reusability that works with brands large and small to help them transition from single-use to reusable packaging. Rather than relying on refilling on the part of the consumer, Loop allows consumers to buy the product, use it, then bring the empty packaging back to the store. It is then sent to Loop for cleaning and sanitizing, and, finally, sent back to the brand for repackaging.

Watch the replay

The Natural Products Expo East 2021 session Reimagining Packaging: Innovations and Tools for a Sustainable Future is available for replay in the Natural Products Expo Virtual community platform.