Working together to accelerate progress towards a circular economy
Packaging regulation is accelerating globally, reshaping cost structures, operational models, and material choices. With more than 60 markets introducing new frameworks and over €20 billion in annual EPR-related costs in Europe alone, policy is no longer a compliance topic—it is a core business driver.
The Coalition’s Policy pillar focuses on helping companies anticipate, align with, and shape key regulations, starting with Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR). EPR is becoming the backbone of packaging policy worldwide, requiring companies to finance the collection, sorting, and recycling of packaging. However, fragmented implementation across countries is creating inefficiencies, cost volatility, and operational complexity.
Through pre-competitive collaboration, Coalition member discuss what “optimal” EPR systems could look like. This includes clear design principles, effective governance models, and the role of ecomodulation in incentivising better packaging decisions. By developing shared guidance, such as global EPR principles and practical recommendations for low- and middle-income countries, the Coalition provides a common reference point for both individual private companies and policymakers.
Beyond EPR, the pillar expands to broader regulatory developments, recycled content requirements, chemical recycling, and emerging global frameworks. The objective is twofold: reduce compliance costs by avoiding fragmented approaches, and ensure regulation remains operationally feasible and scalable.
Members engage in two ways: staying informed through structured policy intelligence and voluntarily participating in targeted initiatives. The result is faster adaptation, reduced regulatory risk, and a stronger voice advocating for how policy translates into business reality.
Reuse models are a key part of the shift from disposable packaging to systems that reduce material use, greenhouse gas emissions and waste, building on approaches already proven at scale, such as in the beverage industry. The Reuse workstream explores how members can collectively help scale these models.
The Coalition’s Design and Materials pillar helps address this challenge by promoting globally aligned design rules that enable packaging to be recyclable in practice, not only in theory. At the centre of this effort are the Golden Design Rules (GDR), a set of industry-backed guidelines developed and implemented by members over the past five years.
