By the Ellen MacArthur Foundation

Clear candidates for substitution to compostable flexibles are currently limited to a few distinct applications, but there are reasons to believe that for B2C flexible packaging specifically, the opportunity could be broader. Organic waste collection and recycling systems need to expand globally anyway to support a circular food system.

Crucial to remember when investigating these questions, is that substitution to compostables should never be undertaken in place of direct elimination, innovative elimination or reuse solutions — Shifting to compostable packaging means shifting towards 100% virgin input requirements and is still ‘single-use’ in the same way that conventional plastic and paper B2C flexibles are.

Please see page 5 for the key actions.