REUSE FOUNDATION PROMOTING REUSE TO PREVENT PLASTIC WASTE

Highlights

Mars Trims Pringles Minis Packaging By 10%
	Mars cut packaging on its Pringles Minis range by 10%, according to Inside FMCG, and projects that the redesign will save approximately 30.7 tonnes of virgin plastic each year. Updated packs will roll out across major Australian supermarkets. Ileana Andrei at Mars Salty Snacks said, “Through a detailed review of our packaging, we found ways to remove excess space without changing what’s inside the pack.”[Image Credit: © Kellanova]
Greens Push National Packaging EPR Scheme
	A federal Greens bill proposing a national Extended Producer Responsibility scheme for packaging adds to the calls for reform in Australia. Boomerang Alliance director Jeff Angel said the existing co-regulatory scheme failed to deliver after 25 years, that “there is no reuse strategy, and greenwash has proliferated.” Reforms supported by the Alliance include a legislated EPR framework, mandated targets for reduction, reuse, recycling and recycled content, as well as an industry-funded national soft plastics collection system. [Image Credit: © Boomerang Alliance]
California Finalizes SB 54 Rules Amid Lawsuit Threats
	California’s Office of Administrative Law approved permanent regulations for SB 54, the Plastic Pollution Prevention and Packaging Producer Responsibility Act. SB54 requires all plastic packaging sold in the state to be recyclable or compostable by 2032 and requires a 25% reduction in single-use plastics. Natural Resources Defense Council and Californians Against Waste announced plans to sue, arguing CalRecycle improperly exempted certain packaging and allowed “polluting technologies” to count as recycling.[Image Credit: © Mathias Reding on Unsplash]
NGO Coalition Opposes Corporate Push To Delay PPWR
	More than 160 environmental and health groups, as part of the Break Free From Plastic alliance, wrote to EU institutions urging them to reject a leaked letter from over 100 food and beverage CEOs, including Coca-Cola, Heineken, McDonald’s, Kraft Heinz and Mondelez, which asks for the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation to be delayed and some major provisions revised before its August 2026 planned implementation date. Signatories to the NGO coalition letter warn that reopening agreed legislation would undermine regulatory certainty for companies already investing in compliance and set a precedent for corporate influence over environmental law.[Image Credit: © Nick Fewings on Unsplash]
Survey Finds European Consumers Favor Cartonboard Over Plastic
	A Pro Carton survey of more than 5,000 consumers in Germany, France, Italy, Spain and the UK found that 89% prefer cardboard packaging to plastic, up from 87% the previous year. Around 62% claimed they intensified their recycling efforts in the past year. Separate Pro Carton research reported that 37% of European consumers switched brands due to packaging concerns. [Image Credit: © Pro Carton]
Mondi And Dreco Launch 50% Recycled Detergent Packaging
	Mondi and German home care brand Dreco introduced powder detergent packaging containing 50% post-consumer recycled content. Called the re/loop PillowBag, it launched in retailers across Germany. Mondi applied a mass balance approach under its ISCC PLUS certification to enable traceable allocation of PCR materials. Dreco managing director Milo Drehsen said working with Mondi enabled “a solution that combines high recycled content with the protection our products require.”[Image Credit: © Mondi]
Unilever Bangladesh Extends Chattogram Plastic Waste Partnership
	Unilever Bangladesh renewed its tripartite partnership with Chattogram City Corporation and Young Power in Social Action for another two years to strengthen plastic waste management and improve waste worker livelihoods. Between June 2022 and April 2026, more than 32,000 tonnes of plastic waste were collected, with flexible plastics accounting for nearly 70%. Around 3,000 waste workers and 220 scrap buyers received training.[Image Credit: © YPSA]
Vietnam Launches Mandatory Recycling Obligations For Producers
	From May 25, producers and importers in Vietnam must meet mandatory recycling obligations under Decree 110/2026, either by organizing recycling activities themselves or by contributing to the Vietnam Environmental Protection Fund. Aluminum packaging and rigid PET plastics face a 22% recycling rate, higher than paper, carton and ferrous metal packaging at 20%. Recycling rates will be reviewed every three years. [Image Credit: © Vyvan BÙI VY VÂN on Pexels]
Amcor Provides Refill Containers For Ocado Retail Program
	Amcor will continue producing bespoke 2kg and 3kg refillable containers for the Refill Coalition’s ongoing trial with Ocado Retail in the UK. Ocado customers can return empty containers to their delivery driver for cleaning and reuse. Each container is expected to be refillable 50-100 times. A GoUnpackaged report titled “A 30%+ reuse future for the UK” states that moving to 30% reuse in UK retail could cut CO2e emissions by 95% and save £136 million annually through reduced EPR costs. [Image Credit: © Amcor plc]
Sidley Warns Of Converging EPR Compliance Sprint
	A client alert from law firm Sidley summarizes packaging and textile EPR deadlines facing US producers, including 31 May reporting cut-offs across six states. According to the alert, compliance functions inside many companies remain under-resourced for the volume of supply data that state programs are demanding. Sidley urged producers to treat the coming four weeks as a compliance sprint and brand owners with US distribution, alongside private-label and retailer-branded SKUs, are flagged as particularly vulnerable to intensifying legal scrutiny of FMCG packaging compliance.[Image Credit: © Twiggy Jia on Pexels]