PR3 - RESOLVE

Reuse is the way out of the plastics mess

Over forty percent of all plastic produced is used for packaging and much of this ultimately winds up as garbage in landfills and oceans. Research done by The Pew Charitable Trusts in 2020 shows that reusable packaging represents one of the most effective ways to solve this problem, with the potential to prevent more plastic pollution than recycling while providing significant cost savings.

In response, many multinational consumer goods companies are pursuing reuse pilots around the world for a variety of products and brands. That is the good news. The bad news is that while these pilots explore new products and delivery approaches, most make no effort to change the systems and infrastructure that is needed to scale reuse.

Of the numerous plastic initiatives in the world, PR3 is the only group that is creating the blueprint for an ecosystem for the burgeoning reuse industry.

Everyday technologies, such as wi-fi and USB ports, have a set of standards that allow them to work globally. Wi-fi works everywhere. Thumb drives allow you to share data across nearly all devices. And until shipping containers were standardized in the 1970’s, infrastructure, ports, loading docks, and freight transportation were not set up for global trade. For reuse systems to scale and become a truly viable replacement for single-use packaging, the reuse industry needs similar standards.

RESOLVE launched PR3 to address this systemic change. PR3 is developing global standards for reuse so that reusable packaging and infrastructure can become affordable, scalable and convenient - reducing wasteful plastic production and pollution.

PR3’s leadership have led transformative innovations with multinational corporations before from eliminating hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) in refrigeration to creating global protocols for conflict-free mining. PR3 brings together the whole value chain, corporate, government, and nongovernmental organization champions committed to redefining convenience for the 21st century.

Summary Points

Single-use plastics are a critical threat to human health and the environment.

PR3 is unique amongst hundreds of global plastics initiatives in focusing on the standards that will support plastic reuse for the long haul, rather than developing proprietary or one-off programs.