
The Sustainable Packaging Coalition is a membership-based collaborative that believes in the power of industry to make packaging more sustainable. As the leading voice on sustainable packaging, we are passionate about creating packaging that is good for people and good for the environment.

How2Recycle is a standardized labeling system that clearly communicates disposal instructions to the public. It involves a coalition of forward thinking brands who want their packaging to be recycled and are empowering consumers through smart packaging labels.

The Recycled Material Standard (RMS) enables participating brands and suppliers to celebrate their sustainability efforts that collectively advance the use of recycled materials. The standard establishes requirements necessary to assure accuracy and transparency of claims with the support of a robust third party certification system.

GreenBlue events give all participants a seat at the table, present them with trustworthy and compelling information, and help them prioritize progress across the value chain over any one organization’s agenda.

How2Compost is the sister labeling system to How2Recycle. The two labeling systems are set up to comprehensively communicate disposal instructions to the public when an item has both recyclable and compostable packaging components.

CleanGredients is a database of chemical ingredients safe for humans and the environment. Ingredients listed in CleanGredients are evaluated against standards set by the EPA’s Safer Choice program, ensuring they can be used by formulators in products meeting the Safer Choice criteria.

How2Recycle continuously works to advance research and development initiatives, serving as resources for our members and adding support to the recycling industry as a whole.

Criteria for Protocol Acceptance
How2Recycle assesses a breadth of information and scientifically credible data in order to issue the most appropriate claims. Learn more about the current data we’re using, and how we determine credibility.

Overall Recyclability Assessment for Core and Challenged Formats
This document offers a comprehensive evaluation to determine the recyclability of a package’s material and format based on current data and applicable law.
Testing Protocols
How2Recycle may request testing to determine an innovative package’s recyclability category. Testing includes standardized sortation, reprocessing, and material health protocols conducted at pre-approved, third-party labs. Not all packaging requires testing to determine overall recyclability. How2Recycle will proactively communicate which test(s) are required to support a more favorable recyclability category.
SORTATION
REPROCESSING
MATERIAL HEALTH
Store Drop-off Research
Every day, brands and packaging producers submit detailed packaging specifications to How2Recycle®, and the program assesses the recyclability of each packaging type and issues specific recommendations for design improvement. On average, about 10% of the recyclability labels How2Recycle issues to brands and retailers include the Store Drop-Off label.