OSC Launches the 2024 “Pack Pact” Campaign to Combat Packaging Waste

 The OSC Packaging Collaborative, an industry group founded by One Step Closer (OSC) to foster innovation and sustainability in packaging, has launched the 2024 “Pack Pact” campaign with the goal of promoting a circular economy in the natural products industry. By empowering brands, packaging manufacturers and consumers to take action, the “Pack Pact” is inspiring innovations in product packaging that minimize waste while raising consciousness about the environmental impact of our choices. 

There has never been a more urgent time to reduce single use packaging: In addition to wreaking havoc on the environment, plastic pollution harms the entire food chain, affecting the health of animals and humans alike. Shockingly, it's estimated that people consume around 5 grams of plastic each week, roughly the amount in a full spoonful, according to Earth.org, But solutions exist and consumers are hungry for them! In fact,  60-70% of consumers say they would pay more for sustainable packaging, such as a refill, which, according to a report for the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, can save 70% CO2, 65% energy, and 45% water use as compared to a new product.

Brands can join “Pack Pact” partners and sustainable packaging pioneers AE Global Packaging, Ancient Nutrition, Banyan Botanicals, Clover Sonoma, Mountain Rose Herbs, Nature’s Path Organic, and Traditional Medicinals by going to the Pack Pact website and pledging to one or more of the following commitments:

• Change one material to a sustainable alternative
• Conduct a life cycle assessment (LCA) of current packaging
• Perform a plastic usage and waste audit
• Assess the ability to adopt EPR (extended producer responsibility) for packaging
• Engage in policy advocacy that supports sustainable packaging programs and materials
• Communicate sustainability metrics or goals with consumers

For each Pack Pact commitment made, brands will receive a digital guide with specific calls to action, resources, and suggestions for enacting their pledge. Those who commit to more than three actions will unlock a consultancy call with OSC Packaging Collaborative experts and be recognized on the OSC website and social channels.

“We’re calling on bold brands to commit to tangible actions around circular packaging,” said Lara Dickinson, Executive Director of One Step Closer (OSC), a non-profit community-based organization founded in 2012 to build regenerative businesses and tackle some of the toughest challenges facing the natural products industry and planet. “By taking the Pack Pact, brands are uniting with a community of changemakers committed to circularity and unlocking an opportunity to activate their most passionate consumers.”

From July to September, consumers will also be able to take the "Pack Pact,” pledging to reduce their own personal packaging footprint by supporting innovative brands that are making exciting moves in the name of sustainable packaging. Upon taking the Pack Pact, consumers will automatically:

• Be entered into a product giveaway featuring a selection of Pack Pact partner products
• Receive a discount code that can be used for select products 
• Be able to share their commitment on social media, and encourage their friends to do the same
• Receive a digital guide to shopping more sustainably, from how to decipher labels and certification to tips for voting with their dollars

In addition to the “Pack Pact”, the OSC Packaging Collaborative works to foster key relationships across the compostable materials supply chain, performs research on alternatives to conventional packaging, provides brand and consumer education about packaging and waste management, and advocates for policy change. The organization also hosts the OSC Packaging Innovation Awards, which celebrates excellence in sustainable packaging, responsible practices, and circularity within the natural products industry. Read more about the OSC Packaging Collaborative’s work on the website.