OSC launches 2024 Pack Pact campaign

The OSC Packaging Collaborative, an industry group founded by Piedmont, California-based nonprofit One Step Closer (OSC) to foster innovation and sustainability in packaging, has launched its 2024 Pack Pact campaign with the goal of promoting a circular economy in the natural products industry.

The organization says that 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.”

OSC says the present is an “urgent time” to reduce single-use packaging, citing Earth.org research estimating that people consume around 5 grams of plastic each week—roughly the amount in a full spoonful. It adds that solutions exist and 60 percent to 70 percent of consumers say they would pay more for sustainable packaging, such as a refill, which, according to an Ellen MacArthur Foundation report, can save 70 percent of CO₂, 65 percent of energy consumption and 45 percent of water use compared to a new product.

The organization says brands can join Pack Pact partners and sustainable packaging developers 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 lifecycle assessment of current packaging;
• perform a plastic usage and waste audit;
• assess the ability to adopt extended producer responsibility (EPR) for packaging;
• engage in policy advocacy that supports sustainable packaging programs and materials; and
• 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,” OSC Executive Director Lara Dickinson says. “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 also will be able to join the Pack Pact, pledging to reduce their own personal packaging footprint by supporting brands utilizing sustainable packaging. Upon taking the Pack Pact, OSC says consumers automatically will:

• 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; and
• 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 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 celebrate excellence in sustainable packaging, responsible practices and circularity within the natural products industry.