In the halls of government, in boardrooms across industries, and even among neighbours figuring out which bin goes out today, one topic keeps coming up: packaging waste. We all know that the current "make, use, discard" cycle can't last forever. To protect our planet and our future, we must hold onto our resources for as long as we can. One powerful solution is reusable packaging. Emma Samson from the circular plastics company Searious Business outlines the top 10 commercial reasons why the reverse logistics industry should embrace the "Bring It Back" movement.

In the last chapter, we followed our heroes through a variety of packaging ownership models, from the wild autonomy of "bring-your-own" to tightly controlled pooling systems. Along the way, we discovered that each type of packaging is unique, and by choosing the proper tracking methods, we can keep them on the right path. Now, it is time to face another crucial challenge: ensuring they don't lose money along the way. If reusable packaging is to truly succeed, it's not enough to protect the environment; we must also uncover the treasure of profitability at every stop because businesses hesitate to leap into the unknown.

On the final day of the 4th round of negotiations for the United Nations’ Global Plastics Treaty in Ottawa, Willemijn Peeters, founder of Searious Business, gives us an update on her highlights from INC-4 thus far.

What happens to a dishwasher’s plastic components at the end of the appliance’s life? How can we recover these valuable materials and give them a new purpose? As part of its continuing goal to create sustainable, value-added customer solutions, Evonik has set out to find answers to these important questions. Searious Business helped them find solutions to this recycling challenge.

One of the arguments we hear about reusable packaging is that it's just too hard. Quickly followed, it's too expensive, and customers don't want it. We would argue that reusable packaging is not at all hard. In fact, we all used to use it not that long ago. It will take some planning and some getting used to, but one thing it's certainly not is more expensive. This inspired Searious Business to look at one of the world's most hectic and complex foodservice sectors – Indian Street Food.

Sometimes, working in sustainability, you get hit with challenging times, and last week was a political doozy. It began with an anticlimactic return from Kenya, followed by the disappointing dilution of the European Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR), a surprising U-turn on pesticide control in the Green Deal, and ended with a ‘less-than-favourable’ result in the Dutch general elections. Despite these troubling developments, we don’t have the luxury of resting in the corner, licking our wounds. We must cling to the positive and get ready for the next round. On returning from INC-3, our CEO Willemijn Peeters explores the nuanced dynamics of the negotiations – the stormy nights but also the sun shining through the clouds.

On September 4, 2023, the United Nations unveiled the Zero Draft of the Global Plastics Treaty. This text is designed to guide and support the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee at their upcoming meeting in Nairobi, Kenya, in November, the goal being to have a formal treaty in place by the end of 2024. The initial draft is just that, a draft. So far, it seems promising that vital elimination and reduction topics are now firmly on the agenda. However, the outline of interventions is not nearly specific enough to get us to the goal of ending plastic pollution.

On the 15th of September, with little fanfare or explanation, the European Plastic Pact announced that it would cease operating. In this article, Emma Samson, marketing communications manager at Searious Business, asks: if the Plastic Pact covering the largest and arguably the most-circular economic region in the world cannot succeed in its objectives, is there any hope for other voluntary actions?

Imagine you’ve been worried about the fate of our planet from a really young age. And one day when you’re old and grey, you want to look back on your life and see that you did your absolute best. The work you did had a demonstrable positive impact on the environment. Then you’re not going to waste your time with trivial tasks. You put all your energy where you can make the most difference. For example, at corporate monoliths such as Unilever. Or even at the UN summit where environmental goals and measures are set at global scale. Only then can you turn your sustainable ambition into serious business. Or in the case of Willemijn Peeters: Searious Business.

Plastic pollution is a global crisis needing a worldwide solution. SIDS suffer the most, facing waste on their shores and their own plastic generation. Urgent action is crucial, emphasises Emma Samson.

Plastic pollution is having a colossal impact on our oceanic ecosystems. Small Island Developing States (SIDS), in particular, experience a deluge of plastic waste either washing up on their beaches or from plastic they generate themselves. These vulnerable economies, primarily dependent on tourism and fishing, can be devastated by pollution. Since 2019, Searious Business has been working with the IUCN on their "Close the Plastic Tap" Program to mitigate plastic pollution on six Caribbean and Pacific islands. Several options and methodologies were shown to work well—but a holistic approach is needed—hence this Blueprint to guide the way.

Debating into the dead of night – the intergovernmental negotiating committee of over 170 country delegates and observers kept many of us at the edge of our seats. After all, there is a lot at stake: like the climate and the biodiversity crises, plastic pollution is now also officially a planetary crisis. A UN Treaty on Plastics will have the ability to change this and can have a profound impact on the way we produce and consume plastics. Willemijn Peeters gives her take on negotiations so far.

In March, a report commissioned by McDonald's seemed to suggest that reusable packaging targets set out by the PPWR were not appropriate for the informal eating sector and could even increase overall waste. Such short-sighted conservatism encouraged by incentivised packaging associations cannot go unchallenged. The success of reuse will depend on the economics of scale and widespread behavioural change. Who better to set up a logistical network for reuse in take-away than the international market leaders?

Marketing is becoming inextricable from sustainability. Marketers must collaborate with other departments closely, gather accurate knowledge and work out how to share brand attributes in a humble and credible way. Our Emma Samson explains how today’s sustainable marketer must don many hats to satisfy internal and external stakeholders — turning their storytelling superpowers to influence behaviour and drive positive change.

How do you make people act more sustainably? Whether it is learning to reuse materials, returning items for refill or refurbishment, separating your waste for recycling or just not littering, is intrinsic motivation enough?

Last month, the European Commission (EC) announced its proposed revision of the Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive (PPWD) and was met with immediate outrage from the beverage industry. European beverage associations, united in their indignation over new ambitious reuse targets outlined by the EC, believe that it undermines their progress in recycling development which they optimistically estimate to reach 90% by 2030.

Every year in the UK, an estimated 22 million pieces of furniture are sent to landfill by people eager to keep their interiors on point, says Emma Samson, marketing communications manager at circular plastics agency Searious Business. However, worsening climate change and socio-economic inequalities show that this takemake-waste consumption culture isn’t working for people, planet or profit – so, how can we create a circular system where resources are retained and not lost to landfill or leaked into our environment?

Remember the photo of a seahorse clutching a floating cotton swab? Or the viral video of a turtle in Costa Rica having a straw painfully removed from his nose?

We all remember these images. The world saw them and stopped in its tracks. That turtle inspired millions into action. He started a revolution.

The pandemic, unfortunately, reversed a lot of previous efforts to reduce plastic in hospitality. With health and hygiene concerns obviously taking priority, the emotional response was to turn back to single-use, plastic-wrapped items. How can the tourist industry begin to build back better?

Searious Business, a circular plastics agency in the Netherlands, is already using blockchain technology to track PET bottles through the recycling process in Moroccan supermarkets.

Now, it wants to use the same technology to incentivize reusable containers in event locations. "Imagine a system where the reward for returning a cup could fluctuate according to crowd participation. That's the real-time data cryptocurrency can offer. You won’t get a better incentive than peer pressure," says founder Willemijn Peeters.