Inside the efforts to standardize reusable packaging systems

Returnable containers are the future — but standards are needed to ensure a smooth transition away from single-use plastic, which accounts for around 40% of plastic pollution worldwide.

According to a recent report from the nonprofit Ellen MacArthur Foundation, returnable cups, dishes, cans, and other food containers outperform single-use plastic on virtually every environmental metric — and they can be more cost-effective, too. But to reap the biggest benefits and scale up, return systems need to be standardized.

Companies should share as much as possible, the report says, from packaging designs to sanitation facilities.

Here & Now's Deepa Fernandes speaks with Grist reporter Joseph Winters about the need for shared infrastructure, and one initiative called PR3 that is trying to create those standards through the International Organization for Standardization.