As we address climate change & plastic pollution, supply needs to drive behavior change, not demand.

With the INC-4 plastics treaty negotiations wrapping up, the sheer global scale and impact of plastic pollution and single-use waste is top-of-mind for many. And it’s only too clear that big brands which can alter entire sectors need to step up now. Because the new reuse economy is about supply chain transformation and public infrastructure, corporations are critical players in scaling, accelerating, and normalizing reuse. But at Upstream, we often notice big brands delaying action because of a perceived need to wait for consumer demand before they can make a change. 

Let’s look at the counter position. Think about household names like Apple, Amazon, Netflix, Tesla, McDonald’s, and IKEA. These innovative companies forged ahead with entirely new buying experiences for customers, and we quickly adapted. We use and even rely on these services and products on a daily basis. Every day, consumers adjust to new operating systems; at this point, given a good system, we are more pliable than ever. 

We had landlines, and then we had flip phones, and now we have small computers we carry around in our pockets and can’t live without—all innovations we adapted to because they (arguably!) improved our lives and made them more convenient. We will just as easily adapt to reusable packaging and systems designed for convenience—and they will irrefutably improve quality of life for both humans and the planet.

Corporations often control entire supply chains and dominate retail spaces, allowing them to dictate the availability and visibility of products. This dominance influences what options consumers have and ultimately affects their purchasing decisions. Brand recognition and loyalty that is cultivated by corporations impact consumer choices, as individuals tend to gravitate towards familiar and trusted brands. Thus, influential brands have an opportunity to take the lead in making reuse the default.

Corporations have the power and an obligation to be the supply of the better choice. Consumers buy what companies sell them. We did not “ask” for our packaging to be disposable. Why should companies wait for consumers to “ask” for reusable products and packaging? If they build smart systems, consumers will follow—just as they did when corporations created the single-use economy. 

Understandably, corporations are fearful that if they make a change to their products, customers will stop buying them. So to level the playing field and reduce risk perception, we need them to be all-in on being the supply that's needed to make reuse the default. Not only that, we need them to be all-in because, as the United Nations notes in their preparatory document for INC-4, “A comprehensive and integrated approach to solutions is needed” if we are going to shift away from the take-make-waste economy. 

Learn more here on how to dispel myths and overcome barriers to scaling reuse.