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All the latest ideas and news from Upstream’s thought leaders and partners. 

EPR, Business Matt Prindiville EPR, Business Matt Prindiville

3 Takeaways from Circularity 22

Upstream CEO Matt Prindiville just returned from GreenBiz’s Circularity Conference. It was a sold-out 3 day affair with more than a thousand sustainability professionals from virtually every consumer brand, plus representatives from the rest of their value chain. Here are three valuable takeaways from the conference.

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EPR, Policy Matt Prindiville EPR, Policy Matt Prindiville

EPR: it’s not just for recycling anymore

Even though Extended Producer Responsibility has in theory been about creating a circular economy for packaging, in practice, the only goals that have been applied in legislation so far are recycling targets. The effect has been increased recycling where EPR systems are in place, but no actual reduction in the generation of packaging waste. We can change this.

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Matt Prindiville Matt Prindiville

Celebrating the Visionary Sego Jackson on his Retirement

This week, Sego Jackson - one of Upstream’s founding board members - retired from the City of Seattle. As the saying goes, “People don’t remember what you said. They remember how you made them feel.” And I remember the way Sego made me feel when I first met him back in 2004.

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EPR, Policy Matt Prindiville EPR, Policy Matt Prindiville

Which comes first? Extended Producer Responsibility or Deposit-Return?

With big brands signaling support for extended producer responsibility (EPR), deposit-return systems (DRS), and – most recently – reuse/refill, opportunities have opened up to pass policies and build infrastructure to transform how we consume products. But with these commitments come competing ideas around vision, strategies and tactics – and about which policies should come first, and which should follow.

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Business, Overview Guest User Business, Overview Guest User

Upstream’s roots

Learn about Upstream’s roots and the journey of the zero waste movement. From the history of waste management to the innovation of extended producer responsibility policies, see how far we’ve come today.

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