Request for Information (RFI) for reusable foodware for Grand Canyon National Park reuse project.

Image: NPS, M. Quinn

Amidst rapid advancement of packaging EPR laws, stakeholders remain hyper-fixated on recycling. Solutions that require true systemic change, like reuse, risk being regarded as side issues in the absence of strong advocacy.

Part III of a conversation with Jo Banner and Frankie Orona, an installation of Upstream’s project exploring the role of reuse in a Just Transition.

Reuse is, first and foremost, a core economic transformation. Why? Because it allocates the true cost of how materials move through our society.

Part II of a conversation with Jo Banner and Frankie Orona, an installation of Upstream’s project exploring the role of reuse in a Just Transition.

image credit: Society of Native Nations

Part I of a conversation with Jo Banner and Frankie Orona, an installation of Upstream’s project exploring the role of reuse in a Just Transition.

We are ready for the next step beyond pilots to ensure that reuse becomes systemic and widespread: we are ready for enduring projects. 

Themes and throughlines in the conversations occurring at packaging and sustainability conferences that provide a snapshot of where reuse is gaining traction, and where it is hitting snags.

Materials selection for reuse systems represents one of the most multifaceted challenges facing the movement today. It sits at the intersection of environmental science, operational practicality, economic viability, consumer acceptance, and regulatory compliance.