July 29, 2025, New York, NY – In a continued push to reduce single-use bag waste, the Consortium to Reinvent the Retail Bag—an industry collaboration managed by Closed Loop Partners’ Center for the Circular Economy—has launched the largest retail campaign of its kind in California, inviting customers to “Break Up With Single-Use Bags.” Supporting the initiative are Target, CVS Health and The Kroger Co. through its local banners Ralphs and Food 4 Less.

Now rolling out in nearly 1,000 stores across Southern California, the campaign significantly expands the Consortium’s reach and marks a milestone for bag reduction and reuse, engaging and inviting more than 10 million customers to reduce single-use bag waste and build a more circular future for their communities and the retail industry.

The campaign launches at a pivotal time, as major retailers recognize the need to support customer behavior change to meet waste reduction goals. California was the selected market for the campaign in anticipation of a significant policy shift: beginning in January 2026, the state will ban all single-use and thicker plastic bags, offering paper as the only single-use bag option. This transition presents a key opportunity for impact, based on evidence that well-designed policies, paired with effective consumer engagement, can drive meaningful reductions in single-use bag waste.

“Break Up With Single-Use Bags” is an ongoing, open campaign, inviting customers and retailers to participate in vital work to shape the future of retail, one that does not create single-use bag waste. The campaign encourages people to let go of familiar––yet operationally and environmentally challenging––habits of disposable bag use, and transition toward more resource-efficient low-waste choices.

“This campaign reflects a growing movement of retailers and communities working together, guided by data and a shared vision, to shift the retail experience toward one that eliminates waste altogether by reducing our reliance on disposable bags,” said Kate Daly, Managing Partner and Head of the Center for the Circular Economy at Closed Loop Partners.

The campaign includes a major rollout across Orange County, San Diego County and the Inland Empire, with a suite of customer engagement strategies, including in-store signage, checkout prompts, parking lot signage and out-of-store marketing, all designed to engage shoppers at key decision points. The campaign’s tactics and design were informed by data and insights from the Center for the Circular Economy’s previous in-market community-wide activations, including the 2024 Petaluma Reusable Cup Project in California and the 2023 Bring Your Own Bag pilot in Denver, Colorado, and Tucson, Arizona.

The in-market tests in Denver and Tucson deployed similar strategies and resulted in statistically significant reductions in single-use bag consumption. In Denver, where bag legislation is already in place, single-use bag transactions decreased by 11.7 percent. Across both markets, the pilot was estimated to have reduced single-use bag use by approximately 9.5 million bags annually. This upcoming in-market activation in California builds on proven tactics, with an expanded scope and extended timeline—running for over a year to generate deeper insights into long-term behavior change and systems-level outcomes.

“At Target, we’re proud to offer products and services that provide our guests with more sustainable options,” said Agata Ramallo Garcia, vice president, head of enterprise sustainability at Target. “We’re thrilled to support efforts like the Beyond the Bag Initiative that offer guests convenient solutions that reduce environmental impact and make a meaningful impact for the communities we serve.”

“The health of our environment is directly connected to the well-being of the people and communities we serve,” said Jenny McColloch, VP of Sustainability and Community Impact at CVS Health. “This connection drives our commitment to creating a more sustainable future across everything we do at CVS Health. This latest initiative aims to collaboratively address waste in our neighborhoods, stores and everyday decisions, creating a positive impact for individuals and the planet.”

“At our Ralphs and Food 4 Less stores, we’re helping customers take small but meaningful steps toward reducing waste,” said Salvador Ramirez, Corporate Affairs Manager at Ralphs and Food 4 Less. “‘Break Up With Single-Use Bags’ is about more than just bags––it’s about building habits that align with the values of our shoppers and the goals of our Zero Hunger | Zero Waste plan.”

The Consortium to Reinvent the Retail Bag brings retailers and communities together to create lasting impact and learnings that can be scaled to new markets, and is inviting more retailers and community partners to join the movement. Other participating retailers include Consortium Supporting Partner Dollar Tree and independent local retailers. All retailers in the participating communities are welcome to access the free signage toolkit, activate customer prompts and take part in reshaping retail norms around waste.

Visit www.closedlooppartners.com/beyond-the-bag/bub to download campaign materials and join the “Break Up with Single-Use Bags” movement.

About the Center for the Circular Economy at Closed Loop Partners

Closed Loop Partners is at the forefront of building the circular economy. The firm is comprised of three key businesses that create a platform for systems change. Closed Loop Capital Management is the firm’s investment group, managing venture capital, private equity and catalytic capital & private credit investment strategies on behalf of global corporations, financial institutions and family offices. Closed Loop Builders is the firm’s operating group, incubating, building and scaling circular economy infrastructure and services.

The Center for the Circular Economy is the firm’s innovation center. The Center executes research and analytics, unites brands and retailers to tackle complex material challenges and implements systemic change that advances the circular economy. The Center’s expertise spans circularity across the full lifecycle of materials, connecting upstream innovation to downstream recovery infrastructure and end markets.

Learn more about the Center’s work at https://www.closedlooppartners.com/the-center/

About the Consortium to Reinvent the Retail Bag

The Consortium to Reinvent the Retail Bag, managed by Closed Loop Partners’ Center for the Circular Economy, is a multi-year industry collaboration across retail sectors that identifies, tests and implements viable design solutions and models that more sustainably serve the purpose of the current retail bag. The Consortium’s Beyond the Bag Initiative drives forward a circular future for retail by reducing single-use bag waste through education, incentives, nudges and policy. Target, CVS Health and The Kroger Co. are Strategic Leads of the Consortium, with Dollar Tree, Meijer and Walmart as Supporting Partners. Learn more at www.beyondthebaginitiative.com.

MORE PARTNER QUOTES

“At Dollar Tree, we’re committed to delivering everyday value while helping our customers reduce waste for a healthier planet. The Break Up with Single-Use Bags campaign is a natural fit for us—it’s about making small changes that are both easy and affordable for customers to act on every time they shop, while also being good for our communities.” – Jennifer Silberman, Chief Sustainability and Corporate Affairs Officer, Dollar Tree

“The Break Up with Single-Use Bags campaign reflects the kind of collaborative, community-powered solution that will have lasting influence. We are pleased to partner with Closed Loop Partners and the Beyond the Bag initiative to connect diverse regional stakeholders, enabling the significant breadth and reach of this program. By engaging individuals, businesses, and local jurisdictions, this campaign empowers sustainable behavior change across Southern California—meeting people where they are, providing a practical climate solution, and making a measurable impact on the waste challenges we face regionally and beyond.” – Jessica Toth, Executive Director, Solana Center for Environmental Innovation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization located in San Diego

“Reducing single-use waste is key to a sustainable California. As we move toward a statewide transition away from plastic bags, the “Break Up with Single-Use Bags” campaign arrives at the perfect time, showcasing how businesses, communities, and individuals can work together to support meaningful, lasting change.” – Sen. Catherine Blakespear | California Senate District 38

“We must take steps to reduce our plastic waste. Switching to reusable bags is a small change that can make a big difference. We can all do our part to protect our planet, save marine life, and clean up our communities.” – Rep. Mike Levin | California U.S. Representative, 49th District

Reuse is not easy.  

Transitioning everyday goods from disposable to reusable — products and packaging that are returned, collected, washed, refilled then redistributed — is complex. For decades, the retail industry has relied on a system where hundreds of thousands of product categories have been optimized to stay fresh and stable through supply chains, deliver a great consumer experience, and be conveniently disposed of anywhere after years of use. Moving away from this is no small feat. At a small scale, the cost of washing and collecting containers alone currently can be prohibitive. That’s before the price of the reusable container itself is factored in, divided by the number of times it’s actually reused.  

Reuse is possible.  

Closed Loop Partners’ Center for the Circular Economy spent the last seven years building multi-brand, multi-sector collaborations that are solving complex reuse challenges that many brands can’t tackle on their own. In Petaluma, California, the Center launched the nation’s first citywide reusable cup program, and saw consumers adopting and maintaining new reuse behaviors almost overnight. Return rates increased week by week, while costs went down. Similarly, our reuse pilots in retail stores throughout Denver and Tucson drove a significant shift in consumer behavior by rallying public and private sectors behind a commitment to move beyond single-use bags and make reduction and reuse a daily norm. 

Reuse is coming to retail, and to entire cities. 

Today, there’s renewed momentum — and urgency — driving the growth of reuse. New policy mandates, on top of consumer and climate pressures, are pushing brands and retailers to refocus on solutions that reduce waste. The first reuse target of SB-54, the California law that mandates packaging reduction and reuse, is effective in just 18 months. It’s no longer a question of whether brands need to build capability in reuse but how and when.  

That’s why the Center for the Circular Economy is launching the Reuse Cities Initiative, the largest ever citywide reuse program in the U.S. Starting in California in 2026, the initiative builds upon the Center’s reuse work in cities across the U.S., including Denver, Tucson and Petaluma and is designed to address the two biggest barriers to scale: 

1. Cost — how to reduce the cost of reuse to make it viable for brands, retailers and consumers; 
2. Consumer behavior — how to offer consumers great options that help them build the daily habits needed to return and participate consistently. 

Reuse can scale.  

The Center has established an in-market implementation approach that works. In collaboration with brands, operators, municipalities and innovators, over the last seven years, we’ve already built the blueprint to shift consumer behavior and reduce system costs—now we’re applying these lessons at scale: 

• Collaboration: Citywide activation and cross-sector alignment helps drive measurable behavior change; 

• Supply Chain Redesign: Partnerships between brands, innovators and operators unlock shared infrastructure and logistics improvements; 

• Consistent Messaging: Unified consumer messaging across partners helps reinforce trust and drive loyalty; 

• Packaging Engineering: End-to-end testing to reach environmental breakeven points faster; 

• Operational Alignment: Seamlessly integrating reuse into retail and foodservice environments without disrupting operations increases retailer adoption. 

As an extension of the NextGen Consortium’s successful in-market reuse programming, the Center is bringing this proven framework to life through a long-term city launch in California. The timing couldn’t be better: this initiative will lay the groundwork for compliance with SB-54 by building critical reuse infrastructure, including a high-volume, tech-enabled washing facility. This facility will support higher throughput, lower costs, and more standardized operations — bringing reuse closer to cost parity with single-use packaging.  

The Reuse Cities Initiative will focus on reusable packaging across multiple retail categories, initially building off of the NextGen Consortium’s in-market food service packaging reuse programming,  and anchored on high-volume venues like stadiums, schools, possibly an airport, where we can deliver better unit economics and higher return rates.    

Retailers play a key role. 

Retailers and consumer brands from all sectors can play a big role in the Reuse Cities initiative. The initiative is setting up new regional reuse infrastructure that is initially set up to service the foodservice brands in the NextGen Consortium, but can expand to serve other packaging categories.  

Leveraging the infrastructure (washing, reverse logistics, tracking systems, community education program) from the Reuse Cities Initiatives, brands and retailers will have an accessible entry point to reuse. Just as the beverage industry laid the foundation for current recycling systems, the foodservice sector is pioneering this next wave of at-scale reuse in retail and beyond.   

To learn more about how your team can engage with the 2026 citywide launch, get in touch with us at [email protected]. 

July 15, 2025, New York, NY — The Consortium to Reinvent the Retail Bag, managed by Closed Loop Partners’ Center for the Circular Economy, released a new in-depth analysis of single-use bag legislation in the U.S., setting a new standard in environmental policy research. The comprehensive policy white paper, “Legislation in Action: Measuring the Impact of U.S. Single-Use Bag Policies on Waste Reduction,” evaluates the efficacy and impact of various legislative mechanisms, including a comparison of bag fees and outright bans across diverse communities, revealing how different strategies influence bag waste reduction and consumer behavior.

Amidst increasing bag policy implementation across U.S. states, the white paper also reveals never-before-seen primary research into New Jersey’s pioneering legislation, the Get Past Plastic Act, which eliminated both single-use plastic and paper bags in grocery and big box stores. The rigorous analysis offers elected officials, regulators, community leaders and community stakeholders an objective summary of legislation’s impacts and potential unintended consequences on a community, enabling officials to effectively tailor legislation to their constituents and desired outcomes.

A key finding of the Consortium’s analysis on single-use bag legislation notes that while policy can be one of the most effective tools to reduce single-use bag waste, consumers must also be supported in adopting waste-free behavior. The Consortium’s 2023 in-market activations in Denver and Tucson, which tested consumer-facing bag reduction solutions in 375 stores across 160 different retailers, resulted in a 4.8% decrease in single-use bags across the two markets and an 11.7% reduction in Denver, where there was legislation. Overall, the city-wide activations resulted in up to 9.5 million single-use bags reduced annually across the two markets.

Building on these in-market findings and its in-depth policy analysis, the Consortium will launch a new consumer campaign this summer, encouraging consumers to bring their own reusable bags or choose not to take a single-use bag at all. Details of the campaign will be released in the next month.

“Policy is a major driver of the transition to the circular economy. While there is no single solution to reduce single-use bag waste, our rigorous analysis of legislation and in-depth understanding of consumer norm setting can provide communities with the tactical resources they need for a waste-free future,” said Kate Daly, Managing Partner and Head of the Center for the Circular Economy at Closed Loop Partners. “We look forward to sharing more insights on policy and the circular economy and activating in-market work alongside our partners to turn waste reduction practices into everyday habits.”

The Consortium to Reinvent the Retail Bag invites retailers, policymakers and community leaders to learn more about the efficacy of legislation through our detailed policy white paper. To access the full policy report, please visit closedlooppartners.com/beyond-the-bag/legislation/

About the Center for the Circular Economy at Closed Loop Partners

Closed Loop Partners is at the forefront of building the circular economy. The firm is comprised of three key businesses that create a platform for systems change. Closed Loop Capital Management is the firm’s investment group, managing venture capital, private equity and catalytic capital & private credit investment strategies on behalf of global corporations, financial institutions and family offices. Closed Loop Builders is the firm’s operating group, incubating, building and scaling circular economy infrastructure and services.

The Center for the Circular Economy is the firm’s innovation center. The Center executes research and analytics, unites organizations to tackle complex material challenges and implements systemic change that advances the circular economy. The Center’s expertise spans circularity across the full lifecycle of materials, connecting upstream innovation to downstream recovery infrastructure and end markets.

Learn more about the Center’s work at https://www.closedlooppartners.com/the-center/

About the Consortium to Reinvent the Retail Bag

The Consortium to Reinvent the Retail Bag, managed by Closed Loop Partners’ Center for the Circular Economy, is a multi-year industry collaboration across retail sectors that identifies, tests and implements viable design solutions and models that more sustainably serve the purpose of the current retail bag. The Consortium’s Beyond the Bag Initiative drives forward a circular future for retail by reducing single-use bag waste through education, incentives, nudges and policy. Target, CVS Health and The Kroger Co. are Strategic Leads of the Consortium, with Dollar Tree, Meijer and Walmart as Supporting Partners. Learn more at www.beyondthebaginitiative.com.

When it comes to reuse, words matter. As we reinvent reusable packaging systems to thrive in today’s world, effective communication is as crucial as any operational consideration. Successful systems depend on brands and solution providers effectively guiding consumers to feel inspired and empowered to reuse—or at the very least, to foster awareness of and participation in new reusable programs. 

Reuse comes with new habits: using and disposing is such an engrained part of our daily lives that asking people to return packaging takes significant cognitive effort. It involves asking time-starved consumers to digest new information and to act on it consistently throughout their day-to-day lives. To break through the noise of the 50-400 ads that bombard Americans every day, the first challenge of a new reuse program is to disrupt. Then, there are a few quick seconds to explain the new system and inspire consumers to take action, seeding a new habit that will be formed over time with consistent repetitions. 

In 2024, Closed Loop Partners’ Center for the Circular Economy led an unprecedented collaboration in California that got an entire city reusing. The NextGen Consortium’s Petaluma Reusable Cup Project1 took on the challenge of making reusable cups a citywide norm. Working together with leading global brands, 30 local businesses and many local champions, we launched a campaign to inspire Petaluma to be part of the solution. The campaign reached 8.7 million media impressions, with 80% of people in the city aware of the program. In-store comms and signage played a disproportionate role in successfully driving awareness, understanding and returns. 

In its three months, the initiative saw over 220,000 cups returned in the town of ~60,000 residents. Valuable learnings from over 1,000 consumer interviews and surveys during the Petaluma Reusable Cup Project taught us the best practices to strengthen reuse messaging.  

Below are 5 keys strategies for brands and innovators to get their customers to reuse: 

1. Use consistent keywords and familiar phrases. People often don’t read instructions when approaching their trash bins, so they need consistent use of simple keywords to understand what they are supposed to do differently. A catchy slogan like ‘sip, return, repeat’ helps land the message. The use of clear fonts and bold text is also vital to cementing these new instructions.  
2. Lean on visual cues. Logos and symbols are important cues to quickly trigger the desired action. As it takes time for a logo to stand alone and carry its own meaning, symbols should be used along with words until they are recognized widely. It took time for the chasing arrows to become the universal sign for recycling, and it will take some time for reuse logos to get there too.  
3. Colors are an effective and accessible communication tool. Colors transcend words and logos. The right color selection can make consumers pause and look for more information. Colors can also convey that a product is more premium, influencing how shoppers subconsciously think about disposal. Matching the color of the bin to packaging can cue that items are meant to go there. In Petaluma, using color to signal that purple cups go in the purple bins helped business and consumers explain and understand the system quickly. 
4. Don’t overwhelm your customers with the problem of all packaging waste. Focus on the solution at hand and desired action, instead of the full scale of packaging waste to be solved for the planet, to help consumers engage meaningfully. And it’s best not to overpromise. Consumer communications should prioritize the part of the solution users need to participate in (i.e., in returnable packaging systems, to “return” packaging after use) rather than abstract or highly technical ecological benefits (i.e., that a reusable cup helps to avoid XX tons of CO2e).  
5. Gratitude and positivity go a long way. To show impact and build trust, corresponding signage and employee prompts can help drive home reuse as a new norm. Phrases like “thanks for being part of the solution” clue customers into how their action is contributing.  Gratitude can also serve as positive reinforcement to accelerate a new social norm. Showcasing how many single-use cups have been prevented from going to landfill also helps reinforce the desired behavior and can be framed as a community achievement. 

Show up consistently to deliver the message.

Packaging is the main vehicle for communication; each word and square inch counts to inspire and educate consumers on desired circular actions. Here’s how the Petaluma reusable cup was designed to disrupt, engage and inspire consumers to return: 

 When and how to use messaging on your packaging and collection bins: 

Language is just one part of the reuse culture; collaboration and consistency are key.

No matter how effective it may be, one sign, ad or piece of packaging design alone cannot spark a culture of reuse. It takes trusted brands, businesses, as well as public and community influencers working together to reshape the norm away from single-use packaging. 

As brands refine language to make reuse compelling, being at the table with the right partners is critical to making reuse stick. As reuse moves from closed systems to city-wide programs, using words that resonate––and collaborating with partners across the value chain––will be a key driver to further scale.  

June 30, 2025, New York, NY – Daniel Phan joins leading circular economy-focused firm Closed Loop Partners as Managing Director and Private Equity Co-Head. Following his role as Managing Director at Aterian Investment Partners, Phan joins as a senior member of Closed Loop Partners’ asset management business, Closed Loop Capital Management, to co-lead the firm’s private equity investment strategy alongside Ron Gonen, Closed Loop Partners’ Founder & CEO, and Jackson Pei, Managing Director and current Private Equity Co-Head.

Phan joins Closed Loop Partners as the firm looks toward continued growth in the coming year. With a recent strategic investment from Capricorn Investment Group into Closed Loop Capital Management, the firm is well positioned for continued expansion and execution on behalf of its corporate, institutional and family office partners.

Phan brings 15 years of buy-and-build private equity experience, having developed numerous platform investments in the built environment, facilities & infrastructure services, among other related industrial sectors. He also brings extensive expertise across specialty manufacturing, chemicals and material sciences, distribution, medical and life sciences, and related sectors.

Prior to joining Closed Loop Partners, Phan was a Managing Director and one of the earliest investment team members at Aterian Investment Partners, where he spent nearly 12 years. Aterian is a leading private equity firm managing over $2 billion of cumulative equity commitments primarily across industrial, services and infrastructure sectors in North America and globally.

Prior to Aterian, Phan was an investment team member at Corporate Partners LLC, the private equity affiliate of Lazard Frères, and began his career at Deutsche Bank in the Media Telecom group.

“We are proud to have Daniel join the Closed Loop Partners team, as our firm accelerates growth and contributes to the momentum behind the transition to the circular economy. Daniel’s longstanding experience in the private equity market, as well as his expertise in key areas of our expansion, bolsters our ability to build circular economy platforms that keep materials in circulation at scale, increase supply chain resilience, and contribute to positive impact outcomes while delivering value to stakeholders for impact,” says Ron Gonen, Founder & CEO of Closed Loop Partners.

“This is a key moment of growth for our middle market private equity business, as we build on our successes to date, and leverage the growing relevance of this asset class to global investors,” says Tazia Smith, CEO of Closed Loop Capital Management. “As the current market presents a critical opportunity for growth in circular solutions that provide resilience and security, we look forward to working toward key milestones as Daniel, Jackson, Ron and our broader investment team continue to execute on our buy-and-build investment strategy.”

Current investors in the firm’s private equity investment strategy include KIRKBI; funds and accounts managed by BlackRock; Realdania’s mission-driven investment arm; Nestlé; Microsoft; PepsiCo; Unilever; other corporate partners, institutional allocators and global family offices.

“The strength of Closed Loop Partners’ platform and ecosystem of investors uniquely positions the firm to continue leading the transition to the circular economy,” says Daniel Phan, now Managing Director and Private Equity Co-Head at Closed Loop Partners. “With the expertise of the private equity team, and its ability to leverage the firm’s full platform and actively engaged strategic corporate partner network, there is a clear runway ahead for growth and impact. I look forward to working with Jackson, Ron, Tazia and the team to realize these opportunities.”

Closed Loop Capital Management’s private equity investment strategy will continue its middle market mandate, following its recent acquisitions of circular technology platforms, including a majority stake in leading IT Asset Management and Disposition (ITAD) provider, Sage Sustainable Electronics. Phan and Pei will lead the private equity team in thesis-driven sourcing and value creation, seeking opportunities to acquire cash-flowing businesses across plastics & packaging, circular technology, food & agriculture, built environment, energy efficiency, textiles and healthcare, and build them into larger platforms that can deliver circular solutions at scale.

To learn more about Closed Loop Partners’ private equity strategy, please visit https://www.closedlooppartners.com/capital-management/private-equity/leadership/

About Closed Loop Partners

Closed Loop Partners is at the forefront of building the circular economy. The company is comprised of three key business segments: its investment arm, Closed Loop Capital Management; its innovation center, the Center for the Circular Economy; and its operating group, Closed Loop Builders. Closed Loop Capital Management manages venture capital, private equity and catalytic private credit investment strategies.

Closed Loop Partners’ private equity strategy captures this market opportunity for the circular economy by identifying solutions, originating innovative opportunities, and building and scaling platforms and enabling technologies across plastics & packaging, circular technology, food & agriculture, built environment, energy efficiency, textiles and healthcare to develop, accelerate and modernize circular supply chains and recycling & reuse infrastructure.

Disclosure

This publication is for informational purposes only, and nothing contained herein constitutes an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any interest in any investment vehicle managed by Closed Loop Capital Management or any company in which Closed Loop Capital Management or its affiliates have invested. An offer or solicitation will be made only through a final private placement memorandum, subscription agreement and other related documents with respect to a particular investment opportunity and will be subject to the terms and conditions contained in such documents, including the qualifications necessary to become an investor. Closed Loop Capital Management does not utilize its website to provide investment or other advice, and nothing contained herein constitutes a comprehensive or complete statement of the matters discussed or the law relating thereto. Information provided reflects Closed Loop Capital Management’s views as of a particular time and are subject to change without notice. You should obtain relevant and specific professional advice before making any investment decision. Certain information on this Website may contain forward-looking statements, which are subject to risks and uncertainties and speak only as of the date on which they are made. The words “believe”, “expect”, “anticipate”, “optimistic”, “intend”, “aim”, “will” or similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Closed Loop Capital Management undertakes no obligation to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise. Past performance is not indicative of future results; no representation is being made that any investment or transaction will or is likely to achieve profits or losses similar to those achieved in the past, or that significant losses will be avoided.

Emily Molstad, CEO of our portfolio company, VALIS Insights, and Aly Bryan, Investor on the Closed Loop Ventures Group team at Closed Loop Partners, explore how the metals processing system in the U.S. is misaligned––with high value scrap going to low value applications far away from where it’s recovered. The discussion explores the core reasons for this misalignment, and how our portfolio company, VALIS, is supporting processors to make more money with local processing while keeping copper, nickel, aluminum and many other metals in domestic circulation.

There has never been a better time to strengthen metals circularity, and Closed Loop Ventures Group is energized to continue to support the VALIS team.

Aly: One of the things that’s always struck me about scrap processing in the U.S. is the amount of scrap that’s exported. After all, there are valuable materials in those exports! Copper, nickel, aluminum. Why is it that valuable scrap gets sent overseas today?

Emily: One of the biggest challenges in scrap metal is the fragmented nature of the secondary metals processing system––which produces alloys or remelts metal scrap to create new products. While there are several, multinational organizations operating in the space, huge volumes of scrap metal go through a localized system of processors within a region. This makes sense, since it wouldn’t be economical to lug every end-of-life car to a centralized processing facility. So instead, they’re processed at smaller facilities closer to consumers. However, those regional processors have long-standing customer relationships, which, historically, have been overseas, in areas where labor costs for manual sortation are low. This means that a lot of high value metals from local manufacturers are transported long distances and become commodities elsewhere, instead of being recaptured within the domestic market. This has remained the status quo for a long time, as scrap processors often prefer to sell how they’ve always sold, with hesitancy to take advantage of changing market conditions that allow them to operate more profitably while supporting national security of metals and minerals.

Aly: What do you mean by changing market conditions?

Emily: Let’s look at aluminum as an example. All the different types of aluminum, such as high-value wrought and lower-value cast alloys that are in our cars, home appliances and other products, are packaged into a recycled material specification known in the industry as “Twitch.” Historically all these mixed alloys were blended together and downcycled, or downgraded, into cast aluminum. This is because there was sufficient demand for cast aluminum. Wrought aluminum producers met their supply through other sources. Over time, the distribution of different types of aluminum alloys that are used in manufacturing has shifted. There’s now a considerable amount of high-value wrought aluminum that’s being lost when it’s downcycled, and wrought producers need more supply to meet growing demand, creating a market for sorting Twitch further into its cast and wrought fractions. This changing market condition was validated at the ReMA National Convention, with the association governance voting to approve a new industry specification called “Vesper,” which is defined as the wrought aluminum sorted from Twitch. There’s now language in place to support buyer and seller agreements, validating the growing demand for sorted products that drive the economics for investing in further processing of mixed scrap metal.

Aly: How does VALIS work with processors to improve their economics and sell inventory domestically?

Emily: At VALIS, we’re building integrated hardware and software solutions that help scrap processors improve the efficiency of their day-to-day operations. We provide them with tools to capture accurate, reliable data on their material quality so they can more effectively monitor their process and sell their products. All that quality data is tied into the digital twin we build of their entire processing line. By integrating with their equipment and capturing production information, we can give them full visibility into the performance of their operations, alert them to issues within their sorting process, and give them tools to predict production volumes based on historical performance. They can tie in pricing metrics to understand the economics of making changes to their operations or help them easily see how improving sortation would contribute to their profitability.

Aly: You’re in market today with VALI-Sample, your sampling product that provides a more efficient way to sample and track composition of drop-out and shredded products. Why have your partners chosen to roll out VALI-Sample across their plants?

Emily: It would be physically impossible to get a detailed analysis of all the metal running through a processing yard. Sampling helps gain visibility into material quality and value, and measure operational performance. Data generated during sampling then informs sales and processing decisions. But today, that data is captured on pen and paper, or analyzed in massive spreadsheets. That leads to human error and a lack of trust in the results. There’s also uncertainty around how well a sample represents reality. Without high quality, reliable data, decision makers are limited in the actions they can take to improve their business. VALI-Sample delivers the accurate data that processors need. It’s an easy-to-use hardware tool that delivers an improved work experience for sampling technicians. It is enabled by a powerful software platform that gives facility managers the ability to audit their sampling process, and sales managers the receipts on material quality they need to back up sales or defend against a claim.

Aly: Like many, I’ve spent more time talking and thinking about tariffs in the past four months than ever before. The metals industry was among the earliest hit––with tariffs on everything from aluminum to copper and steel. How are your customers able to be more agile and resilient to tariffs?

Emily: Tariffs can make it more expensive to import virgin metals for new manufacturing, incentivizing processors to find domestic solutions. Since so many of these metals are partially recovered domestically today, processors who are willing to go the extra mile and do the extra sortation step are going to be much better positioned to supply local smelters and ultimately local manufacturers of new products. By integrating our technology, we can help processors navigate these challenges and capitalize on the opportunities presented by the boom in domestic manufacturing.

Aly: As we close out our discussion, I’ll ask you the question I ask all our founders on “Making Circularity Stick”: What do we need to make circularity stick in the scrap metal industry?

Emily: In a phrase? Cross-value chain collaboration. Looking ahead, we believe that involving the entire ecosystem is key to making circularity the default way of doing things in metals. Automotive manufacturers need to be transparent on alloy specs and source recycled metals, metal producers need to increase recycled content in their systems, scrap processors need to improve the quality of their outputs to better match the requirements of mill processes, and so on. We need all of these actors to work together, challenging what’s possible, and continuously raising the bar on circularity in metals to get there. At VALIS Insights, we are proud to be at the forefront of making circularity stick in the metals recycling industry. By leveraging technology and data, we are partnering with our customers to transform the processing system and pave the way for a more sustainable future together.

“Making Circularity Stick” is a collection of interviews with founders across the Closed Loop Ventures Group portfolio sharing their experiences of making circularity stick across industries. If you’re interested in connecting with the founders sharing their stories, please reach out to Aly Bryan at [email protected].

Disclosure

This publication is for informational purposes only, and nothing contained herein constitutes an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any interest in any investment vehicle managed by Closed Loop Capital Management or any company in which Closed Loop Capital Management or its affiliates have invested. An offer or solicitation will be made only through a final private placement memorandum, subscription agreement and other related documents with respect to a particular investment opportunity and will be subject to the terms and conditions contained in such documents, including the qualifications necessary to become an investor. Closed Loop Capital Management does not utilize its website to provide investment or other advice, and nothing contained herein constitutes a comprehensive or complete statement of the matters discussed or the law relating thereto. Information provided reflects Closed Loop Capital Management’s views as of a particular time and are subject to change without notice. You should obtain relevant and specific professional advice before making any investment decision. Certain information on this Website may contain forward-looking statements, which are subject to risks and uncertainties and speak only as of the date on which they are made. The words “believe”, “expect”, “anticipate”, “optimistic”, “intend”, “aim”, “will” or similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Closed Loop Capital Management undertakes no obligation to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise. Past performance is not indicative of future results; no representation is being made that any investment or transaction will or is likely to achieve profits or losses similar to those achieved in the past, or that significant losses will be avoided.

May 6, 2025, New York, NY — The Composting Consortium, managed by Closed Loop Partners’ Center for the Circular Economy, is launching a grant program in collaboration with the US Composting Council (USCC) and the Biodegradable Products Institute (BPI) to help composters and municipalities expand their ability to process certified compostable packaging and food scraps. Eligible U.S. compost manufacturers and municipalities are invited to apply for funding to support on-site improvements, public education and market development that allow for the inclusion of these materials.

The Consortium’s grants aim to support financing for crucial upgrades that enable the processing of certified compostable food packaging and food scraps, which reduces packaging and food waste in landfills and supports a circular economy for organics. Funding can be used by composters and municipalities in various ways, such as offsetting the costs of installing new equipment to address contamination from conventional plastics, conducting trials for the inclusion of compostable packaging, or updating signage, stickers and other marketing and outreach materials that clearly communicate the acceptance of certified compostable packaging to help improve participation and reduce contamination.

The grant program is launching at a critical time, as the U.S. composting industry is still in an early stage of accepting food scraps––with a majority of facilities only accepting yard trimmings––and consumers are increasingly seeking opportunities to divert food waste. Today, approximately 70% of the roughly 200 commercial compost facilities in the U.S. that process food waste also process limited formats of food-contact compostable packaging. Around 45% of curbside food scrap collection programs and 65% of drop-off collection programs allow certain formats of compostable packaging, with the understanding that accepting these materials helps divert more food waste from landfill, where it is a significant emitter of greenhouse gases.

“As the composting industry continues to grow, ensuring that compost manufacturers have the tools and incentives to successfully accept and process certified compostable packaging and food scraps is crucial,” said Frank Franciosi, Executive Director of the US Composting Council. “This funding will help strengthen the circular economy for organics, compostable packaging and our industry.”

“Composting plays a vital role in reducing organic waste in landfills and building healthy soils––but updates are needed to ensure that our composting system can meet the volumes and diversity of materials entering the organics stream today,” said Paula Luu, Senior Project Director at Closed Loop Partners’ Center for the Circular Economy and Composting Consortium lead. “These grants can provide composters and communities with the resources they need to scale their impact and support zero waste goals.”

“These new grants build on BPI’s micro-grant program launched last year, which promoted programs that already take compostable products, by providing larger sums that can move the needle by encouraging the development of new or expanded access to programs,” said Rhodes Yepsen, Executive Director of the Biodegradable Products Institute. “Partnering with the Composting Consortium, whether on grants, field testing, contamination studies or consumer testing, aligns with our core mission, and we are excited to continue our collaborative approach to building pathways that are good for business, for people and the planet.”

The grant program builds on the Composting Consortium’s ongoing work to strengthen composting infrastructure, validate best practices for processing compostable packaging, and advance policies that support the industry. By partnering with composters and municipalities, the Consortium, USCC and BPI seek to close the loop on compostable materials and ensure they, and the food nutrients they carry, are diverted from landfill and processed by composters.

Grant applications are now open, with a submission deadline of June 13th, 2025. All funded projects must be completed by March 1, 2026. For more information on the grant program, including eligibility criteria for composters and municipalities and application details, please visit https://www.closedlooppartners.com/the-center/composting-grant-program/

About the Composting Consortium

The Composting Consortium is an initiative of Closed Loop Partners’ Center for the Circular Economy. The Consortium brings together leading voices across the composting and compostable packaging ecosystem––from the world’s leading brands to best-in-class composters running the operations on the ground. Through in-market tests, deep research and industry-wide collaboration, we are laying the groundwork for a more robust, resilient composting system that can keep organics and compostable packaging in circulation.

About the US Composting Council

The US Composting Council is dedicated to the development, expansion and promotion of the compost manufacturing industry. The USCC meets this mission by encouraging, supporting and performing compost-related research, promoting best management practices, establishing standards, educating professionals and the public about the benefits of compost and compost utilization, enhancing compost product quality, and developing training materials for compost manufacturers and markets for compost products. USCC members include compost manufacturers, marketers, equipment manufacturers, product suppliers, academic institutions, public agencies, nonprofit groups and consulting/engineering firms. The USCC is a non-profit 501(c)(6) organization and is affiliated with the Compost Research & Education Foundation (CREF), a 501(c)(3) charitable foundation that promotes public and private compost research and education activities.

About Biodegradable Products Institute

The Biodegradable Products Institute (BPI) is North America’s leading authority on compostable products and packaging. The organization is science-driven and supports a shift to the circular economy by promoting the production, use, and appropriate end of lives for materials and products that are designed to fully biodegrade in specific biologically active environments. BPI’s certification program operates in conjunction with education and advocacy efforts designed to support the broader effort to keep food scraps and other organics out of landfills. To learn more about BPI, please visit www.bpiworld.org.

Today, food waste in consumer-facing businesses is largely caused by operational inefficiencies within foodservice supply chains, such as difficulty forecasting and inefficient preparation techniques, in addition to plate waste. Chain restaurants often overbuy food and over-prep unordered food to avoid missing revenue opportunities. Misaligned production not only results in large volumes of food waste, but also creates major financial losses, given that food costs represent on average 30-50% of a restaurant’s total spend. By improving these operational inefficiencies within this supply chain, food retailers have an opportunity to achieve a net benefit of over $5 billion.[2]

What is needed to improve operations?

Closed Loop Ventures Group––the venture capital arm of Closed Loop Partners, a firm focused on building the circular economy––recently led the seed investment round in ClearCOGS, a leading provider of AI-powered predictive analytics for restaurants, for their platform solution that supports consumer-facing businesses in improving their operations and mitigating food waste.

ClearCOGS offers a comprehensive AI-powered demand planning and data analytics platform for restaurant operators and foodservice businesses, providing exceptional accuracy and immediate benefit to bottom lines. They analyze historical transactions and recipe data provided by the restaurant to generate precise, item-level forecasts that guide prep schedules, ordering and staffing decisions. Their integration with Toast, a leading cloud-based restaurant management software company, offers Toast customers with ClearCOGS accounts a one-click integration for their freemium offerings.

Through their solution, restaurants can make significant improvements to their operations and supply chains, streamlining production and inventory to more accurately meet demand and mitigate the inaccuracies that result in financial and environmental losses.

And the results speak for themselves.

“We were shocked that literally overnight we were able to add 2% to the bottom line with no operational changes.“ Goop Kitchen, Los Angeles, CA

“ClearCOGS reports are more accurate, saving as much as three racks of ribs daily, or more.” Red White & Que, Green Brook, NJ

“Implementing ClearCOGS was an effortless experience. The setup was straightforward, and the team at ClearCOGS provided exceptional support and resources, making it easy to customize the solution to our specific needs.” Blue Square Pizza, Hopkinton, MA

What’s their Special Sauce?

We invested in ClearCOGS knowing that the challenges in restaurants are best understood by those who have worked in them. Matt Wampler, CEO and Co-Founder of ClearCOGS, knows intimately the struggles of running a small business.

At 21, he took on the challenge of turning around a struggling sandwich shop. He put in the hours to successfully turn that around and scale other locations before deciding that helping other owners better manage their own operations was his next challenge. He is perfectly paired with Osa Osarenkhoe, CTO and Co-Founder of ClearCOGS, who studied Electrical Engineering (BA) and Computer Engineering (MA) before working in tech and launching his first start up.

We look forward to seeing what the team will unlock for the restaurant industry, tackling a major source of waste that––when addressed––can result in significant cost savings as valuable materials are diverted from landfill. Closed Loop Partners is delighted to work with ClearCOGS on scaling their solution, preventing food waste at restaurants.

If you are interested in talking more about food waste or getting in touch with ClearCOGS, please reach out.

About Closed Loop Ventures Group at Closed Loop Partners

Closed Loop Partners is at the forefront of building the circular economy. The firm is comprised of three key businesses that create a platform for systems change: an investment group managing venture capital, buyout private equity and catalytic private credit investment strategies, Closed Loop Capital Management; an innovation center, the Center for the Circular Economy; and an operating group, Closed Loop Builders.

The firm’s venture capital strategy, the Closed Loop Ventures Group, has been investing early-stage capital into companies developing breakthrough circular solutions for foundational materials that underpin and significantly influence a wide array of vital sectors of the economy. These materials include organics, minerals, polymers and water. Closed Loop Ventures Group partners with founders and companies who rethink how products are designed, manufactured, consumed and recovered, with the shared vision of reimagining supply chains and eliminating waste. Closed Loop Partners is based in New York City and is a registered B Corp.

To learn about the Closed Loop Ventures Group and apply for funding, visit https://www.closedlooppartners.com/capital-management/apply-for-funding/ventures/

About ClearCOGS

ClearCOGS is an AI-driven forecasting solution designed specifically for restaurant operations. Its predictive analytics simplify critical daily decisions around food prep, ordering, and staffing—helping restaurants reduce food waste, improve operational efficiency, and maximize profitability. To learn more, visit www.clearcogs.com.da

Disclosure

This publication is for informational purposes only, and nothing contained herein constitutes an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any interest in any investment vehicle managed by Closed Loop Capital Management or any company in which Closed Loop Capital Management or its affiliates have invested. An offer or solicitation will be made only through a final private placement memorandum, subscription agreement and other related documents with respect to a particular investment opportunity and will be subject to the terms and conditions contained in such documents, including the qualifications necessary to become an investor. Closed Loop Capital Management does not utilize its website to provide investment or other advice, and nothing contained herein constitutes a comprehensive or complete statement of the matters discussed or the law relating thereto. Information provided reflects Closed Loop Capital Management’s views as of a particular time and are subject to change without notice. You should obtain relevant and specific professional advice before making any investment decision. Certain information on this Website may contain forward-looking statements, which are subject to risks and uncertainties and speak only as of the date on which they are made. The words “believe”, “expect”, “anticipate”, “optimistic”, “intend”, “aim”, “will” or similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Closed Loop Capital Management undertakes no obligation to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise. Past performance is not indicative of future results; no representation is being made that any investment or transaction will or is likely to achieve profits or losses similar to those achieved in the past, or that significant losses will be avoided.

[1] ReFed – https://refed.org/food-waste/the-problem

[2] ReFed – https://insights-engine.refed.org/solution-database?dataView=total&indicator=us-dollars-profit&stakeholder=foodservice

March 25, 2025, New York, NY – Today, Closed Loop Partners publishes new data revealing high volumes of recycled food-grade polypropylene (PP) captured at materials recovery facilities (MRFs). The study, led by the Closed Loop Foundation and Closed Loop Partners’ Center for the Circular Economy, in collaboration with technology company Greyparrot and four U.S. MRFs, leveraged AI-powered vision systems to characterize the PP recycling stream with unprecedented detail. These results fill data gaps on the availability of food-grade PP, which can create new opportunities to return this material to foodservice packaging supply chains.

The findings are released amidst growing demand for recycled food-grade PP, driven by policy shifts­­––including recycled content mandates and Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR)––and commitments from brands to incorporate more recycled materials in their packaging. Despite increased market demand, there has been a significant lack of data on the available volumes of recycled food-grade PP in the recycling system. With no easy way to track, differentiate and separate food-grade and non-food-grade PP, these materials typically blend together at MRFs, making it challenging to amass the appropriate quantities of food-grade PP to meet growing market demand.

With funding from the NextGen Consortium and the Closed Loop Foundation, the Center for the Circular Economy teamed up with Greyparrot and four MRFs to reveal what was in the PP recycling stream, including the volume of food-grade and non-food-grade items, as well as color, format and other critical identifying features. Nearly 45 million individual PP and non-PP objects were characterized over the course of the study, revealing newfound granular details on the PP comprising the stream.

The study revealed 3 key findings:

1. Clear and white food-grade PP is abundant: On average, more than 75% of the PP captured in the study was white or clear, most of which was also presumed to be food grade. Furthermore, over 30% of clear PP packaging identified were beverage cups. This has important implications for meeting growing food-grade PP demand and how to retain more value in the system.

2. AI-enabled technologies can reliably quantify and classify recyclables with granularity, at scale: AI systems, such as the Greyparrot Analyzer, proved reliable in providing effective material characterization data at previously unavailable scales. This indicates the potential for AI to drive value to MRFs through increased intelligence and data granularity on material flows.

3. AI can help measure and track facility and equipment performance: Upgrades to optical sortation technology at MRFs had a notable impact on improved material sortation. This was progress that the AI technology was able to track and provide critical analytics on, indicating the potential for AI to offer enhanced performance evaluation data for MRF operators.

“The data captured demonstrates what is possible for the future of recycling and circular materials management, when powered by technology that can enhance transparency in the recycling system and increase high-quality material recovery,” said Kate Daly, Managing Partner and Head of the Center for the Circular Economy at Closed Loop Partners. “As we continue our work with many of the world’s largest retailers and foodservice brands, we look forward to identifying more opportunities to pull valuable food-grade materials back into foodservice packaging supply chains––a critical step toward recycled content goals and packaging circularity.”

“This work provides important data and transparency around the performance of AI technology and its capabilities within MRFs. We are proud to contribute critical data on the presence and quantity of food-grade objects within the PP stream,” said Gaspard Duthilleul, COO of Greyparrot. “In just three months, Greyparrot Analyzers characterized over 45 million PP and non-PP materials—a process that would take nearly four years manually, as manually characterizing just 1,000 pounds of material can take an entire day. This scale uncovers new opportunities for data collection at recycling facilities, serving as the foundation for increased recovery of valuable materials.”

While the characterization study focused on uncovering better data at one node of the PP recycling value chain, the results underscore that strong recycling data can enhance recovery opportunities and create new value up and down the recycling system.

These insights lay the groundwork for additional studies that can generate new, valuable recovery opportunities further downstream. Moving forward, Closed Loop Partners’ Center for the Circular Economy will continue to identify opportunities to leverage new data and innovations to advance material recovery with the recycling industry and global retail and foodservice brands.

This collaborative work aims to drive greater recovery of food-grade polypropylene––and other materials––and keep these valuable resources in circulation in local supply chains. To learn more and to visit closedlooppartners.com/center

About the Center for the Circular Economy at Closed Loop Partners

The Center for the Circular Economy is the innovation arm of Closed Loop Partners, a firm at the forefront of building the circular economy. The Center executes research and analytics, unites organizations to tackle complex material challenges and implements systemic change that advances the circular economy. The Center for the Circular Economy’s expertise spans circularity across the full lifecycle of materials, connecting upstream innovation to downstream recovery infrastructure and end markets. Learn more about the Center for the Circular Economy at closedlooppartners.com/the-center

About Greyparrot

Greyparrot (greyparrot.ai), the leader in AI waste analytics, is applying AI to globally scale recycling and save millions of tons of waste from landfills and incinerators. By providing deeper, more intelligent insights about waste stream composition and value, Greyparrot is helping the waste sector recover more value from waste processing lines and reduce the environmental impact of waste.

The company’s waste intelligence platform, including Greyparrot Analyzer and Greyparrot Sync (API), reveals real-time insights on over 111+ waste categories across seven layers of data, including financial value, brand, and GHG emissions, captured at multiple locations across a recycling facility. In 2024, Greyparrot analyzed over 40 billion waste objects helping drive efficiency to save hundreds of thousands, to millions, of dollars per facility — while diverting millions of tons of waste away from landfills, oceans, and incinerators.

Using Greyparrot insights, recycling professionals, plant builders, packaging producers, and FMCG brands can make decisions to help them increase recycling efficiency, comply with recycling regulations, and improve recyclable packaging design.

Eco-Products®, a Novolex® brand and certified B Corp, is a provider of foodservice packaging made from renewable, recycled and reusable materials. In 2023, the company launched CIRC (Controls Intended to Remove Contamination), an easy-to-use set of customizable tools and frameworks to help generators––such as restaurants and stadiums––packaging manufacturers, distributors, haulers and composters control and manage contamination from non-compostable products and get rid of contamination before it makes its way to the composter.  

Composting Consortium: We know that contamination is a systemic challenge and one of the greatest barriers to the recovery of compostable packaging. As a brand who sells and manufactures these compostable materials, tell us how you’re combating the pervasive challenge of contamination in food waste streams.

Eco-Products: Contamination in compost streams is the defining challenge for composters, often leading to inefficiencies and increased costs. We’ve experienced this reality firsthand in Colorado, where Eco-Products is headquartered. Contamination from non-compostable materials has wreaked havoc on the local composting ecosystem in Colorado. We believe that food-contact compostable packaging—in addition to recyclable and reusable materials—has a key role to play in diverting food waste from landfill. We want to see compostable packaging succeed as a solution, but we know that contamination must first be solved to achieve that reality. We know this challenge isn’t exclusive to Colorado, and we knew we had to do something about it, so we developed a program called CIRC (Controls Intended to Remove Contamination).

Composting Consortium: How exactly does the CIRC program work and who is it for? 

Eco-Products: Unlike third-party certifications, CIRC is a customizable tool that is designed to build trust, transparency and accountability between generators—such as restaurants, stadiums or event venues—packaging manufacturers, distributors, haulers and composters. The CIRC Toolkit offers a menu of recommended contamination controls spanning Procurement, Operations, Communication, and Composter & Hauler Engagement that we call “the scorecard.” Each section has a list of controls that are practical and useful for mitigating contamination in the compost stream. The program verifies that foodservice operators have taken key steps to avoid sending non-compostable items to composters, ensuring that everyone involved in the composting process is aware of their role in preventing contamination. With CIRC, composters can have greater confidence in the organics streams they receive.

Composting Consortium: Can you give us an example of how a stakeholder can use the tool?

Eco-Products: Yes! For example, a restaurant can reference the ‘Procurement’ section of the scorecard for a list of best practices and guidance when ordering and stocking certified compostable packaging. By following these order requirements, the restaurant can feel confident that the products they’re ordering have been approved by the certifier, the operator and the composter.

Composting Consortium: What makes CIRC different from other solutions?

Eco-Products: One of the standout features of the CIRC program is its open-source nature. This means that anyone, regardless of whether they are an Eco-Products customer, can access and benefit from the program’s resources.

For composters, the primary benefit of CIRC is the reduction in contamination, which leads to more efficient composting processes. With fewer non-compostable materials to sort out, composters can focus on their primary duty: producing high-quality compost.

For haulers and distributors, reducing contamination can lower the costs associated with handling and transporting contaminated loads.

For businesses and organizations committed to food waste reduction, adopting the CIRC program can contribute to a more sustainable waste management system. Restaurants, stadiums, and other venues that implement CIRC can enhance their reputation among environmentally conscious customers. Demonstrating a commitment to reducing waste and supporting composting efforts can attract and retain customers who value sustainability.

Composting Consortium: What advice would you give to brands, generators, haulers or composters who are struggling with contamination?

Eco-Products: Try using CIRC! To date, our program has been piloted at two locations: Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois and the University of Colorado, Boulder. In both instances, we’ve seen great results and dramatically reduced levels of contamination. We are calling on more stakeholders to utilize this free resource and are happy to support any organizations or businesses with the use and implementation of this tool.

Composting Consortium: What are your future plans for the CIRC program and how do you envision supporting the expansion of composting infrastructure?

Eco-Products:  We plan to expand our CIRC program this year by creating supplemental resources, including a check list for assessing operational contamination risk factors. By helping reduce contamination issues through CIRC, we aim to help create a pathway for compostable packaging to succeed as a solution for food scrap recovery.

Composting Consortium: What inspired you to join the Composting Consortium as a Material Innovation Partner?

Eco-Products: When we learned that the Composting Consortium launched a Material Innovation Platform last year, we knew we had to get involved. The Composting Consortium’s groundbreaking research and in-market testing over the last three years has paved the way for dialogues in this industry that are helping to move the needle for compostable packaging. In particular, the Disintegration Study was a game-changer for the industry—offering data and proof points on how certified compostable materials break down in compost piles. We’re excited to continue our partnership with the Composting Consortium because we believe that this initiative is uniquely positioned to scale food waste composting infrastructure, help solve for contamination and drive positive, lasting change for the industry.