Upstream Innovation: a Guide to Packaging Solutions

The Ellen MacArthur Foundation has recently published “Upstream Innovation: a Guide to Packaging Solutions”. Upstream innovation is about preventing waste from being created in the first place. It requires a shift in mindset, and involves rethinking not just the packaging itself, but also the product and the broader business model. We must move beyond just focusing on incremental packaging improvements towards fundamentally rethinking how to best deliver products and services to a user.

Upstream Innovation is a guide to packaging solutions designed for marketers, product designers, and packaging engineers who are new to circular economy, as well as seasoned practitioners. It includes tools and +100 examples from companies across a range of sectors to inspire and empower to take action on upstream innovation and achieve a circular economy for plastic, in which plastic stays in the economy and out of the environment.

Explore their guide at plastics.emf.org/upstream