USPP completes scoping phase of Reuse in Retail Initiative

The U.S. Plastics Pact (USPP), Walpole, New Hampshire, has released its Reuse in Retail Initiative Scoping Phase: What We Learned and Where We are Going Next, outlining the program’s future scope—including the product category, reuse model and region—and key policy levers to accelerate the growth of consumer-facing reuse in retail systems.

The initiative, or RRI, was launched in 2025 and is a strategic collaboration between the USPP, Upstream and the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) aimed at accelerating the shift to reusable packaging in retail within a packaging extended producer responsibility (EPR) state.

According to the USPP, RRI is structured as a long-term, iterative implementation model that builds on past pilots, shared costs and actionable initiatives. The organization claims the RRI’s cross-retailer, cross-brand approach sets it apart and expands accessibility to consumers while helping drive higher participation and return rates.

The USPP says RRI’s scoping phase included interactive educational sessions and workshop discussions with nine companies and organizations to define a recommended path forward and produced three outputs for participating companies: end-to-end system maps, a consumer experience strategy and a stakeholder analysis matrix.

“In RRI’s scoping phase, we learned that scaling reuse in retail environments requires moving beyond one-off pilots,” says Crystal Bayliss, interim executive director at the USPP. “Isolated efforts won’t build the type of system consumers need, and the RRI offers a unique opportunity to access a wide range of expertise in one place. Real progress happens only when the full value chain works together—sharing costs, reducing friction and designing solutions that truly work for consumers, retailers, brands and supply chain operators. Collaborative, multistakeholder initiatives like this are an incredibly powerful tool to accelerate that shift, helping companies meet emerging packaging EPR reuse mandates. We welcome companies to join this exciting effort.”

The USPP says the future scope of activities include:

• Product category: The organization says prepared food emerged as the recommended product category for an initial launch, primarily due to the ease of implementation into retailers’ existing back-of-house operations. Offering a wide range of product categories and SKUs in reusable packaging increases consumer exposure to the system, which USPP says strengthens familiarity and improves return rates. Other highly ranked categories for additional launches included fresh produce, home care and personal care.
• Reuse model: The report identifies return-on-the-go as the preferred reuse model, offering consumers an experience similar to single-use packaging while reducing operational barriers for retailers, such as spills and refilling products in store aisles.
• Region: Portland, Maine, was selected for the initial launch because of its robust deposit return system (DRS) provides a foundational infrastructure and established consumer return habits, USPP says, adding that the area also is advancing reuse through existing and upcoming local initiatives.

The USPP says its report also identifies several policy levers that can accelerate the growth of reuse in retail, including EPR fee structures that incentivize precompetitive collaboration on reuse programs, investment in return infrastructure by producer responsibility organizations (PROs), integration of reuse into DRS and EPR legislation and other regulations and public procurement and community pilots to catalyze market adoption.

“We are delighted with the outcomes of this important phase in our journey to mainstream options for reusable packaging to millions more people,” says Leah Karrer, executive director for Americas at WRAP. “This is a huge undertaking and offers enormous benefits for both businesses and the environment. The two key takeaways I’m excited by is offering product categories and SKUs in reusable packaging to strengthen consumer adoption, and with return-on-the-go as a preferred model. The next stage is crucial, working towards consumer participation by designing a streamlined reuse system collaboratively. I’d urge other businesses to join those already paving the way to making reusable packaging the norm and stay abreast of this exciting and rapidly developing new marketplace.”

Upstream CEO Crystal Dreisbach says the question has never been about whether reuse works, but whether systems can be built to make it work at scale.

“This initiative answers that challenge head-on, with the kind of cross-brand collaboration that can actually move the needle,” Dreisbach says. “Portland, Maine, is a smart starting point, and the path to California and beyond is already taking shape.”

The USPP says it currently is looking ahead to RRI’s next phase, program design, which is expected to begin in the middle of this year. This phase will focus on collaboratively designing the reverse logistics system and packaging design, creating the consumer experience plan and selecting a system operator for subsequent phases. Following the targeted in-store launch in 2028, USPP says its RRI intends to expand to additional product categories and regions, including California.