Circularity Indicators for Packaging

The transition to a Circular Economy (CE) in the packaging industry is vital to address growing environmental problems. Circularity indicators play a critical role in evaluating progress and guiding decision-making. However, existing indicators lack suitability for packaging and do not factor in the systemic considerations required for successful transition to CE. This study identified 21 circularity indicators relevant to packaging, critically assessing their: suitability for the packaging industry; and inclusion of systemic considerations across lifecycle stages such as sourcing, design and production, distribution, use, and end-of-life. Using a three-point scale (extensive inclusion, partial inclusion and none), the indicators are classified to establish the extent to which they consider systems, such as Packaging Characteristic, Infrastructure, Value and Regulation. The analysis highlights several gaps, including overemphasis on end-of-life systems, limited consideration of value for stakeholders, insufficient alignment with upstream systems, and inadequate consideration of regional infrastructure and regulation. The findings underline the need for future indicators to adopt a holistic approach, integrating diverse systems to enable effective CE strategy implementation. By highlighting these gaps, this research lays the groundwork for developing robust indicators that not only assess circularity but also guide the packaging industry toward a realistic implementation of CE strategies.