This is a thread for those working on their California Individual Source Report, due August 1 (I assume it will be announced that it’s actually due August 3, because August 1 is a Saturday).
Early thoughts:
Mix matters: at least 10% of the total 25% reduction must come from reuse/refill/elimination — not just lightweighting or material substitution. PCR content can only offset up to 8 percentage points of your target; the rest has to be real reduction (less plastic, lighter plastic, or none).
No sales-growth relief — if volume grows, your absolute footprint grows with it; targets don’t scale down.
De minimis isn’t defined yet – labels and little things, you still have to report them. It may be clarified later, but for now, you’re still on the hook.
My companies issue, is how do we find packaging that meets the reduction goals? We sell product in gussets and stickpacks, and we can’t figure out how to make them recyclable that doesn’t compromise product quality and shelf life. Has anyone figured that out yet? Or are you dealing with a similar issue?
I assume refillability and reuse are out of the question, for a shelf stable product? Can you incorporate third party certified PCR, or is that not allowed due to food contact?
We have a PCR supplier who isn’t APR certified. We plan to talk to them about getting certified as it’s in both of our interest for them to do so.
Something we are trying to work out is the logistics of removing scoops from powder products and replacing them with their a reusable option or converting servings to Tbs. or cups. The question that has come up, is “is the consumer going to know if they need to order a scoop?” And “how can we track first time buyers to give them one scoop, and then offer a replacement for sale on our site?” We haven’t been able to solve these issues yet but I’m open to suggestion.
Is the scoop plastic? Although it could be argued (credibly, in my view) that the plastic alternative would be less sustainable, switching to a non-plastic alternative would reduce your component count.