GreenBlue

What GreenBlue does

GreenBlue is an environmental nonprofit founded in 2002 in Charlottesville, Virginia by William McDonough and Michael Braungart, operating as a portfolio of seven interlinked projects aimed at accelerating the transition to a sustainable materials economy. Its flagship project, How2Recycle, is North America's most recognized on-pack recycling label, built on a five-pillar assessment framework (Applicable Law, Collection, Sortation, Reprocessing, End Markets) and used by over 800 member companies across 75,000+ packaging SKUs. Sister and complementary projects include How2Compost (on-pack compostability labeling via the Biodegradable Products Institute), the Recycled Material Standard (third-party certification for recycled-content claims with multi-site auditing and tradable ARC certificates), CleanGredients (a database of ingredients pre-approved under the EPA Safer Choice Standard), the Sustainable Packaging Coalition (a membership-based industry collaborative), Navigate, and CleanPackage. In 2025-2026, GreenBlue rolled out the How2Recycle Pro Label redesign (phasing out legacy labels), fully integrated How2Recycle Plus dynamic QR-code labels via The Recycling Partnership's acceptance data, and secured a Widely Recyclable designation for polypropylene cups covering 60%+ of U.S. households.

GreenBlue generates revenue through membership subscriptions to its projects (How2Recycle, SPC, How2Compost, CleanGredients), certification fees for the Recycled Material Standard, and event programming (SPC Impact, How2Recycle Summit, and the Sustainable Packaging Summit). Pricing is tiered by member company size and is not publicly disclosed. Distribution is enterprise-direct, with labels issued to members for placement on packaging and certification delivered via third-party auditors. The customer base spans consumer packaged goods brands (Starbucks, Walmart, Target, Unilever, P&G, PepsiCo, Bel Group), packaging manufacturers and converters, recyclers, and product formulators. Governance is via a Board of Directors drawn from member companies, and the organization is structured as a nonprofit with no external equity funding or M&A activity.

Name

GreenBlue

Legal name

GreenBlue

Website

https://greenblue.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

GreenBlue is a Virginia-based environmental nonprofit founded in 2002 that runs seven projects to advance sustainable packaging, led by How2Recycle — North America's most recognized on-pack recycling label used by 800+ member companies across 75,000+ packaging SKUs — alongside certification, compostability labeling, and ingredient databases serving CPG brands, manufacturers, converters, and recyclers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sustainable Packaging Certification & Labeling Services

NAICS

Packaging and Labeling Services (561910), Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312)

akta.pro primary industry

Sustainability Testing, Certification & Compliance (LCA, Recyclability/Compostability Testing, FSC/PEFC) (IMALAMAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

Circular Economy & Waste/Materials Reporting (Zero waste, packaging) (EUAHAJAL)

Keywords

• Sustainable packaging services
• Packaging labeling systems
• Recycling certification standards
• Circular economy consulting
• Packaging sustainability collaborative

Headquarters

HQ city

Charlottesville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Project Membership Fees: GreenBlue generates revenue through membership fees for its projects including How2Recycle, Sustainable Packaging Coalition, Recycled Material Standard, How2Compost, and CleanGredients. Companies pay to join and gain access to labeling programs, certification, resources, and industry collaboration. How2Recycle has more than 800 member companies.
2. Recycled Material Standard Certification: RMS provides third-party certification for recycled material claims, enabling participating brands and suppliers to celebrate sustainability efforts with verified claims. Revenue is generated through certification fees for recyclers and brands seeking chain-of-custody verification.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

GreenBlue is an environmental nonprofit that operates a portfolio of membership-based projects serving the packaging value chain. Its core offerings include the How2Recycle on-pack recycling labeling system (North America's most recognized, 800+ member companies, 75,000+ labels issued), the Recycled Material Standard third-party certification for recycled material claims, the How2Compost labeling system (BPI partnership), the CleanGredients chemical ingredient database (EPA Safer Choice aligned), and the Sustainable Packaging Coalition industry collaborative.

Product overview

GreenBlue is an environmental nonprofit that serves its mission to accelerate the transition to a regenerative, just, and sustainable materials economy through seven distinct projects. The core offerings include the Sustainable Packaging Coalition (SPC), a membership-based collaborative and the leading voice on sustainable packaging; How2Recycle, North America's most recognized on-pack recycling labeling system with over 800 member companies; the Recycled Material Standard (RMS), a third-party certification for recycled material claims; How2Compost, a companion labeling system for compostable packaging in partnership with BPI; Cleangredients, a chemical ingredient database aligned with EPA Safer Choice; Navigate, focused on sustainable packaging practices; and CleanPackage, supporting safe and circular packaging materials. Additional offerings include How2Recycle Pro (new label design replacing Legacy Labels), How2Recycle Plus (dynamic QR code labels with localized information), and GreenBlue Events (SPC Impact and How2Recycle Summit). The organization does not offer a single unified software product but rather a portfolio of labeling programs, certification standards, databases, and collaborative initiatives that together provide the packaging value chain with information, tools, and standards for sustainable materials management.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• How2Recycle North America's most recognized on-pack recycling labeling system that clearly communicates standardized disposal instructions to consumers. Membership-based program for CPG brands, manufacturers, and converters that provides How2Recycle labels (Widely Recyclable, Check Locally, Store Drop-off, Not Yet Recyclable) based on five recyclability pillars: Applicable Law, Collection, Sortation, Reprocessing, and End Markets.
• Sustainable Packaging Coalition (SPC) Membership-based industry collaborative and the leading voice on sustainable packaging. Convenes companies across the packaging value chain — from startups to global corporations — to make packaging more sustainable, providing resources like the Definition of Sustainable Packaging and industry events including SPC Impact.
• Recycled Material Standard (RMS) Third-party certification system enabling participating brands and suppliers to make verified claims about the use of recycled materials. Provides chain-of-custody verification with mass balance accounting, multi-site certification, tradable ARC certificates for recyclers, and third-party auditing integration.
• How2Compost

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 60% of U.S. households can now recycle polypropylene cups curbside following the How2Recycle Widely Recyclable designation achieved through coalition effort.
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered minor, core and major.

• Clemson UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 April 2026The Sustainable Packaging Coalition's Paper Packaging Recyclability Collaborative partnered with Clemson University to conduct research on how food residue affects paper packaging recyclability, informing How2Recycle labeling decisions.
• StarbuckscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 February 2026Starbucks collaborated with How2Recycle, WM, The Recycling Partnership, and NextGen Consortium to achieve the Widely Recyclable designation for polypropylene cups in the U.S. Starbucks leveraged its scale and commitment to more sustainable packaging to help accelerate adoption and expand curbside recycling access for cold to-go cups.
• WMcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 February 2026WM (North America's largest recycler) partnered on the PP cup recyclability initiative, developing end markets with KW Plastics, building recycling infrastructure to process cups, and creating a pathway for communities to add cups to curbside programs. WM processes PP cups and provides data and infrastructure support.
• The Recycling PartnershipcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 February 2026The Recycling Partnership collaborated with GreenBlue to integrate How2Recycle Plus dynamic QR-code labels into the How2Recycle ecosystem. The Partnership's National Recycling Database provides acceptance data for How2Recycle label assessments. The Polypropylene Recycling Coalition invested in infrastructure and education for PP recycling.
• NextGen Consortium (Closed Loop Partners)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 February 2026Managed by Closed Loop Partners' Center for the Circular Economy, NextGen Consortium brought together major businesses including Starbucks to innovate solutions advancing the circularity of foodservice packaging. The consortium was instrumental in the coalition that achieved PP cup recyclability designation.
• KW PlasticsmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 February 2026KW Plastics, described as the world's largest plastics recycler, provided a dependable domestic end market for post-consumer polypropylene. Their investment in recycling polypropylene at scale helped build the pathway that keeps PP material in the U.S. for reprocessing.
• Vault49coreGTM or Marketing Partner · 22 September 2025How2Recycle partnered with award-winning creative agency Vault49 on a national consumer behavior change campaign ('Newsflash, That's Trash'). Vault49 provides creative direction to translate How2Recycle label awareness into meaningful recycling action, using humor, positivity, and cultural familiarity to break through sustainability communication fatigue.
• The Recycling Partnership (How2Recycle Plus integration)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 September 2025The Recycling Partnership's Community Recycling Program Acceptance Data powers How2Recycle Plus dynamic QR-code labels, which provide localized recycling information based on the user's ZIP code. This integration streamlines label management through the How2Recycle Member Platform.
• Package InSight by QuadminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 April 2025Package InSight conducted eye-tracking research at the How2Recycle Summit to understand how in-store signage can improve Store Drop-off recycling participation and consumer understanding.
• Biodegradable Products Institute (BPI)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016How2Compost was developed in collaboration with BPI. Every package with the How2Compost label must be BPI-Certified compostable. BPI certification is open to any product holding food and organic matter that meets ASTM D6400 or D6868 requirements. How2Compost only recognizes BPI certification.
• EPA Safer Choice ProgramcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2006CleanGredients has partnered with the EPA Safer Choice program since 2006. The database lists chemical ingredients evaluated against standards set by Safer Choice, enabling formulators to achieve Safer Choice certification for their products.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute: Operates the Cradle to Cradle Certified material/product certification standard, directly comparable to GreenBlue's Recycled Material Standard (RMS). Both are third-party certification systems targeting packaging and consumer products with claims of recycled content, material health, and circularity.
• Biodegradable Products Institute (BPI): Certifies compostable products to ASTM standards; GreenBlue's How2Compost label is exclusively available to BPI-certified products. Operates as a sibling certification body in the same compostable-packaging claims value chain.
• SCS Global Services: Independent third-party certifier offering recycled content, chain-of-custody, and environmental claims verification across packaging, forestry, and consumer products. Direct competitor to GreenBlue's RMS certification in the recycled-content packaging claims market.
• Green Seal: Nonprofit eco-labeling organization certifying consumer products and cleaning/hygiene products to science-based standards. Operates a similar nonprofit, standards-based certification model comparable to GreenBlue's CleanGredients and SPC projects.
• Bluesign Technologies: Provides material sustainability certification for textile and consumer product inputs, including chemistry and resource efficiency assessments. Comparable to GreenBlue's CleanGredients chemical-ingredient database and RMS supply-chain certification.

Broad incumbents

• UL Solutions: Global testing, inspection, and certification giant with sustainability and packaging claims verification offerings. UL competes with GreenBlue's RMS in recycled-content and recyclability claim verification, but as part of a much broader portfolio across many industries.
• ECOCERT: France-based sustainability certification body operating across cosmetics, food, textiles, and packaging. Provides an international analog to GreenBlue's CleanGredients chemical-input verification model, though at significantly larger global scale.

Emerging players

• Closed Loop Partners: Investment firm and platform advancing the circular economy; manages the NextGen Consortium which co-developed the PP cup recyclability designation with GreenBlue. Operates as both a partner and adjacent investor/convener in packaging circularity.
• The Recycling Partnership: National nonprofit improving recycling systems in the U.S.; powers How2Recycle Plus dynamic labels with its National Recycling Database. Adjacent mission (recycling infrastructure/education) with deep technical integration into GreenBlue's product.

Regional players

• AMERIPEN: North American industry trade association focused on packaging policy and extended producer responsibility advocacy. Comparable to SPC's industry-collaboration function, particularly around packaging legislation and producer responsibility.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/GreenBlueOrg
• Xx.com/greenblueorg
• Instagraminstagram.com/greenblue_org
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/greenblue-org

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about GreenBlue