Sustainable Packaging Coalition

What Sustainable Packaging Coalition does

The Sustainable Packaging Coalition (SPC) is a membership-based collaborative organization launched in 2004 and operated under the 501(c)(3) nonprofit GreenBlue, headquartered in Charlottesville, Virginia. SPC convenes businesses, government agencies, and academic institutions across the full packaging value chain — brands, packaging converters, material suppliers, material recovery facilities, retailers, and policymakers — to catalyze actionable improvements in packaging sustainability. The organization positions itself as the authoritative neutral convener on packaging sustainability in the U.S. and increasingly on cross-jurisdictional policy (EU PPWR, U.K. and Canada EPR).

SPC delivers value through a portfolio of member-only and public-facing products: tiered annual memberships ($1,130–$14,125 depending on organization size), 10 active member Collaboratives (Global Solutions, Packaging EPR, Paper Packaging Recyclability, Recycled Content, Compostable Packaging, Consumer Education, Environmental Trade-offs, SDO Film Recovery, Refill-at-Home, Recovery Technologies), a Retailer Forum (Amazon, Walmart, Target, CVS Health), three flagship annual events (SPC Advance, SPC Impact, SPC Engage), an extensive resource library of reports and guides, the How2Recycle labeling sub-brand, and a Knowledge Library developed in partnership with the Packaging School. The core technology is content, research, and convening infrastructure rather than proprietary software.

The organization is funded primarily through recurring annual membership dues, supplemented by event revenue, the paid Packaging School course platform, and presumably grants routed through GreenBlue. SPC has 550+ member organizations (as of 2023, up from 200 in 2010 and 400 in 2020). In February 2026, the organization became the subject of antitrust warning letters from ten Republican state Attorneys General targeting collective ESG packaging commitments among affiliated companies — a material risk to its convening model.

Name

Sustainable Packaging Coalition

Legal name

Sustainable Packaging Coalition

Website

https://sustainablepackaging.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Sustainable Packaging Coalition (SPC) is a 501(c)(3) membership-based collaborative under GreenBlue, convening 550+ organizations across the packaging value chain to develop shared standards, research, and policy guidance on packaging sustainability through tiered memberships, working-group collaboratives, and annual industry events.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sustainable Packaging Services

NAICS

Business Associations (81391), Professional Organizations (81392)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Packaging Recovery & Closed-Loop Programs (Take-Back, Deposit-Return, EPR Support) (IMALAMAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Sustainability Testing, Certification & Compliance (LCA, Recyclability/Compostability Testing, FSC/PEFC) (IMALAMAK), Reusable & Refill Packaging Systems (Returnable Packaging, Refill-at-Home/In-Store) (IMALAMAE)

Keywords

• Sustainable packaging consulting
• Packaging policy research
• Extended producer responsibility
• Recycled content compliance
• Circular economy advisory

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: The SPC generates revenue through annual membership dues structured by organization size: Large organizations (revenue >$1B) pay $14,125/year; Medium organizations ($10M-$1B) pay $7,460/year; Small organizations (<$10M) pay $3,110/year; Government agencies and academic institutions pay $1,130/year. Membership provides access to the member directory, published materials, technical guides, reports, webinars, SPC events, collaborative spaces, and networking opportunities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Sustainable Packaging Coalition (SPC) is a membership-based collaborative organization that convenes businesses, government agencies, and academic institutions across the packaging supply chain to drive actionable improvements in packaging sustainability. Its core offerings are organized around four pillars—Innovation, Policy, Recovery, and Packaging Design—and include membership access, ten member-only Collaboratives working groups, the Retailer Forum, an extensive Resources library, and a Knowledge Library of educational courses delivered with the Packaging School.

Product overview

The Sustainable Packaging Coalition is a membership-based collaborative organization that serves as the leading voice on packaging sustainability since 2004. The organization operates through a multi-faceted approach consisting of: SPC Membership providing access to the member directory, resources, and events; SPC Collaboratives (10 active member-only working groups) covering topics like EPR, recycled content, compostables, consumer education, recovery technologies, and refill systems; SPC Forums including the Retailer Forum uniting major retailers; a comprehensive Resources library with reports, guides, and data hubs; the Knowledge Library offering educational courses in partnership with the Packaging School; and annual Events (SPC Advance, SPC Impact, SPC Engage). The product portfolio centers on driving actionable improvements to packaging systems through education, innovation, policy advocacy, and recovery initiatives.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• How2Recycle: A labeling program that provides standardized recycling instructions for consumers

Products and services

• SPC Membership Annual membership program for organizations across the packaging supply chain, providing access to the member directory, published materials, technical guides, reports, webinars, SPC events, collaborative working groups, and SPC staff expertise. Membership is tiered by organization size, with annual dues from $1,130 for government and academic institutions up to $14,125 for large organizations.
• SPC Collaboratives Member-only working groups where members meet regularly, spearhead research, and chart solutions to specific sustainable packaging challenges. Ten active collaboratives cover Global Solutions, Packaging EPR, Paper Packaging Recyclability, Recycled Content, Compostable Packaging, Consumer Education, Environmental Trade-offs, Store Drop-off Film Recovery, Refill-at-Home, and Recovery Technologies.
• SPC Forums

Quantifiable outcome

• Paper cup recycling now available to 20% of U.S. population (up from 5% in 2015-16), with 8.9 million households benefiting from expanded access through Foodservice Packaging Institute's Community Partnership program that SPC research influenced
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• GreenBluecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSPC operates as a project of GreenBlue, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit environmental organization. SPC membership is administered through GreenBlue systems and member login is via greenblue.my.site.com/SPC. The Executive Committee advises SPC and represents the membership with oversight from GreenBlue.
• AmazoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAmazon collaborates through SPC's Retailer Forum alongside Walmart, Target, and CVS Health to present a unified voice to packaging suppliers on sustainable packaging needs. The forum completed its first design sprint on flexible films and is seeking innovations for containers, bottles, and closures supporting source reduction.
• WalmartcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWalmart participates in SPC's Retailer Forum collaboration with Amazon, Target, and CVS Health to address sustainable packaging requirements for suppliers. The forum holds discussions at SPC Impact events and selects finalists from supplier submissions for design sprints.
• TargetcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTarget is part of the SPC Retailer Forum collaborating with Amazon, Walmart, and CVS Health to present unified sustainable packaging requirements to suppliers. The forum focuses on source reduction solutions and accepts R&D proposals from suppliers.
• CVS HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCVS Health participates in SPC's Retailer Forum collaboration with Amazon, Walmart, and Target to address sustainable packaging needs. The forum seeks supplier innovations for containers, bottles, and closures supporting source reduction.
• Clemson UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSPC collaborated with Clemson University to test how on-pack messaging and education affect consumer recycling behavior as part of research into food residue tolerance levels among paper recyclers.
• Packaging SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSPC partnered with the Packaging School to develop the Knowledge Library, delivering fundamental knowledge needed to make packaging more sustainable. The library covers topics from sustainability basics to deeper dives in specific issues and is available through Packaging School's enrollment platform.
• Foodservice Packaging InstituteminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Foodservice Packaging Institute works to increase paper cup recycling through its Community Partnership program, which has expanded recycling acceptance for paper cups from 5% of U.S. population in 2015-16 to 20% currently. SPC research and data support these efforts.
• Resource Recycling SystemsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResource Recycling Systems compiled data showing that 20% of U.S. population now lives in communities with paper cup recycling programs, up from 5% in 2015-16. SPC collaborates with RRS on research initiatives related to paper packaging recyclability.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Regional players

• Sustainable Packaging Alliance (Australia): Australian industry alliance advancing sustainable packaging in the APAC region. Comparable mission and collaborative model, but geographically focused on Australia/NZ versus SPC's U.S. base.

Broad incumbents

• Ellen MacArthur Foundation: Global nonprofit driving circular economy thought leadership, including the New Plastics Economy initiative and U.S. Plastics Pact. Comparable as a higher-visibility sustainability authority addressing similar packaging/circulation themes.
• Plastics Industry Association (PLASTICS): Larger trade association representing the entire plastics industry value chain. Comparable as an established industry convener, though with broader plastics-industry scope versus SPC's sustainability focus.
• The Consumer Goods Forum: Global industry association for consumer goods retailers and manufacturers, including packaging sustainability coalitions. Comparable as a multi-stakeholder CPG/retail convening body with overlapping sustainability mandates.

Emerging players

• Closed Loop Partners: Investment firm and incubation platform advancing circular economy and recycling infrastructure. Comparable as a stakeholder in the same circular packaging ecosystem, though structured as an investment platform rather than a membership association.
• U.S. Plastics Pact: U.S. activation of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation's Plastics Pact network, convening brands, retailers, and recyclers around packaging recyclability targets. Comparable as a multi-stakeholder packaging sustainability initiative overlapping SPC's domain.

Direct peers

• The Recycling Partnership: Nonprofit focused on improving U.S. recycling systems and material recovery infrastructure. Comparable mission and member base in the recycling/recovery space, with overlapping collaborative programs on PCR and film recovery.
• AMERIPEN (American Institute for Packaging and the Environment): U.S. packaging industry trade association advocating on packaging policy and sustainability. Directly comparable as a membership-based industry voice serving brands, converters, and suppliers on EPR and packaging legislation.
• Foodservice Packaging Institute: Trade association for the foodservice packaging industry, with whom SPC collaborates on paper cup recyclability. Comparable as a sector-specific industry body and an existing SPC partner.

Others

• GreenBlue: SPC's 501(c)(3) parent nonprofit that administers SPC membership and oversees antitrust compliance. Closely related as the governing/operational parent rather than a competing entity.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sustainable-packaging-coalition-spc
• Xx.com/SPCspotlight

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Sustainable Packaging Coalition