Searious Business

Leadership isn't waiting.
The transition to a circular economy will never come with perfect certainty. Regulations evolve, markets change, and new business models always involve risk.

Yet the organisations making the most progress aren't waiting for all the answers before taking action. They're testing, learning and improving as they go.

In our September monthly recap, we're exploring:

🔹 Turning packaging data into better decisions
🔹 Reusable packaging concepts for the appliance sector
🔹 Refill systems in practice through BRAVE'R
🔹 One year of circular economy progress in the Caribbean
🔹 Why robust economics matter for reuse

📩 Read the September monthly recap here:
https://share.sender.net/campaigns/i1OR/september-2026-recap-ppwr-is-here-from-packaging-data-to-packaging-decisions

EPR - What can Europe learn from SIDS?

When discussions about Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) turn to innovation, the spotlight often falls on Europe.

But some of the most ambitious thinking is emerging elsewhere.

Across Small Island Developing States (SIDS), governments are developing EPR schemes, container deposit systems (CDS) and circular economy policies in contexts where waste leakage, import dependence and limited disposal options are everyday realities.

Those constraints are not holding innovation back. In many cases, they're accelerating it.

What's particularly interesting is that many islands are not simply replicating European models. They are asking broader questions about what EPR should achieve in the first place.

For example, some island governments are exploring how EPR systems can:
✅ Cover a wider range of beverage packaging formats from the outset, rather than expanding gradually over time
✅ Integrate waste prevention and reuse objectives alongside recycling targets
✅ Support local collection, repair, reuse and small business development through the use of EPR revenues

In other words, the conversation is often broader than recycling alone. It is about designing systems that reduce waste, strengthen local economies and make the best use of limited resources.

This stands in contrast to some larger economies that are still debating how to integrate these same elements into existing systems.

One reason may be that many islands have a unique advantage: they are building systems at a time when we already understand the limitations of waste management models focused mainly on collection and recycling.

Rather than retrofitting prevention, reuse and circularity decades later, they have the opportunity to design these principles into systems from the beginning.

That's why we believe SIDS should be viewed not only as countries facing unique challenges, but also as policy innovators whose experiences have relevance far beyond island contexts.

As countries around the world continue to develop EPR and deposit return systems, there is much to learn from the solutions emerging in the Caribbean, Pacific and other island regions.

Curious how island nations are rethinking EPR? Explore some of our work in the Pacific:
https://www.seariousbusiness.com/pacific-ps

A new UN report says we're very likely to overshoot 1.5°C. Very soon.
It also warns against the temptations of fatalism.

Now is not the time for paralysis. It is time to accelerate.

Our collective job now is to make the other side of 1.5°C as manageable, and as short-lived, as possible. If we look at the astronomical costs that lie ahead: food insecurity, infrastructure damage, supply chain collapse, mass climate migration, and increased risk of conflict, the supposed "cost" of making sustainable decisions today starts to look like a trifle.

This is a business risk. Boards and leadership teams need to give their finance, procurement and operations teams a clear mandate: factor long-term resilience into decision-making, not just short-term cost.

The report urges the need for adaptation plans; how are we to survive these conditions? But adaptation means more than building sea walls and cooling centres. There is no Ark.

We must redesign the systems that produce and distribute all our goods, building more local circular economies that are less resource-intensive and more resilient to disruption. We must rethink our supply chains before more crises force us to.

Every tonne of CO₂ we avoid still matters.
Every tonne of virgin material we replace still matters.
Every fraction of a degree still matters.

Overshooting 1.5°C does not mean the future is written.

The choices we make now will determine how severe the impacts become. Not for some distant future generation. For us. Now.

Step up.



(The photograph below shows Venice council chambers flooded minutes after they rejected amendments to fight climate change, posted by Italian politician and activist Andrea Zanoni in 2019)

The latest developments in the Global Plastics Treaty negotiations have left many wondering whether ambition is slipping just when we need it most.

But around the world, progress isn't waiting.

In our monthly recap, we're exploring what happens when organisations choose to lead rather than wait.

📩 Read the August recap below



https://share.sender.net/campaigns/h0Es/august-2026-recap-ppwr-is-here-the-real-work-starts-now

Plastic pollution is a shared challenge across the Caribbean, but solutions are emerging across the region.

We are pleased to share that our founding director, Willemijn Peeters, will be speaking at the upcoming webinar "From Plastic Waste to Circular Value: Lessons, Leadership and Market Opportunities Across the Caribbean".

During her session, Understanding Caribbean Plastic Waste Streams, Willemijn will explore the types of plastics entering Caribbean markets, materials with the greatest recovery potential, and opportunities to strengthen collection, recovery systems, and investment across the region.

The webinar brings together experts from across the Caribbean and beyond, including Dr Amardeep Wander (Asia Pacific Waste Consultants), Farzana Yusuf-Leon (Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States OECS), and Nalini A. Sooklal (UICN México, América Central y el Caribe), to share lessons learned, highlight regional leadership, and discuss practical pathways towards stronger circular value chains.

📅 Friday, 28 August 2026
🕙 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. AST
💻 Online

If you work in government, business, academia, civil society, or environmental management, we'd be delighted if you joined the discussion and shared your perspective.

Registration link: https://engage.iucn.org/event/plastic-waste-circular-value-lessons-leadership-and-market-opportunities-across-caribbean

Ministry of Tourism, Civil Aviation and Sustainable Development
IUCN Caribbean UICN México, América Central y el Caribe

We might all be on holiday, but the work never stops in the world of plastics! Check out what the Searious team have been up to in the month of July.

https://share.sender.net/campaigns/gS20/july-2026-recap-creating-impact-with-circular-plastics-searious-business

Growing the RePLHA consortium: welcome, RECALO!

We are excited to welcome RECALO to the RePLHA consortium. RePLHA brings together partners from across the value chain to develop and demonstrate a reusable transport packaging system for large household appliances.

The aim is to replace single-use transport packaging with a scalable, cost-effective and environmentally sound circular alternative, supporting companies as they prepare for upcoming PPWR reuse targets.

RECALO brings valuable expertise in circular packaging, reusable load carriers and pooling systems. Their expertise will be instrumental as we further develop the logistics and pooling model needed to make reuse work across EU-wide supply chains. Pooling and shared assets are a core element of the RePLHA approach to enable efficient reuse systems & scaleability.

In the meantime, our packaging manufacturing partners Corplex and KTPconTeyor have successfully developed the first packaging concept designs, while Heliot Europe is working on the digital tracking elements.

As RePLHA approaches its conclusion, the consortium has delivered significant results, including packaging and system guidelines, as well as the development of viable business models.

These achievements lay the foundation for the prototyping and piloting activities out in the upcoming Phase 3.

We will soon host a live session for OEMs and retailers to share the key outcomes of Phase 2. If you are interested in joining, please reach out to [email protected].

Welcome aboard, RECALO!

New partners, new pilots, new talks, old policy arguments and ancient rights! We have it all covered at Searious Business! Check out what the team has been up to over the past month in our recap.👇

https://share.sender.net/campaigns/gsot/june-2026-recap-creating-impact-with-circular-plastics-searious-business