Field Notes

Outdoor enthusiasts from all walks of life are celebrating the passage of the Expanding Public Lands Outdoor Recreation Experiences (EXPLORE) Act, a transformative law designed to harness the immense potential of the $1.2 trillion outdoor recreation industry. Signed into law by President Joe Biden on January 4, 2025, this bipartisan...

The packaging industry, like all others, has evolved by meeting the growing needs and demands of its customers. In packaging, the engine of innovation has always been solving problems related to three core tasks: protecting the product, enhancing product appeal on shelves, and keeping costs low. Companies that excel at...

In this series, we’ve been diving into the five essential requirements of a functioning recycling system. Building and linking these crucial pieces of the puzzle together is the roadmap for what we're calling The Recycling Reset. The goal here is to envision what recycling could and should be, as opposed...

Here at Atlantic Packaging and the A New Earth Project, we're about more than just making sustainable packaging; we're heavily invested in shaping a sustainable future. This endeavor is fueled by a broader, more holistic view of what sustainability means. As Wes Carter, our President, eloquently states, “At Atlantic Packaging,...

The recycling system in the United States is under intense scrutiny—and deservedly so. The latest swipe can be found in the powerful Netflix documentary, Buy Now, which delivers a searing critique of how our consumer culture is devastating the planet.  Its brief examination of recycling reveals an unsettling truth: for decades,...

As states like California, Oregon, Colorado, Maine, and Minnesota roll out ambitious new waste management policies with Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for packaging, stakeholders are busy identifying major hurdles to achieving the numerous ambitious targets mandated. The intent of packaging EPR is to hold producers and distributors accountable for the...