No treaty, now what? 7 design moves that cut costs and risk today

This failure makes one thing clear: action can’t wait. Without a binding global agreement, the responsibility shifts to businesses, designers and local governments to lead the change. The pressure is now on to innovate, adapt and rethink how products and packaging are designed.

In the absence of top-down solutions, design becomes one of the most powerful tools we have. Smart design choices can cut costs, reduce risk and shrink your plastic footprint.

In this blog, we’ll unpack 7 practical design moves your organisation can implement today to stay ahead of regulation, protect your bottom line and help build a circular economy that works, with or without a treaty.

1. Design for disassembly

Most plastic products and packaging today are made from complex combinations of materials that are difficult, if not impossible, to separate for recycling:

• Polymers
• Glues
• Inks
• Colourants

This complexity reduces the recyclability of materials, drives up waste handling costs and slashes the potential value of recovered plastics.

An effective design strategy here would be simplification. Start designing products and packaging with disassembly in mind. Use fewer materials, compatible components and standardised colours. By making it easier to break down items into recyclable parts, you not only improve recovery rates but also reduce contamination and lower disposal costs.

It is a win for both businesses and the environment.

2.  Eliminate unnecessary plastics

Plastics are often used by default, even when they are not needed. From decorative films to oversized packaging, a significant amount of plastic ends up in low-value, single-use applications that provide little functional benefit and contribute heavily to waste.

Solve this by conducting a targeted audit of your products and packaging to identify and remove redundant or non-functional decorative plastic components. Stripping out what is unnecessary leads to direct material savings, lowers production and disposal costs and signals a more responsible, streamlined approach to design.

3. Build localised circular loops

For years, global waste markets have served as a safety net, but they are increasingly unreliable.

• Volatile pricing
• International shipping delays
• Tightening import restrictions

These have all exposed just how inefficient and unsustainable it is to depend on distant systems to handle local waste.

To combat this issue, shift your focus closer to home. Invest in systems, infrastructure and partnerships that keep materials circulating within your local economy. Whether through:

• Take-back schemes
• Regional recycling collaborations
• On-site reuse strategies

Not only does this reduce transport emissions and supply chain risks, it also builds resilience and trust in your sustainability claims.

4. Standardise for recyclability

Even when packaging is technically recyclable, inconsistent design choices, such as incompatible caps, hard-to-remove labels or mixed polymers, can render it useless in real-world recycling systems. This inconsistency creates confusion for users and contamination for recyclers.

Creating industry-wide design standards that prioritise recyclability will help reduce this confusion. This includes choices like:

• Using mono-materials
• Placing labels in designated areas
• Choosing cap and closure materials that match the primary container

Standardisation may seem small, but across thousands of units, it dramatically improves sorting efficiency, reduces contamination and increases the overall value of recycled output.

5.  Rethink material uses at source

While recycling is important, tackling plastic pollution at the end of a product’s life isn’t enough, especially when most plastics are still made from fossil fuels and designed for single use.

Shift toward alternative materials like certified bioplastics, compostables or reusable formats designed for long-term use. These choices not only reduce dependency on fossil fuels but also help future-proof your business against tightening regulations and changing consumer expectations.

Over time, they can also deliver long-term cost savings through durability, reuse or lower compliance costs.

6. Apply Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) principles now

Right now, the financial and environmental burden of plastic waste often falls on governments and local authorities, not on the companies that produce it. This disconnect leads to underinvestment in recycling infrastructure and poor end-of-life outcomes.

By internalising the cost of waste through product and packaging design, you gain more control over what happens at the end of a product’s life and position your business ahead of the curve as EPR regulations become more widespread. Embedding these principles now can reduce long-term risk and strengthen your sustainability credentials.

7. Simplify for systemic alignment

Overly complex product and packaging designs create ripple effects throughout the waste system, making items harder to sort, process and recycle. This complexity drives up costs and increases the risk of material ending up in landfill or incineration.

This could be solved by embracing simplicity. Use modular, streamlined designs that are easier for existing infrastructure to handle. Think fewer components, standard sizes and materials that match recycling capabilities.

Simplifying doesn’t mean compromising function, it means designing with the whole system in mind, reducing friction and making circularity more achievable.

The future won’t wait for consensus

The collapse of the global plastics treaty isn’t the end of the story, it’s a signal that we can’t afford to wait for top-down solutions. Progress now depends on the decisions made by businesses, designers and manufacturers every day.

By applying the design moves outlined above, organisations can cut costs, reduce risk and help shape systems that are simpler, more efficient and better prepared for the circular economy of the future.

In the absence of global alignment, smart, local and system-aware design is the fastest path forward.