As global supply chains face mounting legislative pressure over the environmental crisis driven by single-use plastic manufacturing, a coalition has introduced a standardized visual language for the circular economy. PR3 (The Global Alliance to Advance Reuse) and its partners officially launched a new universal symbol designed exclusively to identify reusable packaging and reuse infrastructure.
The initiative addresses a growing consensus that traditional recycling infrastructure cannot adequately manage the packaging crisis due to its ongoing reliance on re-manufacturing single-use materials. Transitioning to verified reusable systems has the potential to cut single-use plastic manufacturing by up to 90 percent, according to a recent Forbes report detailing the PR3 launch and its goal to reduce plastic reliance. The new iconography is currently rolling out across beverage cups, bottles, return bins, and digital interfaces.
The winning design was created by Nicole Ascanio Rodriguez and Juan Navarrete of Epigrama Studios in Bogotá, Colombia. Selected from 236 global submissions spanning 29 countries, the design depicts time as a spiral to communicate continuity, restoration, and return. To ensure cross-cultural adaptability, the emblem underwent rigorous market testing with 1,275 respondents across 17 countries before its public release.
Separating Reuse From the Traditional Möbius Loop
A primary objective of the new design is to distinctly separate reuse systems from the traditional “chasing arrows” (Möbius loop) recycling symbol. The ubiquitous recycling arrows frequently cause consumer confusion between single-use recyclable materials and genuine reuse infrastructure. Marco Cimatti, former Design Director for Design Innovation at PepsiCo, stated that consumers require “clear, consistent cues” to make participation in the circular economy intuitive.
The deployment of this new visual language will be strictly tied to compliance with PR3’s Marking & Labeling Standard. This framework is expected to be formalized through the American National Standards Institute, as outlined in Reusable Packaging News regarding the upcoming ANSI compliance standards.