PR3 Alliance Launches New Global Symbol for Reusable Packaging

A new global symbol to identify reusable packaging and reuse systems has been launched by PR3: The Global Alliance to Advance Reuse. The symbol was created by designers Nicole Ascanio Rodriguez and Juan Navarrete, co-founders of Epigrama Studios in Bogotá, Colombia. The PR3 Global Standards Panel began the search for a universal reuse symbol in 2025.

The initiative received 236 submissions from 29 countries. The winning design was chosen after multiple rounds of jury review, global market testing and evaluation against criteria that included distinctiveness, memorability, actionability, cultural adaptability and recognizability. The symbol was also tested to ensure it could be clearly distinguished from the existing recycling symbol.

It is now being introduced on cups, wine and beverage bottles, and collection bins. It may also appear on collection points, wash facilities, digital interfaces, return systems and other reuse infrastructure. PR3 has developed global standards for reuse covering collection systems, container design, digital systems, labeling, operations, incentives and washing infrastructure.

The standards were created through a consensus body representing more than 80 organizations and are already guiding reuse systems in North America, Europe and Asia. PR3 is also developing a certification system for reuse operations and wash infrastructure. Amy Larkin, PR3 co-founder and director, said reuse is the most effective strategy for long-term plastic use reduction.

She said reusable packaging systems can cut the manufacturing of single-use plastic by 90 percent compared with comparable single-use products. Larkin also said the ongoing Strait of Hormuz crisis has pushed the price of plastic packaging up 40 percent in many areas in just three months, noting that the Middle East is a major exporter of petrochemicals used in plastics production.