Packaging Costs and Reuse Move Into Focus

Packaging moved from isolated sustainability projects toward costly system redesign. California's proposed EPR plan put more than $9 billion in five-year costs beside efforts to scale reusable systems across the United States.

Trade restrictions became a broader supply risk, disrupting shea, Australian beef, and canned vegetables through export bans or tariffs. Companies also continued expanding manufacturing and distribution capacity across the United States and Australia.