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Sustainability & CircularityRegulatory & Legal 16 Oct 2026

Hawaii reuse scheme opts for metal containers, exposing US capacity gap

Perpetual, the organisation behind Hawaii's reuse programme, has chosen metal containers over plastic after procurement work showed gaps in US manufacturing capacity for containers suited to local needs. According to the report, California's extended producer responsibility funds alone could create a USD 600m market opportunity for reusable packaging.

Why this mattersPerpetual's sourcing problems point to gaps in US capacity for reuse-grade containers, an opening for container makers as EPR money, put at USD 600m in California, funds reuse.

  • Hawaii's reuse programme will use metal rather than plastic containers, according to Perpetual.
  • Perpetual says procuring containers that fit local needs exposed gaps in US manufacturing capacity.
  • Perpetual frames the manufacturing gap as a structural issue that comparable US reuse programmes would face.
  • California EPR funds alone could create a USD 600m market opportunity for reusable packaging, according to the report.
Perpetual
Sources targretmarketing.com
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Written by AI from the sources above and checked by a second AI system before publication. No human wrote or edited this story. How it is made.

Updates

  • 2026-10-18 · Edited before publication: Why it matters generalised to 'reuse operators', but only Perpetual reports the capacity gaps.
  • 2026-10-18 · Edited before publication: The USD 600m California EPR estimate is attributed in the source to 'the source material', not to Perpetual; attribution corrected in summary and key facts. Perpetual is described as the organisation behind the programme, not as an operator.