Reusable Packaging System Design Standard: Third-party Washing, Sanitization & Handling of Foodware

CSA Group
Standards Development Organisation:
Canadian Standards Association (operating as CSA Group)
Working Program:
View the CSA work program
Designation Number:
CSA R303
Standard Type:
National Standard of Canada - Domestic
Standard Development Activity:
New Standard
ICS code(s):
55.020
Status:
Proceeding to development
SDO Comment Period Start Date:
SDO Comment Period End Date:
Posted On:

Scope:

Third-party Washing, Sanitization & Handling of Foodware Standard specifies minimum requirements and recommendations for washing, rinsing, sanitization, and drying of foodware containers. It also provides requirements and recommendations for the handling processes for these containers during their collection and distribution. It is applicable to foodware containers that meet the Container Design Standard and are intended to be serviced by third-party providers for washing and logistics. This document is not intended for packaging containers or products in the manufactured consumer goods industry, such as bottled water, soda, or condiments, etc., though certain clauses in this document might be applicable to that industry. This document does not preempt or supersede any industry, local, state, regional or national standards.

Project need:

Single-use packaging is a critical threat to human health and the environment. Research shows that reuse has the greatest potential to dramatically reduce plastic production and greenhouse gas emissions compared to other packaging waste interventions. As reusable packaging systems have emerged and expanded in recent years, they have been designed independently and are mostly small-scale, disconnected, and proprietary. They mostly operate within their own systems for collection and reverse logistics. The key benefits of standardized reuse systems include: • The potential for reusable packaging from multiple companies and retailers to share the same core infrastructure and services (e.g., collection points, transportation, and washing); • Per-use packaging comparable to single-use packaging; and • Dramatically decreased climate and environmental impact compared to single-use packaging. The Third-party Washing, Sanitization & Handling of Foodware Standard represents one component of the Reusable Packaging System Design Standard. The goal of the Reusable Packaging System Design standard is to transform disconnected reuse systems into an interoperable system that is more efficient, convenient, and affordable and has the ability to truly scale. The Third-party Washing, Sanitization & Handling of Foodware Standard provides instructions for aligning container design across brands and companies in a way that enables sharing of container collection points, washing facilities, and logistics. This proposed New Standard is being developed at the request of Environment & Climate Change Canada as it aligns with the Government of Canada’s circular economy priorities . The standards will be developed with US Standards Development Organization, PR3 (Resolve), and will provide the industry with harmonized, binational standards between Canada and the US on Container Design to support reuse systems. As economies transition to reuse, these system standards have the potential to impact communities, consumers, workers, businesses, governments, and other stakeholders. This will meet the strategic needs of the following key interests: a) Industries, retailers, brand owners and packaging designers that intend to operate containers in a reuse system b) Ensuring consumers and communities are provided with the appropriate knowledge to participate in and engage with reuse systems c) Addressing Canadian and US federal government circular economy/waste reduction priorities and needs by providing suitable requirements for reuse systems; and aligning Canadian and US federal government reuse systems

Note: The information provided above was obtained by the Standards Council of Canada (SCC) and is provided as part of a centralized, transparent notification system for new standards development. The system allows SCC-accredited Standards Development Organizations (SDOs), and members of the public, to be informed of new work in Canadian standards development, and allows SCC-accredited SDOs to identify and resolve potential duplication of standards and effort.

Individual SDOs are responsible for the content and accuracy of the information presented here. The text is presented in the language in which it was provided to SCC.