PRESS RELEASE
The World Has a New Symbol for Reuse
Global alliance of businesses, governments, designers, and NGOs unveils universal symbol designed to help scale the reuse economy worldwide.
Washington DC, June 3, 2026 - A new global symbol designed to identify reusable packaging and reuse systems worldwide was unveiled today by PR3: The Global Alliance to Advance Reuse and its international coalition of businesses, governments, NGOs, designers and reuse operators. It marks a major milestone in the transition away from the throwaway economy.
The launch comes amid global pressure to tackle the plastic and climate crises and growing recognition that recycling alone cannot solve the scale of the problem. Today, only 9% of plastic waste is actually recycled, while the vast majority ends up in landfill, incinerators or polluting the environment.
Reuse systems - where packaging is returned, collected, washed and reused repeatedly - are increasingly emerging as one of the most effective alternatives to single-use packaging. At scale, reuse can cut single-use packaging production by as much as 90% and reduce emissions by up to 80% – a climate impact comparable to grounding the global aviation industry.
Presented by the PR3 Global Standards Panel, Rebrand Reuse launched in 2025 as a global design initiative to create a universal symbol for reuse systems and reusable packaging. The initiative received 236 submissions from 29 countries across every continent except Antarctica and was selected through an international review, consumer research, and legal evaluation process.
The winning symbol was created by Nicole Ascanio Rodriguez and Juan Navarrete, designers and co-founders of Epigrama Studios, based in Bogotá, Colombia. The design was selected following multiple rounds of jury review, global market testing involving 1,275 respondents across 17 countries, and evaluation against criteria including distinctiveness, memorability, actionability, cultural adaptability and recognizability. It was also specifically evaluated to ensure it could be clearly distinguished from the existing recycling symbol and its “chasing arrows” Möbius loop.
Juan Navarrete, Co-Founder & Designer, Epigrama Studios:
“We wanted to create a symbol that communicates return, continuity and circulation - something simple enough to travel globally, but meaningful enough to represent a new relationship with materials and waste. The symbol understands time not as a straight line, but as a spiral: returning, restoring and beginning again.”
The symbol is now being introduced on a diverse range of reusables and reuse infrastructure - including cups, foodware and to-go containers, wine and beverage bottles, cleaning and homecare product containers, collection bins, logistics vehicles, marketing material, signage, and city-wide ecosystems.
Examples of pioneering organizations and the locations they’re deploying or working to integrate the symbol include, but are not limited to:
Australia, multiple locations: Cercle
Australia, multiple locations: Huskee
Canada, Hong Kong, Singapore, multiple locations: Muuse
Colombia, Bogotá: Xiclo
Egypt, Giza: Eco-Dahab
Indonesia, Jakarta: PlasticDiet Indonesia
United Kingdom, multiple locations: Re-Universe
United Arab Emirates, multiple cities and locations & USA, Seattle, WA: 99Bridges
United States of America:
Multiple locations, including Missouri, Arizona, Michigan, Oregon, Washington: Bold Reuse
Multiple locations, including Austin and New York City: CupZero
Hilo, HI: Ho’i Returnable Dish Program - Vytal US, Hawai’i County, Zero Waste Hawai’i Island and Perpetual
Boston, MA: Re-Dish
Seattle, WA: Reuse Seattle
West Coast: Revino
Multiple locations, including Los Angeles, San Francisco, Denver, Cleveland, Washington D.C., St. Paul: r.World
Amy Larkin, co-founder & director of PR3:
“Recycling does not solve the packaging and waste crises. Recycling is still single-use - it requires re-manufacturing of the package. Reuse systems keep a package in circulation, from 10 to up to 100 uses, before it is finally recycled and re-manufactured for another round of uses. This is our pathway to creating an un-throwaway world. The PR3 Global Standards for reuse and the new symbol give people a clear way to recognize reuse systems - and trust them.”
Unlike generic recyclability claims, use of the symbol is tied to specific criteria within the PR3 Marking & Labeling Standard, soon to be published by the American National Standards Institute. The symbol may only be used on packaging and infrastructure operating within systems that include collection, transport, sorting, washing and reuse processes.
The symbol may also appear across collection points, wash facilities, digital interfaces, return systems and reuse infrastructure designed to support end-to-end circular systems.
Cameron Russell, supermodel, author, activist & Rebrand Reuse juror, US:
“Disposability has become one of the defining habits of modern life - and one of the most damaging. Symbols shape behavior and culture. They help people understand what systems exist around them and how to participate in them. This iconic symbol has the potential to make reuse more visible, intuitive and mainstream around the world.”
Leyla Acaroglu, Founder of The UnSchool of Disruptive Design & Rebrand Reuse juror, Australia:
“Reuse is about redesigning the systems of disposability so that materials and products can stay in circulation at their highest value for as long as possible. This shift is essential if we’re serious about addressing both ecological breakdown and resource use at a global scale.”
Karen Short, Former Global Executive Creative Director & MD, Sustainability at Accenture Song & Rebrand Reuse juror, US:
“We don’t solve climate change without reuse. What’s powerful about this new universal symbol is that it helps make reuse systems visible, understandable and scalable across cultures, sectors and geographies.”
Marco Cimatti, Former Design Director, Design Innovation, PepsiCo & Rebrand Reuse juror, Global:
“For reuse to succeed, people need clear, consistent cues that make participation feel intuitive and convenient. The new mark creates a unifying visual language for reuse systems. Designed with bold simplicity in mind, it balances uniqueness with a strong visual signal to reuse.”
PR3 has developed global standards for reuse covering collection systems, container design, digital systems, labeling, operations, incentives and washing infrastructure through a consensus body representing more than 80 organizations across industry, government, environmental organizations, reuse operators and civil society. The standards are already helping guide the development of reuse systems globally, including municipal and commercial reuse infrastructure in North America, Europe and Asia, while PR3 is also developing a certification system for reuse operations and wash infrastructure.
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NOTES TO EDITORS
About Rebrand Reuse
Rebrand Reuse is a global design initiative presented by the PR3 Global Standards Panel to create a universal symbol for reuse systems and reusable packaging. The initiative received 236 submissions from 29 countries across every continent except Antarctica.
Countries represented in submissions
Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Denmark, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Isle of Man, Italy, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Philippines, Portugal, Sierra Leone, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom and United States.
Jury panel included
Cameron Russell, Cybelle Jones, Leyla Acaroglu, Karen Short, Mark Wilson, Michael Kraus, Dylan Siegler, Lorenzo Imbesi, Rodrigo Ramírez, Marco Cimatti and additional global leaders spanning sustainability, design, academia, business and culture. https://rebrandreuse.org/jury/
About Epigrama Studios
Epigrama Studios are storytelling consultants who design collective narratives rooted in diversity and social and environmental awareness. At Epigrama Studios, environmental and social justice are inseparable - true sustainability requires creating inclusive, fair, and equitable systems for all. By integrating migration, gender, and identity perspectives into their work, they recognize that marginalized communities are often the most affected by environmental and (geo)political crises.
About PR3: The Global Alliance to Advance Reuse
PR3’s mission is to empower and scale reuse systems. Launched in 2019, PR3 develops standards to support the growing reuse economy, creating a blueprint for efficient, reliable, economic and environmentally beneficial reuse systems. PR3 is accredited as a standards developer by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and works in cooperation with the CSA Group to publish and adopt standards bi-nationally. PR3 is a RESOLVE project.
Media Contacts
UK Lead: Fenella Grey; +44 (0)7740 701002; sayhi@hellotomorrow.global
US Lead: Kelsey Thompson; +1 (0) 412-855-5332; sayhi@hellotomorrow.global