A closed-loop description should be read as a system with several steps. Readers considering SPG’s recycling and refurbishment services can map collection, processing and return before deciding which records would support a particular circularity statement.
SPG advertises packaging-material recycling and refurbishment services. Read the source.
Trace the material through the whole route
Identify who collects the material, what condition is accepted, where processing occurs and what output is returned to use. Keep intended programme design separate from evidence of completed movements. A diagram of a loop is not itself a record that every package completed it.
For a specific programme, ask which quantities and time periods the records cover. Collection, accepted input and usable output can answer different questions. A useful file distinguishes those stages and notes any material leaving the intended route, rather than assuming perfect recovery from the programme name.
Questions to put in the file
- Which material and customer programme are being discussed?
- Who is responsible for each movement and processing step?
- What records show actual collection and return to use?
- What losses, rejects or alternate routes need to be recorded?
A practical evidence worksheet
| Field | What to retain |
|---|---|
| Input | Material, condition and collection scope |
| Process | Responsible parties and acceptance criteria |
| Output | Recorded return to use and unresolved losses |
Worked example
A customer is offered a return programme for protective packaging. It asks for the collection arrangement, acceptance criteria and the records that would show completed returns. The file distinguishes the proposed loop from its later operating evidence. That makes future performance review possible without guessing a recovery rate.
What the record can establish
A loop is a sequence of accountable steps. Evaluate the route and its records rather than treating the label as a complete result.
Sources and scope
Public sources reviewed November 1, 2026. Company statements remain attributed descriptions, not independent certification. Examples are hypothetical. No private files, original interviews or authenticated leaks were used for this explainer. Technical or legal decisions require the relevant records and qualified review.
