The purpose of this guide is to assist packaging design teams and sustainability teams in applying the SPHERE framework. SPHERE supports companies in improving their packaging portfolio according to their sustainability strategy and offers a unique way to balance the trade-offs between different environmental impacts. The framework builds on six principles for the environmental assessment of packaging, reconciling circularity and sustainability metrics for the first time: ensuring packaging efficiency, reducing climate change impacts and biodiversity loss, increasing circularity and proper end-of-life management, and avoiding harmful substances.

This guide presents an overview of the SPHERE framework principles. For an in-depth explanation of each principle, you can refer to WBCSD’s SPHERE report.