In June 2020, more than 100 health experts from around the world wrote in a statement that "reusable systems can be used safely by employing basic hygiene," and included a list of best practices for reusable products in retail.
"While ‘it may be possible that a person can get COVID-19 by touching a surface or object that has the virus on it and then touching their own mouth, nose, or possibly their eyes,’ aerosolized droplets are the only documented method of COVID-19 transmission to date... reuse and refill systems are an essential part of addressing the plastic pollution crisis and moving away from a fossil fuel-based economy."
Also released in June, Reusable Packaging and COVID-19 by ZeroWaste Europe and Reloop Platform analyzed the EU policy landscape and concluded that the "ongoing attempt by industry to delay and weaken the implementation of the SUPD [EU Single-Use Policy Directive] is not based on science, and there is no evidence that single-use packaging contributes to the spread of COVID-19 any less (or more) than their reusable counterpart."
More on plastics in the time of COVID-19:
- In our opinion undoing plastic bans is risky business - Resource Recycling
- The collateral damage in plastic wars - Resource Recycling
- Maintain your sustainable packaging focus - Packaging Digest
- The plastics industry is trying to cash in on the COVID-19 pandemic - Gizmodo
- Correcting misinformation on Connecticut's Bottle Bill during the COVID-19 pandemic - CT Mirror