Upstream Innovation is a guide to packaging solutions designed for marketers, product designers, and packaging engineers who are new to circular economy, as well as seasoned practitioners. It includes tools and +100 examples from companies across a range of sectors to inspire and empower to take action on upstream innovation and achieve a circular economy for plastic. The guide covers an introduction to the mindset of upstream innovation, a seperate chapter on each of the three strategies for upstream innovation: Elimination, Reuse, and Material Circulation, and finally guidance on how to get started. Key insights: - In a circular economy, upstream innovation is about tracing a problem back to its root cause and tackling it there. Rather than working out how to deal with a pile of waste, the waste is prevented from being created in the first place. - Upstream innovation requires a shift in mindset, and involves rethinking not just the packaging itself, but also the product and the broader business model, and how to best deliver products and services to a user. - The upstream innovation mindset can be used to achieve 3 key circular economy innovation strategies — elimination, reuse, and material circulation. Backed by more than 110 innovation case examples, the guide shows you what good looks like in practice.