Beyond the bag

How might we transport goods from retailer to destination in a way that is compatible with diverse retail systems, delivers ease and convenience for customers, and reduces environmental impact?

The Challenge

The Beyond the Bag Challenge aims to identify innovative new design solutions that serve the function of today’s single-use plastic retail bag, delivering ease and convenience for consumers while striving to lessen the impact on the environment. Successful solutions will strive to be compatible in diverse retail environments, deliver the ease and convenience of the single-use plastic bag, and reduce or eliminate the environmental impact. Solutions will address the packaging that transports products from point of sale to final customer destination. The Challenge is not seeking solutions to address inter-region shipping or long-distance delivery. Read more.

What Happens to My Idea?

Closed Loop Partners’ Center for the Circular Economy and Founding Partners CVS Health, Target, and Walmart, along with other leading retailers, have committed to advancing the identification, acceleration, and scaling of new bag solutions. As a participant in the Challenge, you retain intellectual property ownership of all your Challenge submission Ideas. There is no transfer of intellectual property rights to any third party as a condition of participating in the Challenge. Read more.

Challenge Awards

Winning Solutions are eligible to receive a portion of $1 million in funding. We are excited to support Innovators across multiple stages of development:

• Emerging Innovator Award: Early stage concepts: Up to $50k USD
• Mid-stage Innovator Award: Growth stage concepts: Up to $100k USD
• Advanced Solutions Award: Established companies with innovation solutions will be considered for financial and in-kind support for testing and piloting

Accelerator and Pilot

The most promising early- and growth-stage winners have the option to advance to the Beyond the Bag Circular Accelerator to receive further assistance in scaling their solutions. These solutions will receive access to the retail and recovery-system industries to test and enhance their solutions. New design solutions that hold promise may be piloted by the Consortium. Some selected Advanced Solutions will also have access to testing and potential piloting opportunities in parallel to the Accelerator.

Promising solutions that participate in the Accelerator may be eligible for additional capital investment both during and after the program. Startups invited to advance to the Circular Accelerator, who choose to participate, will not be required to provide an equity stake, warrant, or other investment commitment.

Challenge journey