Chicago Area Retailers and Communities Invited to Join Campaign to Accelerate Reuse and Cut Single-Use Bag Waste

The campaign will launch in early 2027, and builds on successful initiatives led by Closed Loop Partners’ Center for the Circular Economy in other U.S. cities to strengthen reuse habits, reduce waste and lower unnecessary bag costs.

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SIGN UP FOR THE CAMPAIGN HERE.

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Chicago, Illinois, October 20, 2026 – A major region-wide retail campaign is coming soon to the Chicago area, building on the region’s momentum to cut single-use bag waste and bolster a culture of reuse across its communities. Led by Closed Loop Partners’ Center for the Circular Economy through its Consortium to Reinvent the Retail Bag, the campaign is set to launch in early 2027 and will support Chicago area residents in reusing bags or skipping single-use bags––moving the needle on the region’s progress to reduce waste.

As momentum around the campaign builds, the Closed Loop Center is inviting local retailers, chambers of commerce, municipalities and community groups across Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry and Will Counties to join some of the world’s largest retailers in the campaign by deploying freely available signage, implementing small, impactful operational adjustments, and amplifying the campaign across surrounding communities in the Chicago area.

The Chicago area has a long history of taking on complex environmental challenges, from protecting the Great Lakes and cleaning up the Chicago River to setting ambitious sustainability goals and advancing policies to reduce waste. That leadership, coupled with a strong network of local governments, businesses and community organizations, has created momentum for action. With diverse communities and different approaches to bag policy across the region, the campaign enables the Chicago area to accelerate progress and demonstrate what is possible when businesses, residents and local organizations work together to make reuse part of everyday life.

“Few regions are better positioned than the Chicago area to show what everyday reuse habits can look like at scale,” said Kate Daly, CEO of the Closed Loop Center for the Circular Economy. “By reducing unnecessary bag waste across communities with different habits and legislation, we can create a model that diverse communities across the country can learn from.”

Single-use bags are often used for only a few minutes but can create long-term costs for communities, waste systems and local environments. For communities, opting for reusable bags over single-use can mean less litter, less contamination in local recycling infrastructure and cleaner neighborhoods and waterways. For retailers, reducing the number of disposable bags distributed can lower costs and provide a more consistent checkout experience for customers who live, work and shop across areas with and without bag fees.

The Chicago area campaign builds on past activations led by the Consortium to Reinvent the Retail Bag in Colorado, Arizona and Southern California, where retailers and community partners implemented practical approaches to encourage shoppers to bring, reuse or skip bags. In Denver and Tucson in 2023, the Beyond the Bag campaign resulted in nearly 5% fewer single-use plastic bag transactions across the two cities, with the potential to eliminate up to 9.5 million bags annually. The Consortium’s work in Southern California in 2025 reached 10 million residents and provided even more insights on scaling behavior change amid evolving single-use bag policy. In the coming months, the Consortium will be releasing the insights from the campaign in Southern California to further inform what it takes to support behavior change at a larger scale.

To support reuse and bag waste reduction in the Chicago area, the Consortium to Reinvent the Retail Bag will provide organizations participating in the campaign with a suite of flexible, freely available tools designed to encourage shoppers to bring their reusable bags or skip unnecessary single-use bags. The toolkit will include ready-to-deploy signage, cashier prompts, staff engagement resources and community outreach materials that can make lower-waste, reuse-oriented habits more visible and convenient across the region.

Local retailers, chambers of commerce, municipalities and community groups in the Chicago area can engage in the campaign in many ways, including:

·      Amplifying the campaign through newsletters, websites and social media

·      Displaying campaign signage near store entrances, carts, checkout lanes and bagging areas, or in community public spaces

·      Implementing staff reminders and small changes at checkout that encourage shoppers to bring, reuse or skip a bag

Organizations interested in participating can request free pre-printed signage, access the digital campaign toolkit or support local outreach and distribution efforts through this form. Digital assets—including materials for a variety of store formats––will be freely available, with a limited quantity of pre-printed materials distributed throughout the region.

The campaign will begin in early 2027, and campaign materials will remain freely available for use following the completion of the dedicated campaign , enabling businesses and community partners to continue driving reuse and waste reduction efforts in the Chicago area and beyond for the foreseeable future.

“Long-term change is possible when new behaviors feel easy, familiar and shared,” said Daly. “The Chicago area’s businesses and communities are already taking meaningful steps to encourage reuse and to reduce waste, and this campaign is building on that progress. We are eager to partner with local businesses to turn small, repeatable actions into lasting impact.”

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SIGN UP FOR THE CAMPAIGN HERE.

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About Closed Loop Partners’ Center for the Circular Economy

The Closed Loop Center for the Circular Economy (the Closed Loop Center) is the innovation arm of Closed Loop Partners. The Closed Loop Center helps businesses solve their most pressing material challenges. We’re built on the principle that a world without waste is not only an environmental necessity, it’s a path to profitable growth. For more information, visit https://www.closedlooppartners.com/closed-loop-center/.

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