How Marrad, Recirculated, and PLA Solutions built a documented reuse loop that diverts corner boards from landfill and supports SB 54 compliance posture.
MESA, AZ, UNITED STATES, May 29, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — Marrad, Recirculated, and PLA Solutions today announced the successful completion of Phase One of the Recover and Reuse corner board pilot program and the launch of Phase Two, opening July 1st to new partners across the produce supply chain.
Recover and Reuse is a collaborative initiative built to divert plastic and paper corner boards from landfills and return them to active use within the produce industry. Phase One proved the model works. Phase Two scales it.
Phase One Results
Phase One encompassed three of Marrad’s national grocery chain retailers and eight produce growers working with Recirculated. The pilot diverted approximately 60,000 corner boards from landfill: roughly 12,000 plastic corner boards and 48,000 composite paper boards containing both paper fiber and plastic content.
The program also delivered measurable outcomes relevant to California’s SB 54 packaging mandate. By closing the loop on corner board recovery at the distribution center level, participating retailers and growers build a documented material recovery record that supports SB 54 compliance posture and demonstrates circularity in their operations.
Environmental Impact
Corner boards in their current form are not designed or practically suited for conventional recycling, making reuse the only viable circular pathway. By returning boards to active service rather than sending them to landfill, Phase One participants avoided an estimated 55 to 85 metric tons of CO2e, equivalent to removing approximately 12 to 18 passenger vehicles from the road for a year.
Three Partners. One Operational Loop.
Marrad works with retailers to train and implement logistics, material solutions, and tracking, ensuring the process is repeatable across multiple DC locations. PLA Solutions provides operational expertise and management to ensure recovered materials meet the specifications required for supply chain reentry. Recirculated manages the grower side, ensuring that volume needs and specifications are understood so the corner boards can go back into the market.
The result is a documented loop: corner boards that would otherwise go to landfill are collected at distribution centers, processed, and reintroduced into the marketplace.
Phase Two: Now Accepting New Partners
Phase Two launches on July 1st. The operational infrastructure built during Phase One is proven and ready to scale. New retail and grower partners can plug into an existing system without a ground-up build.
Retailers interested in joining the program should contact Marrad directly. Growers interested in participating should contact Recirculated directly.
SB 54 Education Forum
During Phase One rollout visits to Monterey, grower concern about SB 54 compliance was consistent and significant. In response, Marrad and PLA Solutions are jointly sponsoring an EPR Educational Forum hosted by Recirculated. Patrick Owens, Chief Principal Consultant at Recirculated, will speak directly to growers about the mandate, its implementation timeline, and how programs like Recover and Reuse support their compliance posture. This event is invite only. To request an invitation, email Contact@Marrad.com. Follow us on LinkedIn to stay up to date on future events.
About Marrad
Marrad is a technology-enabled supply chain materials management company serving distribution centers and operations leaders in the produce and retail industries. Marrad manages recycling and waste programs end to end: consolidating vendors, recovering hidden value in material streams, and handling the logistics that pull operations teams away from their core work. Marrad’s managed programs generate a new revenue line for clients while building the documented material-flow data required for regulatory compliance reporting under EPR frameworks including California SB 54.
Contact@Marrad.com
About Recirculated
Recirculated is a sustainability consulting firm that helps supply chain companies navigate packaging EPR compliance with operational precision. They approach every engagement with cost-conscious thinking and measurable outcomes, helping clients build circular systems that make financial sense. As EPR regulations evolve rapidly, Recirculated positions its partners to stay ahead of shifting compliance requirements and market demands.
Contact@Recirculated.com
About PLA Solutions
PLA Solutions is a packaging solutions partner specializing in the sourcing and lifecycle management of plastic and paper packaging materials for the produce and food supply chain. PLA Solutions brings operational expertise and management to the Recover and Reuse program, ensuring recovered corner boards meet the material standards required for reentry into active supply chain use.
Supply Chain Services (Propak): (479) 478-7800
Pallet Solutions: (888) 549-1178
This press release is issued jointly by Marrad, Recirculated, and PLA Solutions.
Sabrina Bosch
Marrad
(844) 462-7723
contact@marrad.com
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