DS Smith unveils circularity tool Jo Francis Wednesday, May 5, 2021 DS Smith is claiming an industry first with a new tool that allows customers to rate the sustainability of their packaging choices. New tool allows brands to "explicitly understand what their packaging choices mean" The PLC’s Circular Design Metrics tool uses eight different indicators and allows clients to compare how different types of packaging design perform in terms of the circular economy. The eight metrics are: recyclability, planet safe, material use, renewable source, recycled content, carbon footprint, designed for reuse, and supply chain optimised. Last year the group teamed with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation as a strategic partner, and established its Circular Design Principles for packaging. It has now trained up its 700 packaging designers to apply the know-how to help customers design packaging with circularity in mind.