“Storied plastics,” or plastics that are collected by waste stream, sorted by material type, and traced back to the original point of origin, are a good choice of material for use in packaging as companies attempt to improve their sustainability practices, writes Pierre-Francois Thaler, co-founder and co-CEO of EcoVadis (via FoodDive). Companies that know they need to expand their eco-friendly practices are looking for ways to either limit packaging or to make packaging more sustainable, but that can “leave a hole in the product development process,” Thaler writes. Instead of filling this hole with generic recycled materials, consider storied plastics, he suggests. Storied plastics provide an opportunity for a brand to differentiate itself by giving a product color and background via the story of where its material originated. “The traceable, ‘origin story’ component of material comprised of products and packaging people have interacted with in their own lives can be communicated clearly and effectively to today’s highly discerning consumer,” wrote Tom Szaky, founder and CEO of TerraCycle, in Huffington Post last spring.