Pact Group says it has processed 54,000 tonnes of recycled plastics in the 2023 financial year, which it says is the equivalent total weight of the steelwork on the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
The plastic waste was recycled at seven facilities operated by Pact, and its joint venture partners, in Australia and New Zealand, and converted into either food-grade or industrial-grade recycled resin and flake, and then used by Pact to make new packaging, or sold to customers.
The company’s 2023 Sustainability Report revelaed the 54,000 tonnes of recycled plastic is a 42 per cent increase on the previous year, and predominantly came from household kerbside collections and container deposit schemes, as well as pre-consumer and post-industrial scrap.
Pact CEO Sanjay Dayal said, “Consumers and brand owners are increasingly demanding locally produced recycled packaging, that is in turn recyclable.
"Recycled plastics is 2.2 times less emissions-intensive than virgin fossil fuel plastic, so by providing high-quality, local, recycled content for commercial use, Pact is enabling a lower emissions circular economy solution.”
Pact also says that two new recycling facilities, operated alongside its venture partners in Melbourne’s west, are due to commence operations in the coming months. It anticipates this will increase Australia’s annual plastic recycling capacity by 40,000 tonnes.
One of the facilities is the Circular Plastics Australia (PET) recycling plant in Altona North, which it says will be able to recycle approximately one billion 600ml beverage bottles a year. This is a joint venture between Pact, Cleanaway Waste Management, Asahi Beverages and Coca-Cola Europacific partners. The other new facility is a joint venture with Cleanaway, and will focus on recycling HDPE plastic milk bottles and dairy containers.
Other key findings from the 2023 Pact Sustainability report include:
- As part of its 2030 Emissions Reduction Target, Pact achieved a 12 per cent reduction in Scope 1 and 2 emissions in Australia and New Zealand by reconfiguring operational processes, investing in energy-efficient machinery and installing solar panels.
- Pact’s Reuse division circulated 82 million reusable plastic crates, eliminating 40,500 tonnes of single-use cardboard from the fresh produce supply chain.
- Pact redistributed 824 million hangers and 175 million security tags for reuse, diverting approximately 16,000 tonnes of waste from landfill.
- Pact Packaging decreased production of polystyrene packaging by 11 per cent, or 360 tonnes, and reduced PVC packaging by 42 per cent, or 125 tonnes.
- The average recycled content across Pact’s packaging portfolio was 12 per cent, with a target of 30 per cent recycled content by 2025.
You can access the full 2023 Sustainability Report here.
