In the lead up to the Plastics and the Circular Economy Conference (PCEC) 2023, PKN speaks to One Planet Consulting’s Helen Millicer about the current state of plastic packaging circularity, and what visitors can expect to learn at the event.
Millicer, director of One Planet Consulting, and a Churchill Trust fellow, has a long, national career in sustainability and was one of the first to work on Australia’s transition to a more circular economy. Millicer’s insights are informed by national roles in energy, carbon, water, organics, plastics and materials; industry and manufacturing; and government policy and programs.
Currently, Millicer is facilitating a change with significant initiatives, including: the Australian Food and Grocery Council’s national stewardship scheme for soft plastics; the Australian government on circular strategies and levers for better eco-product into the Australian market; strategies and fund management as member of the inaugural Waste and Resource Recovery Board for the Tasmanian government; chair of the Churchill Trust Victorian selection panel for industry; co-founder of Climate Wise Associations; and guest program curator for this SPE-ANZ national Plastics Conference.
PKN: What do you think are the key limitations to Australia meeting plastic packaging circularity?
Key limitations are not the lack of public education. Australia, like other nations, provides reasonable levels of public education on recycling with signs, websites etc. What we DO have to improve is our non-recyclable packaging design and lack of recycling collections for nearly 50% of our plastic packaging.
Like other countries we need to see big improvements especially in reusable packaging and associated systems for both B2B and consumers. We will hear more about this shift led by Europe and what is feasible in Australia at the A-NZ SPE Conference and how we get there. Likewise I think we have reached ‘peak-diversity’ in packaging formats and composition complexity with the future seeing all sorts of likely bans, standards and specifications for recyclability. We are seeing this in the arguments and moves around compostables, PVC, PVDC, colours and some format packaging that includes bans and financial carrots and sticks.
What topics are you looking forward to hearing discussed at the Conference and why? For example, on targets, market demand, price, levies?
We will be discussing all these structural changes and their impacts upon packaging, industry and users and what we need in Australia. I have some views on packaging targets given I am working directly on strategies and stewardship schemes. We need them, and they need to become incremental and SMART.
As the conference speaker program curator I am really excited that the conference is purposefully structured around solutions that brands, business, industry and governments can apply. We see these applied overseas and know they are coming to Australia. These include specific targets, price signals, improved economic incentives for better design and collection. We will definitely see growing emphasis upon brand owner responsibility for their packaging and products and we need systems that will help all brands be leaders and producing great reusable or recyclable packaging.
The conference is focused on solutions. What are some priority actions that you will recommend and raise with audiences at the conference?
In my presentation I will cover the 10 recommended actions for governments and industry that were accepted and published in March by the Australian Government on eco-design for environmental good. These include measures to support reuse, repair, recycling, low emissions future. This report and its recommendations is central to us moving to a circular and low emissions future.
What will force action and who could/should show leadership on this?
Australia is blessed with outstanding leaders, networks, capacity to make step change to packaging. We have more power to do this than we realise with nearly 50% is manufactured plastic packaging manufactured here. And many brands, especially in food and beverage located here. We are one of few countries to have the full plastics supply chain and can far better advantage of this. We are an island and can also set some parameters around what is allowable into the country and support local leaders who are investing and doing the right thing.
