The Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation (APCO) has welcomed the commitments made by Australian environment ministers, who met on 21 October in Brisbane to discuss the environmental challenges facing the country.
Australia’s environment ministers made three landmark commitments to halt and reverse biodiversity loss across the country, and put Australia’s environment back on a path of recovery. A key tenet of these commitments that pertains to the packaging industry is the focus on waste reduction and driving forward the development of a framework to achieve a circular economy by 2030.
In recognition of the scale and urgency of environmental challenges, ministers agreed:
- To work collectively to achieve a national target to protect and convert 30 per cent of Australia’s landmass and 30 per cent of Australia’s marine areas by 2030;
- To note the Commonwealth’s intention to establish a national nature repair market and agreed to work together to make nature positive investments easier, focusing on a consistent way to measure and track biodiversity; and
- To work with the private sector to design out waste and pollution, keep materials in use and foster markets to achieve a circular economy by 2030.
Responding to the announcement, Chris Foley, CEO of APCO, said working towards the development of a circular economy for packaging is at the forefront of the Organisation’s work, and it welcomes the government’s announcement.
“This show of support is critical to fostering and deepening collaboration both across the packaging value chain and between industry and government, and is absolutely vital to achieving Australia’s sustainable packaging goals,” said Foley.
“It’s fantastic to see a commitment to develop consistent definitions to support the phase out of problematic single-use plastics, and this will support APCO members to utilise the Action Plan to phase these types of materials out of packaging.”
Ministers also noted in their communique the Australian government’s intention to develop a regulatory product stewardship scheme for solar panels and household electronics, and also agreed:
- To develop nationally harmonised definitions to support the phase out of problematic single-use plastic;
- To reform the regulation of packaging by 2025, to ensure that all packaging available in Australia is designed to be recovered, reused, recycled and reprocessed safely in line with circular economy principles;
- That the Australian government add end-of-life tyres to the minister’s Product Stewardship Priority List, signalling the intention to regulate should industry not lift its game; and
- The Commonwealth will work with jurisdictions to phase out the use of harmful chemicals in food packaging.
“We also welcome ministers’ intent to reform the regulatory framework supporting APCO’s work towards a circular economy for packaging,” Foley added.
“Greater harmonisation, clearer goals and a renewed focus on core circular economy principles will accelerate Australia’s sustainable packaging progress.
“Similarly, we are pleased to see the commitment to work with jurisdictions to phase out the use of harmful chemicals in food packaging, which supports our recently released PFAS Action Plan.”
To read the environment ministers’ communique, click here.
