Australasian Recycling Label Program welcomes 500th member

The Australasian Recycling Label (ARL) Program has announced it has welcomed its 500th member after an influx of new companies sign onto the scheme.

The growth comes after the Australian Government committed to work with the industry to apply the ARL on at least 80% of supermarket products by December 2023.

Developed in 2018 by the Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation (APCO), Planet Ark and PREP Design, ARL is an on-pack labelling plan designed to help consumers to recycle correctly and supports businesses to correctly design for, label and communicate about packaging recyclability.

APCO CEO Brooke Donnelly said congratulations are in order for the program’s new members, which include Kentucky Fried Chicken, Northern Valley Packers, Straughton Group, Bluebird Foods and Bostik Australia.

“This month, the Australasian Recycling Label (ARL) was a key focus of the Australian Government’s inaugural National Plastics Plan, with the innovative labelling program recognised as a key consumer recycling education tool,” Donnelly said.

“There has never been a better time for Australian businesses to get involved.”

As of March, more than 44 new organisations have already joined the ARL Program in 2021, bringing the total to 193 in the last 12 months.

A range of organisations, including Paper Australia, Swisse Wellness and Nerada Tea, have also had their first ARL artwork approved and will soon have product packaging containing the label appearing on shelves to help their customers recycle correctly.

Image credit: APCO.