Government rules for packaging in Australia

Australia's packaging will soon be subject to strict new government rules aimed at boosting a circular economy, thanks to agreement at a national meeting of environment ministers today (9 June 2023).

The rules will be designed to help make sure packaging waste is minimised in the first place, and where packaging is used it is designed to be recovered, reused, recycled or reprocessed.

The rules will include mandatory packaging design standards and targets — including for recycled content and to address the use of harmful chemicals in food packaging.

While voluntary targets and design guidelines to reduce the impact of packaging have been in place and many companies have been doing great work, there are still three million tonnes of packaging sent to landfill each year, so the government needed to do more.

Minister for the Environment and Water Tanya Plibersek said: “Even large companies like Nestlé, Unilever and Coca-Cola have told me they want to see regulation to help the world reach a circular economy.”

Making the rules mandatory will put the onus on the companies responsible for producing packaging to take responsibility for their waste.

“We want to better protect nature and reverse decline — and that takes all levels of government working together,” Plibersek said.

Australian Food and Grocery Council (AFGC) CEO Tanya Barden has welcomed decisions by the nation’s environment ministers that support to the food and grocery manufacturing sector’s efforts to reduce plastic packaging waste, including the development of the National Plastics Recycling Scheme (NPRS).

“Food and beverage manufacturers have long supported reducing the environmental footprint of packaging without compromising the health and safety of consumers or contributing to food waste,” Barden said.

“The announcement from environment ministers is a strong signal to our industry of support for these goals and we look forward to collaborating with governments and supply chain partners to deliver meaningful outcomes.”

The AFGC has been working with stakeholders across the supply chain to develop the NPRS, an industry-led scheme to close the loop on soft plastics. The Environment Ministers’ Meeting’s agreement to pursue measures such as harmonisation of kerbside standards and traceability is welcome as they align with essential elements of this scheme.

“Our pioneering soft plastic recycling scheme is not possible without traceability and harmonised kerbside recycling standards, and so we congratulate the Ministers for their attention to these important aspects,” Barden said.

The Australian Council of Recycling (ACOR) also welcomed the commitment made by Australia’s Environment Ministers to support a circular economy for packaging.

“We applaud Australia’s Environment Ministers for their decision to regulate packaging design, with the aim of achieving important targets for reuse, recyclability and recycled content,” said Suzanne Toumbourou, CEO of ACOR. “A stronger regulatory framework, which promotes circular design and ensures robust end markets for recycled materials, is essential for a sustainable recycling system.”

Image credit: iStock.com/Sami Sert