Partnership formed to increase ARL usage in NZ

New Zealand consumers can expect to see a lot more of the Australasian Recycling Label (ARL) thanks to a partnership that has been signed between the Food & Grocery Council (FGC) and the Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation (APCO).

The ARL was developed by APCO, Planet Ark and PREP, and while many companies are adopting it in Australia, and it enjoys strong support from Australian consumers, it is less commonly seen in Kiwi stores.

As part of the new partnership between them, APCO and FGC will design a roadmap to increase awareness of the ARL in New Zealand so that both consumers and businesses are highly aware of it. Use of the PREP system will also be encouraged.

Food & Grocery Chief Executive Katherine Rich said: “69% of New Zealanders say they check the label on packaging before recycling, so the instructions need to be clear and, most importantly, reflect the collection and recycling system here in New Zealand.

“More than 95% of scannable barcodes on packaging are common across both New Zealand and Australia, so our members need one labelling system. We are excited to continue this great work by championing the adoption of the ARL, not just by the food and grocery sector but for all packaging.”

APCO Chief Executive Officer Brooke Donnelly said: “We are excited to be working with the FGC to increase uptake of the ARL in New Zealand and support brand owners to adopt it so they can provide their customers with critical information that will increase recycling rates and resource recovery.

“The ARL has just reached a new milestone of 250,000 SKUs on-pack in Australia and 80,000 SKUs in New Zealand. Partnerships like this are critical for supporting brands to design for the local recycling capability and to ensure credibility in consumer information.”

Image credit: ©stock.adobe.com/au/AdriaVidal