The move to sustainable packaging is set to be turbo-charged, with the federal government taking the landmark decision to step in and legislate on packaging waste.
The impending legislation will mean brands will increasingly look to fibre-based (paper, carton and board) packaging solutions, and away from plastics. That move is already underway, with the likes of Detpak developing fibre-based cartons for the Fantastic Noodles brand to replace the previous Styrofoam container, and Amcor developing paper-based packaging for confectionery brands including Mars, Milky Way and Snickers, to replace the flexible plastic wrapping for the 100 million bars sold in Australia annually.
Plastic, of course, will remain an important material for packaging, but the emphasis in the proposed mandates will be on using an increased amount of post-consumer recycled content as more plastic recycling infrastructure comes on stream in Australia, and shifting to monomers to ensure cleaner recycling streams and boost circular material recovery.
The decision to legislate will have implications for print businesses currently in packaging. They will need to be working with their customers, and media suppliers, in much the same way that Detpak and Amcor have. While fibre-based packaging has a fairly straightforward path to recycling, labels are in the early stages of developing a recycling pathway, while films, and pouches, which are set to boom in usage, are similarly just beginning their sustainable journey.
In a clear show of belief in the switch to fibre, the world’s biggest press manufacturer Heidelberg is currently developing a new webfed flexo carton press, the Boardmaster, which will run at 600 metres a minute. The first beta machine has just been fired up. It will be the first new type of Heidelberg press for years.
SELF REGULATION HAS NOT WORKED
The decision by government to step in and legislate comes as voluntary targets and guidelines for Australia’s packaging industry have not worked, with the National Packaging Targets set for 2025 set to be missed, some by a large degree. Plastic packaging recycling, for instance, is currently at just 18 per cent, well short of the 70 per cent target set for 2025. Government has now taken the decision to intervene, a move that has been welcomed by much of the packaging industry, and its critics.
In an Australian-first, packaging will soon be subject to strict new government rules aimed at cutting waste and boosting recycling, following the historic agreement struck at a national meeting of environment ministers.
Federal environment minister Tanya Plibersek said the new rules will help make sure packaging waste is minimised in the first place, and that where packaging is used, it will be designed to be recovered, reused, recycled or reprocessed.
The new rules will include mandatory packaging design standards, and targets that will make manufacturers and retailers responsible for reducing, reusing and recycling their plastic packaging, including soft plastics.
“We want to better protect nature and reverse decline – and that takes all levels of government working together,” said Plibersek.
“We need to dramatically reduce packaging waste, and the harmful chemicals that destroy our environment. We see packaging in the guts of dead birds, floating in our oceans, destroying nature as it takes generations to degrade. Put simply, we’re making too much, using too much, and too much is ending up in landfill.
“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.
“Until now, governments have ignored calls to step in and set mandatory targets. While some in the industry have stepped up to voluntarily reduce their impact, it’s just not enough. We’re changing that.”
Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation (APCO) CEO Chris Foley, said, “This is absolutely the right way to move forward. APCO is pleased with the outcome of what has involved a long period of consultation.”
He said APCO welcomes the announcement that government will pursue mandatory packaging design standards and targets.
“This is a watershed moment in Australia’s relationship with packaging sustainability and will provide a significant boost to our goals of achieving a circular economy for packaging.
“Good packaging design is essential to ensure better environmental outcomes at end of life. It is simply not acceptable to put packaging onto the market that is destined to end up in landfill because of poor, unsustainable choices made at the design stage.”
As part of the Review of the 2025 National Packaging Targets delivered to Environment Ministers by APCO in 2022, APCO called for the establishment of clear standards requiring business to design for packaging reduction, reuse and recycling, along with effective and accountable extended producer responsibility for materials not accepted at kerbside.
Foley continued: “It’s fantastic to see Environment Ministers committing to strong, decisive action and taking up some of the recommendations from APCO’s Review of the 2025 Targets. APCO’s more than 2300 members have made significant improvements in the past five years, but it’s clear that stronger regulation is needed to address free riders and accelerate progress.
“Since completing the review of the 2025 Targets, APCO has begun to strengthen its internal capabilities and capacity to help businesses improve their environmental performance and prepare for stronger regulation. We are ready to support our members and the wider community as we work collaboratively towards achieving greater packaging sustainability outcomes across the system.
“We are excited to work together closely with industry and government in the coming months to develop these standards. By fostering greater collaboration across the system and working hand in hand with important stakeholders, we can further reduce the environmental impacts of packaging and deliver greater community and economic benefits.”
WWF-Australia has welcomed the intervention by government, saying it will have a major impact on the country’s plastic pollution crisis.
“This is a major step forward in Australia’s war on plastic waste. It’s a commitment that will be welcomed by Australians who’ve been so disappointed by the collapse of our soft plastic recycling scheme,” said Kate Noble, WWF-Australia’s No Plastic in Nature policy manager.
“It’s heartening to see governments coming together to finally take action on this issue, and listen to Australians who’ve made it very clear they want companies to take responsibility for the packaging and waste they produce.”
Research that Ipsos conducted for WWF and the Plastic Free Foundation found that 86 per cent of Australians want manufacturers and retailers to be responsible for reducing, reusing and recycling their plastic packaging.
“WWF has been calling for major reform to reduce the amount of plastic we use, and to ensure what we do need is designed for reuse and recycling. Moving from voluntary targets and guidelines into clear rules and responsibilities is a really important step,” Noble added.
“These rules will cover more than a million tonnes of plastic packaging placed on the market each year, as well as paper, glass and cardboard packaging. Keeping this waste in the economy and out of nature is critical, and packaging rules will kelp to achieve that.
“But to really drive change, they should include mandatory reduction and reuse targets, as well as design and recycling requirements. Importantly, these rules will also apply to all packaging materials, not just plastic, which should help ensure that we’re not creating more issues by simply shifting the problem elsewhere.
“It’s vital that these changes help drive reduction of virgin material use – not just plastics – as part of Australia’s shift towards a circular economy that prioritises getting rid of unnecessary packaging, scaling up reuse and refill systems, and recycling the rest.”
Environment group Boomerang Alliance hailed the decision by Australia’s environment ministers to regulate how packaging is used and produced as the first substantial and meaningful step to turn the corner after what it claimed was 20 years of failed voluntary programmes, pollution and waste.
“This is absolutely the right decision and key first step to tackle the growing waste and plastic pollution harming the oceans and climate,” said Jeff Angel, director of Boomerang Alliance.
“Mandatory standards for recycled content and targets are essential to create the economic rationale for new recycling and reprocessing plants. New rules to minimise wasteful packaging will also help tackle the plastic waste and pollution tidal wave projected by the UN and at the recent Paris meeting on an international plastic pollution treaty.
“The first step will of course need to be followed up by a comprehensive product stewardship scheme where industry is required to fund collection and recycling programs, avoiding the mistakes of the failed Redcycle approach.
“Boomerang and our allied groups will be watching the detailed development of the design standards and larger scheme closely, and providing ongoing contributions.”
Peak industry body, the National Retail Association (NRA), has also welcomed the historic announcement. “Many businesses have been working hard to overcome challenges and meet sustainability targets, and this landmark commitment to consistency between states, territories and federal government gives industry confidence to progress,” said David Stout, director of the NRA.
“Businesses have been calling for a ‘true north’ and should now have more certainty to invest in innovation and infrastructure with standardised definitions and clearer guidance in adopting more sustainable packaging.
“We look forward to working with government on the details and we congratulate all levels of government, and particularly the federal government, for recognising the need for clear direction and support, so all businesses can take decisive action towards sustainability.”