Page 14 - Packaging News Magazine Sep-Oct 2021

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SUSTAINABILITY | www.packagingnews.com.au | September-October 2021
APCO launches
definitive guide
on recycled content
In a bid to support Australian businesses using more recycled content in packaging, the Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation has published a new resource, the Recycled Content Guide.
performance and appearance of recy- cled content for a range of packaging material types.
“It is crucial for our environment that we become much more circular and incorporate recycled plastic feedstocks into our plastic packag- ing,” said Richard Smith, director of sustainability, Amcor.
“At Amcor, we believe responsible packaging begins with good design, and so the Recycled Content Guide will be an invaluable document for everyone in the value chain to ensure we achieve our 2025 National Packaging Targets.”
The materials covered in the guide include PET, HDPE, PP, flexible plas- tics, other plastics (including PS, EPS, PVC and nylon), paper and paperboard, glass and metals, and aluminium and steel.
The document also provides a nine- step checklist for businesses to follow to support them on the journey to suc- cessfully using recycled content.
“The Recycled Content Guide is a positive step to ensure that everyone understands the important role that it plays to not only meet the 2025 National Packaging Targets, but to ensure circularity of packaging design and to lower the environmental impact of packaging across the entire value chain,” said Nerida Kelton, executive director of the Australian Institute of Packaging (AIP).
“Following the release of this guide, the AIP is preparing a new ‘Understanding the value of Recycled Content to your business’ training course that will help guide all sized businesses to take the next steps to improve their sustainable and circu- lar packaging design.”
The Recycled Content Guide, avail- able via the APCO website – apco.org. au –follows the recently released Recovered Polymer Specifications document, which provides a set of standard specifications for recycled materials suitable for manufacture into packaging.
APCO will also launch the indus- try phase of the new Recycled Content Labelling Program to the Australian market, providing clear on-pack evidence of the use of recy- cled content. ■
DEVELOPED to support the growing number of businesses redesigning their packaging to meet Australia’s 2025 National Packaging Targets, the Recycled Content Guide pro- vides clear and practical informa- tion about how to incorporate recycled content into packaging.
“No material is truly recycled until it has been used again, so in order to achieve a circular economy for pack- aging, it is vital that we work to increase the use of recycled content,” says Brooke Donnelly, APCO’s CEO.
“With more and more businesses working hard to achieve the 2025 National Packaging Targets, including the target of 50 per cent of average recy- cled content in packaging, clear guid- ance on what they need to do is so important, which is what this publica- tion offers.”
Designed to support businesses at all stages of the recycled content
journey, the guide provides an intro- ductory approach to recycled content, including what recycled content is; why the use of recycled content is important; the environmental bene- fits of recycled content; an exploration of the current barriers to using recy- cled content and how to overcome them; and practical steps for busi- nesses to use more recycled content.
In addition, the guide provides a detailed look at each material stream, exploring the application,
ABOVE: The guide provides a detailed look at each material stream, exploring the application, performance and appearance of recycled content for a range of packaging material types.
It is crucial for our environment that we become much more circular and incorporate recycled plastic feedstocks into our plastic packaging.”
— Richard Smith, Amcor