Page 20 - Packaging News May-June 2021

20
SUSTAINABILITY | APCO www.packagingnews.com.au | May-June 2021
Sustainable packaging: good for business
The changes brought about by Australian government’s National Plastics Plan not only represents new opportunities to manage packaging for better environmental outcomes, but they also provide positive growth and strategic direction for Australian businesses, writes Brooke Donnelly, Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation (APCO) CEO.
IN MARCH, the Australian government launched its inaugural National Plastics Plan, providing a clear and ambitious vision for how the coun- try will address the plastics crisis.
The plan has been designed with cir- cular economic principles at its core, outlining how Australia can keep plas- tics out of landfill and the natural envi- ronment, while retaining the circular
value of plastic in the local economy. For organisations operating in the plastic supply chain, the Plan also highlighted several important changes and deadlines, including a range of APCO-led initiatives, such as the roll-out of the Australasian Recycling Label and the phase out of problematic and unnecessary single- use plastic packaging under the 2025
National Packaging Targets.
For Australian businesses, these
changes not only represent new oppor- tunities to effectively manage packag- ing in our communities to achieve best practice environmental outcomes, they also provide positive growth and stra- tegic direction for the future economic viability of Australian businesses.
Eliminating waste is now also
a powerful strategic tool...”
Fundamentally, waste – the process of creating and then sending something to landfill – is a business inefficiency and an operational cost. In the Covid-19 recovery era, as many businesses face financial strain and look to find opera- tional efficiencies, minimising waste in the supply chain represents a power- ful cost-saving opportunity.
By changing our mindset to view waste as a strategic and operational flaw, circular design provides an opportunity for businesses to finan- cially navigate this challenging time.
However, as some of the recent major shifts in business attitudes to packaging sustainability reveal,
ABOVE: Minimising waste in the supply chain represents a powerful cost-saving opportunity.
eliminating waste is now also a pow- erful strategic tool to drive brand rec- ognition, market leadership and com- petitive advantage.
Nestlé is a perfect example of a brand leading the conversation around recycling by championing the Australasian Recycling Label (ARL) program on its packaging, through both internal and external communications.
Major brands like Unilever, Colgate- Palmolive and Coca-Cola Amatil [now known as CCEP] are not only forging ahead with the uptake of recy- cled content in their packaging, they are also investing significantly to educate their customer base about the importance of the issue and bring the Australian market along on the sus- tainability journey.
Meanwhile, organisations such as Officeworks have demonstrated strong leadership around single-use plastics, having successfully phased out all polystyrene packaging from its home branded furniture and shredders. Officeworks is now shar- ing the success story to help educate and inspire the wider supply chain to follow its example.
It is inspiring to see so many APCO members not only meeting the requirements of the National Plastics Plan, but are also leading its delivery through innovation, collaboration and collective impact.
For any businesses that are just get- ting started on changing their approach to packaging sustainability, the good news is that you don’t have to navigate any of these changes alone. APCO has a range of tools, pro- grams and resources to help busi- nesses improve their packaging sus- tainability and meet the requirements outlined in the National Plastics Plan.
To find out more about the 2025 National Packaging Targets, the ARL program or the phase out of single- use plastic packaging, visit www. apco.org.au. ■