Page 28 - Packaging New magazine Jan-Feb 2023

PLASTICS IN PACKAGING
The road to circularity
Achieving circularity for plastics packaging is a complex challenge that requires bold and urgent action from industry and government, Dr Helen Lewis writes.
THE NEED FOR rapid transformation of the plastics packaging value chain is becoming more evident, driven by ambitious climate change and recycling targets as well as growing community and government concerns about plastic waste and pollution. The plastics industry will lose its social licence to operate, and Australian businesses will be at a competitive dis- advantage unless they can achieve a substantial shift in the way that plas- tics, and plastic packaging in particular, are produced and consumed.
These are just some of the key messages that emerged during two days of presenta- tions and lively discussion at the Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE) Plastics and Circular Economy conference held in Melbourne from 22-23 November.
HOW DO WE ACHIEVE CIRCULARITY FOR PLASTICS PACKAGING?
The conference program was carefully designed to focus on solutions rather than problems. With so many key decision makers from industry and government in the room, program curator Helen Millicer called for transformational change to a low emission, circular plastics industry. Several presentations on the key elements or success factors for circularity helped to highlight gaps in the current system in Australia, particularly for soft plastics.
CEO of the Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation (APCO) Chris Foley highlighted the complex nature of the packaging ecosystem, with many participants and decision points and
complex interactions between them. APCO’s review of progress against the national packaging targets identified a series of gaps that need to be addressed collectively. As Foley noted in his pre- sentation, “this challenge is much bigger than each of us – we need to get together and approach this as a system”.
Several strong themes emerged over the three days of the conference, with strong support for action in four key areas.
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Consumption was described by one par- ticipant as ‘the elephant in the room’. According to Kyle O’Farrell from con- sulting group Blue Environment, plastics consumption in Australia (across all sectors) is forecast to increase by 156 per cent to 9.7 million tonnes by 2050. Without a major change of direction, consumption of plastic packaging is forecast to follow a similar trend.
Packaging design is therefore critical to achieving circularity, both to reduce overall consumption, extend the life of products and packaging, and ensure it can be recovered. This was a strong message from Dame Ellen Macarthur in her pre-recorded address, which emphasised the need to design out waste before it is created.
Design for recovery is also essential if we’re to achieve true circularity. Two important aspects of this discussed at the conference were thresholds for recy- clability and the role of compostable packaging.
156% New regulations in the European Union will raise the bar for any com- pany designing for the EU market. Mattia Pellegrini, responsible for circu- lar economy programs in the European Commission, reported that the exist- ing packaging directive will convert to a regulation from 2023, with detailed and directly applicable requirements at a product level. While details of the regulation are yet to be published, it is expected to include thresholds for recy- clability based on the proportion of a packaging item that can be recovered. These are likely to range from 70 per cent
to 95 per cent of the packaging weight. The potential role of compostable packaging was also discussed. During a panel discussion, both Mattia Pellegrini and Ed Kosior from Nextek reported increasing agreement in Europe that compostable packaging should only be used under certain conditions and for a
limited number of applications.
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In her presentation, Ellen Macarthur noted that voluntary action is not enough. She said governments need to “step up” with “bold and urgent action” to address free riders and ensure a level playing field. This sentiment was endorsed by many participants over the three days of the conference, particularly in relation to product stewardship. There was a general recognition that the time has come to shift from voluntary stew- ardship to EPR, particularly for plastic
DESIGN FOR REDUCTION
The forecast increase of plastics consumption in Australia, across all sectors, by 2050 (to 9.7 million tonnes)
AND RECYCLING
MOVING FROM VOLUNTARY
PRODUCT STEWARDSHIP TO EPR
28 ❙ JANUARY – FEBRUARY 2023
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