Last week the APC added new resources to the website to help signatories to develop and revise their action plans and increase their understanding of the APC.

• Action plan revision process and coversheet for submission – for signatories that want to revise their plans
• Action plan guide and tables – to help signatories develop action plans that meet minimum requirements
• Better practice actions and targets – a list of suggested actions and goals for signatories to include in their plans
• Performance goals and KPIs – an explanation of the KPIs into signatory-specific terms and requirements

Have a look at the revised layout and clearer language, and feel free to let us know what you think.

The success of the Australian Packaging Covenant relies on the performance of its brand owner signatories in complying with the commitments which come with being a part of this important sustainable packaging initiative. 

As at 30 June 2013, there were 925 signatories to the APC.  Overall, this represented an increase of 139 (or 15%) over the previous year.  Most importantly, 95% of all signatories were compliant in meeting all of their obligations. The 5% who are non-compliant are required to be reported to government for possible regulatory action.

The increase in signatories came about as a result of government brand owner audit activity, a process whereby potential brand-owner signatories to the Covenant are identified and reported to the Secretariat for follow-up.  During 2013, 2,284 such brand-owners were investigated by the APC. This is an important process because it ensures that every business that produces or supplies consumer packaging plays its part in reducing the environmental impact of packaging. The APC undertakes a rigorous process to identify potential “free-riders” (companies above the $5 million turnover threshold who do not to sign the Covenant).

It is important that the benefits to the environment of the collective actions of industry can be assessed and the results reported to government, as they shape the regulatory strategies of Government to best deal with used packaging materials.

For any further questions on the compliance aspects or performance of Covenant, please contact Sandra Broadfoot.

The APC Member Services Team is committed to helping signatories develop and implement action plans that are aligned to their business, include clear targets and measurable actions and lead to improved environmental outcomes.  The APC will be holding Action Plan Development Workshops for new signatories (those without approved action plans) on 15 October in Sydney (UNSW City Campus) and 22 October in Melbourne (RMIT City Campus).

Attendees to these workshops will receive guidance and support from experts regarding how to develop action plans to ensure they are easier to implement and report against, and deliver measurable results.  Attendance is free for signatories.

Additional resources have been created for those wishing to revise their existing plans, however you are welcome to enrol in the current workshops, or register your interest for a revision-specific workshop.

To enrol for these workshops please complete the registration on the APC website.

NevRwaste have now completed a four month trial  which introduced 360 litre recycling bins to residents in Benalla and Wangaratta to ascertain the percentage variation in recyclables collected, the accompanying changes in contamination rate and reduction in waste generation.

The trial found;

• 33% of recyclables from the refuse bin were diverted by providing more bin space, however providing more space did not change the resource recovery rate for some recyclables or decrease overall total waste generation.
• Households with more than two people felt that they required a bigger recycling bin, smaller households found the larger bin cumbersome to store and use.
• Providing more refuse space lead to an increase in waste such as garden organics collected.
• A demonstrated lack of knowledge about which items are recyclable.

Read the final project report on the APC website.

In an effort to improve information available to signatories, and ultimately consumers, regarding the recyclability of specific packaging formats and material combinations, the APC in conjunction with Planet Ark and GreenChip, is developing an online Packaging Recyclability Evaluation Portal (PREP). The portal will clearly indicate the recyclability (or non-recyclability) of packaging formats, inclusive of all components (e.g. bottle, label and cap) and taking into account specific design characteristics (e.g. polymer type, size of label, inks and adhesives used, size of cap etc).

The over-arching aim of the PREP is to increase the recovery and recycling of used packaging, and to decrease contamination by enabling signatories to evaluate the recyclability of existing and future packaging formats.  To ensure the portal determinations are consistent with the collection, recovery and recycling infrastructure, and the markets currently in place in Australia, the information underpinning the portal will be validated during the development stages through consultation with industry service providers. This approach is also fundamental to achieving an outcome that is consistent with ACCC requirements.

We are currently in the process of contacting collection and recovery organisations, recycling companies and brand owner signatories to invite them to participate in the project, assist with the data to underpin the PREP and test the tool throughout its development.  If your organisation has not been contacted and would like to participate please contact Brett Giddings.

Australian businesses are spending more than $2.2 billion each year on waste services, of which $1.4 billion is spent on waste to landfill.

Approximately 12.5 million tonnes of Commercial and Industrial (C&I) waste is generated each year, which is equivalent to 543kg for each Australian. Of that, almost 7 million tonnes is sent to landfill, equating to an average C&I recycling rate of 46% across the country.

Counteracting the large amount of waste and its associated costs to businesses and the environment is a key aim behind Planet Ark Environmental Foundation’s BusinessRecycling.com.au. It’s a free online directory and hotline specifically designed to make it easy for Australian businesses to find local recycling services.BusinessRecycling.com.au contains 6,676 listings of re-use, recycling, collection and drop-off locations and services across the country for more than 90 different materials.

To find a local recycling service on BusinessRecycling.com.au, site visitors simply enter their location and choose from a broad selection of material categories like plastics, timber, food, paper and cardboard, packaging, metals and more. The site is also supported by the BusinessRecycling Hotline on 1300 763 768.

Dr Karli Verghese and her colleagues at RMIT recently undertook a new study on the effects of packaging on food sustainability, as presented to the APC High Performers Breakfasts in August.  The study identified that appropriate food packaging can, in many cases, help to protect and preserve food which otherwise would end up as waste, both in the supply chain and once it reaches consumers.

The RMIT research team is now looking to extend their initial research into areas beyond food, and the potential for packaging to contribute to improved environmental outcomes for other products including electronics, homewares and hardware. In particular, they are looking for organisations willing to work with them in investigating product sustainability.

If you would like to be involved in the project, please contact Georgia Carthey.

The highly interactive two-day World Class Packaging Forum aims to address the top pressing issues in relation to packaging functionality improvement.

Key topics at the conference include:

• Benchmarking world-class packaging system from Nestle
• Learning from Mondelez on mapping consumer behaviour to develop value-added packaging concepts
• HJ Heinz ‘s innovation strategies on ensuring food safety and avoid contamination
• Discovering the secret of Coca-Cola Amatil in enhancing packaging life-cycle and controlling costs from production to shelf
• Exploring how NSW Health implement their packaging accessibility project

For updated brochure and registration, kindly contact Ms Cherrie at CherrieK@marcusevanskl.com.

Australasian Industrial Ecology Conference

Continuing the series of very successful conferences in 2009, 2010 and 2011, the 4th Australasian Industrial Ecology Conference returns to Sydney, the birthplace of the Australasian Industrial Ecology Network (AIEN), from 16 to 18 October 2013. The conference is the result of the close collaboration and coordination between the AIEN and important stakeholders in industrial ecology from industry, government and academia.

The aim of the 4th Australasian Industrial Ecology Conference is to showcase and promote leading examples of initiatives that pioneer the optimisation of material and energy flows within industry.  In particular, how organic waste, consumer waste, packaging waste and more can be economically reutilised whilst embodying the ultimate Industrial Ecology goal of ‘zero waste’.

Find out more on the conference website.