The online annual reporting system was made available for signatory reporting on 3 February. All signatories should by now have received an email with their unique link to the online template.  If you have not yet received your link, please contact Sandra Broadfoot. 

Annual reports are required to be submitted by Monday 31 March and should detail the progress you have made towards achieving the targets in your action plan and other relevant activities you may have undertaken that contribute to broader product stewardship and sustainability outcomes. 

This year we will host formal awards ceremonies in July (last year’s events being casual) to reward those who score highest in their industry sector. Award winners will be promoted via industry media channels, and each winning organisation will be provided with a media pack to assist with the promotion via their own channels. Award winners will also have the opportunity to contribute further information about their reported activities, which will be developed into case studies to be released in line with the July awards ceremonies.

We have developed the following resources in order to assist signatories to complete annual reports:

• For detailed information regarding reporting please see the 2014 Annual Reporting Guide to quality reporting.
• An instructional video has been created to explain how to complete the report.
• We have also developed a Report Data Collection Template, designed to assist with the data collation process associated with annual reporting.
• For a comprehensive list of better example reporting responses and explanations as to why they are better practice, see Better Reporting Examples.
• The information you report may be subject to audit verification. For further information relating to the verification audit, please read the APC’s Audit Ready Guide 2014.

For support in understanding what to report and how to be ‘audit ready’ please contact Member Services apc@packagingcovenant.org.au.

If you have any queries regarding the reporting process or difficulties accessing the online tool please contact Signatory Services on (02) 8249 4080 or email: signatory@packagingcovenant.org.au.

On 13 December COAG agreed to streamline its Councils which has resulted the winding up of the Standing Council on Environment and Water (SCEW).  It is expected that Ministers will meet on an ad hoc basis where cooperation between the Commonwealth and State on important matters is required.

The Australian Packaging Covenant Council (APCC) will meet in Brisbane on 6 March.  The main focus of this meeting is on policy with discussion likely on the windup of SCEW, litter grants, waste strategy, recycling infrastructure and the future regulation of packaging.

We’ve had some signups already, but we’d like to remind everyone who hasn’t quite got there yet that Business Clean Up Day is fast approaching! The APC recommends that all signatories participate in a community clean-up on a regular basis, and 25 February is Business Clean Up Day. This is a great opportunity for your organisation to work together while spending a couple of hours cleaning up a site of your choice.  Registering a site is easy and generates great team morale.

Just like last year, in 2014 Replas are offering recycled plastic seats to the organisations which go above and beyond. This year’s categories:

1. The organisation that collects the most full bags per participant (photographs required!)
2. The organisation with the most number of participants (staff or otherwise)
3. The organisation with the strangest item collected – or the best story. (The APC will decide the best story through an internal vote)

In the spirit of product stewardship, the winners of these seats will be encouraged to donate them to the local school, community group or sporting team of their choice.  Find out what last year’s winners, Sanitarium and Baiada, achieved. Business Clean Up Day awards will be presented at the APC Awards Night in July.

For further information please contact Georgia Carthey.

The password has been removed from the Design Smart Material Guides so that they can be viewed by everyone. It was decided that this important resource should be available to all who may benefit from the information, including signatory supply chain partners, so a login is no longer required.

View the guides in the APC website resources section

The APC made a visit to WA in January, to hold meetings and provide advice to a range of APC signatories. A range of topics were discussed, with many signatories having questions about the upcoming reporting period, as well as their APC commitments more generally. Ways the APC could further support our signatories were also addressed; both additional resources and events are under consideration.

We have plans to visit all states in the coming year – when we’re planning to visit, we will send out an email to all signatories in that state to get in touch and arrange a meeting.

VIC SA 157/12 – Eco-Buy Limited - Strengthening market demand for mixed plastic recycled content products through procurement

Eco-Buy Limited received funding from the APC to investigate and conduct a detailed analysis of the market for mixed recycled plastic product. Eco-Buy have recently completed their third milestone to develop a purchasing toolkit which can be accessed through visiting their website. The toolkit will officially be launched in Adelaide on 26 February and Shepparton on 27 March.

New Project: IND 206/13 -  Mesch Engagement Pty Ltd - Educology and CQLGA Project Assets Capture

Educology is being created as the premier knowledge network for sustainability education and communication professionals across Australia. It aims to support sustainability professionals to deliver best practice programs and campaigns by making the learnings of previous projects easy to access online.

To find out more about Eco-Buy, Mesch Engagement and other APC Projects, please visit the APC Projects Database.

Mobile phones include a number of rare and expensive elements, but did you know that the average person has two to three old mobile phones sitting around their house somewhere? If you are in Melbourne, head to Federation Square from the 12 February to see Australia’s largest e-waste artwork and recycle your old mobile phones; or you can get involved by joining the APC and Mobile Muster in June.

As part of our commitment to product stewardship, this June the APC will be working with MobileMuster and our signatories to collect old mobile phones and recycle them for a new life. We know a number of our signatories are MobileMuster participants already, but we're encouraging all signatories to participate in a collection drive to culminate on World Environment Day. We'll be awarding prizes to the signatories who collect and return the most phones, so stay tuned for more details in our next e-newsletters.

The Australian Packaging Covenant is a proud sponsor of the inaugural KNSWB Congress: Less Litter, Live Better - the first Congress in NSW dedicated solely to litter reduction and prevention.

Innovative thought leaders, industry experts and community leaders will converge at Rydges World Square, Sydney, on March 20-22 to discuss how to reduce litter and inspire behaviour change over a two-day series of keynote presentations, case studies and interactive panel discussions.

KNSWB is the leading organisation in litter prevention and reduction in NSW. We are proud to join with them in inviting you to be a part of this pioneering event.

Download the program brochure for a full list of speaking events and presenting guests. To register, fill in the form in the brochure or use the online registration form.

Visit the website: KNSWB Congress: Less Litter, Live Better

The Waste Contractors & Recyclers Association of NSW (WCRA) and the NSW EPA will be delivering Helping Business Recycle Workshops on 20 and 27 February. These workshops will provide attendees with the right tools to assist their business and clients to reduce waste and recycle more. Participants will be introduced to Bin Trim, a new EPA program designed to assist businesses to start wasting less and saving more.

For further info please contact: memberservices@wcra.com.au or 02 9604-7206.

TerraCycle has recently launched in Australia, introducing its unique product stewardship system. The company already operates in 23 other countries including the US, Canada, the UK and New Zealand.

APC signatories Colgate and Natures Organics are on board for the TerraCycle Australia launch. TerraCycle will be helping to recycle previously unrecyclable or recyclable, but with lost value, post-consumer products and packaging through recycling programs called brigades. In some cases collectors can earn points to raise money for their local school or favourite charity and cause.

Contact TerraCycle Australia & New Zealand for more information:  anna.minns@terracycle.com.

The Australian Food and Grocery Council (AFGC) is offering energy efficiency information and advice to businesses with less than 200 employees in the food and grocery sector. Various tools to help businesses identify and implement appropriate energy efficiency opportunities are available on the program website www.afgcempower.org.au.

The program also offers:
Energy Assessments - subsidised and free energy assessments to businesses in the sector.
Briefing seminars for decision makers - The briefings will be held across five capital cities next month. They will provide businesses information on the economic benefits of investing in energy efficiency and introduce to a network of technology providers.
Webinars – The next webinar to be held on 20 February will discuss the “opportunities for renewables in the food and grocery sector”.

For more information on this program email empower@afgc.org.au.

This Activity has received funding from the Department of Industry as part of the Energy Efficiency Information Grants Program.