The Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation (APCO) has launched The Recycled Materials Pledge, an initiative to help push major brands to publicly commit to more sustainable packaging and practices.
As a core component to the 2025 National Packaging Targets, increasing the use of recycled content in packaging is key to the pursuit of a true circular economy for the industry.
Brooke Donnelly, APCO Chief Executive Officer, said: “The pledge will give fresh impetus to the uptake of recycled content. Being able to demonstrate firm commitments from business will showcase the significant demand that exists in the market for recycled materials – and give broader industry the motivation to step up to meet this demand.”
Modelled on similar programs in Europe, the pledge will allow APCO members to make detailed commitments regarding the volumes of specific materials they will transition from virgin to recycled materials by 2025.
APCO plans to analyse pledges and publish their insights publicly to help signal the growing market demand for recycled packaging, and help drive necessary investment in Australia’s reprocessing and manufacturing capabilities.
While Australia has already made solid progress towards the 2025 targets, APCO’s figures show there is still work to be done on material-specific targets, something the pledge has been designed to address.
“For some businesses, the pledge is the initial step in their sustainability journey while, for others, it will reinforce current commitments to circularity,” Donnelly said.
“Regardless, the pledge will help businesses to play their role in the development of a circular economy and work together to move Australia towards a more sustainable future for packaging.”
For more information, visit https://apco.org.au
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