The voluntary arrangements of the ANZPAC Plastic Pact are insufficient towards tackling the plastic waste crisis, according to the Boomerang Alliance.
The ANZAC Plastic Pact – launched by the Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation this week – aims to achieve a circular economy for plastics.
The pact also aims to share investment and industry led innovation to implement solution for the Australia, New Zealand and Pacific Islands regions.
The Boomerang Alliance, a cohort of environment friendly groups and agencies has said that the pact is the first start of what must be a “substantial” change.
Boomerang Alliance released the What’s the Plan B for Packaging report, which detailed benchmarks for Government action.
The report also establishes a target of implementation of strategies by mid-2022, with the hope that packaging and recycling targets can be met by 2025.
As stated by the alliance, only 13 per cent of packaging is recycled, of which only four per cent of packaging containing recycled contents.
Boomerang Alliance said that existing efforts to influence change have been unsuccessful, a key reason for the release of the report.
“If we took the same regulatory approach to the recycling and recycled content targets – then we can guarantee substantial action. However, the Packaging Covenant has resisted such action for many years,” they said.
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