A Collective Action Group, which includes leading industry and government representatives, has been announced at a meeting in Melbourne this week. The group is charged with the task of developing a roadmap to drive the 2025 National Packaging Targets. Packaging giants Visy and Pact Group; major brand owners Nestlé and Coca-Cola Amatil; and retailers Coles, David Jones and Country Road are among the line-up.
The Hon Trevor Evans MP, Assistant Minister for Waste Reduction and Environmental Management, officially opened the first meeting of the Collective Action Group (CAG) in Melbourne on 25 June.
The CAG comprises a team of 12 leading representatives from across the supply chain and government, charged with overseeing the progress of Australia’s 2025 National Packaging Targets.
The 2025 targets* were launched by government and industry in 2018, providing a clear mandate to deliver a new sustainable pathway for packaging in Australia. The CAG’s role is to work with Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation (APCO) to oversee the development of a systemic model for how Australia can deliver the 2025 targets.
The primary task for the CAG in 2019 is to develop a white paper setting out the roadmap for all stakeholders and identifying the critical interventions required to successfully transition Australia to a circular economy for packaging.
The CAG brings together representatives from the resource recovery, community, government, packaging, retail and manufacturing sectors to tackle Australia’s packaging waste challenges. Participating organisations include Coles, David Jones and Country Road Group, Nestlé, Coca-Cola Amatil, EY, Planet Ark, Australian Council of Recycling (ACOR), Suez, Visy, Pact Group, the Department of Environment and Science (QLD) and the Department of Environment and Energy (full participant list below).
Brooke Donnelly, CEO of APCO, the agency leading the delivery of the 2025 National Packaging Targets, commented:
“The formation of the CAG is an exciting milestone in our work towards delivering the targets and it’s fantastic to bring together such a prestigious group of leaders for the task.
"The 2025 National Packaging Targets are some of the most ambitious and decisive environmental targets to be supported in Australia and their delivery requires collaboration from across industry.
"We applaud all CAG participants and their leading organisations for stepping up as key players in the global movement to create sustainable packaging solutions that drive accountability, transparency and shared value for consumers, industry and government.”
Over the next 12 months, APCO will be delivering an extensive program of projects to drive the delivery of the 2025 National Packaging Targets. These will be facilitated by a team of APCO Working Groups, comprising nearly 100 participants from industry and government across Australia which will in turn provide analysis and resources to the overarching CAG.
The projects include comprehensive infrastructure mapping of the current waste and recycling system and a series of models for alternatives; a range of research and trials to better understand compostability; remote and regional waste collection partnerships; phasing out of single use plastics; and consumer education initiatives to ensure a consistent approach to resource recovery in the packaging streams.
Collective Action Group members include:
- Jeff Maguire, Group Head of CDS Implementation and Packaging Sustainability, Coca-Cola Amatil
- Margaret Stuart, Head of Corporate and External Relations, Nestlé Oceania
- Raphael Geminder, Chairman at Pact Group Holdings
- Richard Macchiesi, General Manager – Insights and Innovation at Visy
- Fiona Baxter, Group Manager Responsible Sourcing, Coles
- Lok-Man Shu, Regional Environment Manager, David Jones and Country Road Group
- Louise Vickery, Assistant Secretary, Australian Government Department of Environment and Energy
- Kylie Hughes, Director Waste Policy and Legislation, Department of Environment and Science QLD
- Terence Jeyretnam, Partner, Climate Change & Sustainability, EY
- Paul Klymenko, CEO, Planet Ark
- Peter Shmigel, CEO, Australian Council of Recycling
- Justin Frank, Director, Marketing, Communications and Key Accounts, SUEZ Australia & New Zealand
- Anne Astin, Independent Director, APCO – Chair of CAG
- Brooke Donnelly, CEO, APCO – CAG Secretariat
- Helen Lewis, Professor, Institute for Sustainable Futures – CAG Secretariat
* The 2025 National Packaging Targets are:
1. 100 per cent of all Australia’s packaging will be reusable, recyclable or compostable by 2025 or earlier
2. 70 per cent of Australia’s plastic packaging will be recycled or composted by 2025
3. 30 per cent average recycled content will be included across all packaging by 2025
4. Problematic and unnecessary single-use plastic packaging will be phased out through design, innovation or introduction of alternatives
About APCO
The Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation (APCO) is the agency charged by government to make all packaging reusable, recyclable or compostable by 2025. To achieve this goal, APCO is working closely with government and industry to deliver a range of sustainable design, recycling, waste to landfill reduction and circular economy projects. APCO represents 1500 member companies, representing 153 separate ANZSIC codes, covering the entire product life cycle and supply chain. Recognised as one of Australia’s leading product stewardship organisations with a strong national and global collaborative network, APCO is committed to reducing the environmental impact of packaging on Australian communities by moving towards a circular economy.
