The Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation (APCO) and the Coalition for Sustainable Solutions (COFOSS) have partnered to address the challenge of expanded polystyrene (EPS) used in electronics and appliance packaging.
EPS is lightweight and protects goods during transport but remains difficult for consumers to recycle. The partnership will draw on APCO’s packaging stewardship experience and COFOSS’s knowledge of the electronics and appliance sectors to develop practical recovery and recycling solutions.
The collaboration builds on APCO’s Action Plan for Problematic and Unnecessary Single-Use Plastic Packaging and its Roadmap to Implement the National Phase Out of Business-to-Consumer EPS Packaging, which supports the Australian Government’s National Plastics Plan.
Chris Foley, chief executive officer at APCO, said the partnership signals a coordinated effort to address one of Australia’s most challenging packaging materials. “This is a clear signal that industry is stepping up to take meaningful action on one of Australia’s most challenging packaging materials,” Foley said. “Expanded polystyrene has long been difficult to recycle, and solving it requires a coordinated, evidence-based response.”
Foley said collaboration with COFOSS would help drive industry-wide progress. “By working with COFOSS, APCO is combining the scale of more than 2,400 members across the packaging value chain with the specialist knowledge of electronics and appliance brands,” he said. “It’s the kind of cooperation Australia needs to build a truly circular economy.”
Kurt Hegvold, chair of COFOSS and managing director at Electrolux Australia and New Zealand, said the partnership reflects a practical approach to stewardship.
“COFOSS is proud to partner with APCO, contributing deep industry insights on expanded polystyrene use and recovery to help shape scalable, effective stewardship solutions,” Hegvold said. “By combining our understanding of product protection and recovery challenges with APCO’s national framework, we can advance viable alternatives and improve recycling outcomes.”
Under the agreement, APCO will contribute expertise across the packaging lifecycle, including stewardship, design, and developing markets for recovered materials. COFOSS will lead engagement across the electronics and appliance sectors, provide data on EPS recovery, and ensure industry perspectives guide future actions.
The partnership aims to deliver evidence-based recommendations on circular systems for electronics packaging and supports APCO’s 2030 targets to reduce problematic materials, strengthen recycling markets, and promote shared responsibility across Australia’s packaging value chain.
