The PREP design tool was one of the topics of discussion at an event in celebration of Global Recycling Day last week.
On 16 March in its Sydney offices, the Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation (APCO) played host to leaders in sustainability, providing opportunities to find out more about what's being done about sustainability – and what can be achieved in the future.
Sustainability leaders came to network and openly discuss recycling design, looking at what is currently recyclable in Australia and New Zealand.
GreenChip's Anthony Peyton weighed in on the Australian Recycling Label (ARL), a joint initiative between Planet Ark and PREP Design, which have both offered tools in the past to communicate recycling on-pack.
Planet Ark has already been offering the ARL with easy-to-understand recycling information, while the PREP Design tool is an online packaging recyclability evaluation portal developed by Planet Ark and GreenChip back in 2014 to reduce consumer confusion.
APCO CEO Brooke Donnelly said thinking was shifting from "a waste problem to a resource opportunity" as news of the China ban filters through.
"We've accelerated the PREP design tool in response to global issues," she said.
"The China policy is a good opportunity for Australia. The PREP label will offer better separation at the source, and it's a tool to bring awareness to consumers."
Also presenting her ideas was Professor Helen Lewis from the Institute for Sustainable Futures at UTS. She shared 13 steps for boosting sustainability, and explained how members can work with the APCO with its current framework.
The day also included a ‘Design for end-of-life think tank express session, to help businesses reduce the environmental impact of their packaging. This was headed up by Lara Barclay from Adaptation.
The first-ever Global Recycling Day is a worldwide campaign to raise awareness about the importance of recycling.
