The APCO 2030 Strategic Plan was unveiled on 19 August 2024. This plan will provide economic incentives for material circularity, establish mechanisms to achieve national packaging targets, and enhance the social license for brands using packaging.  For the first time, a new fee model will create financial incentives for packaging design and direct the targeted expenditure of Covenant funds within the system. 

Our strategy introduces an innovative membership fee model, supporting increased recycling activities and fostering a sustainable packaging future. 

This will incentivise those brand owners that eliminate and reduce packaging, adopt reuse models, and transition to materials and formats that are easier to recycle.  

Importantly, funds raised through the new fee model will be invested in the downstream system to overcome economic barriers that have hindered progress towards national packaging targets. 

Highlights of the plan include: 

• Increased recycling: direct support for high-quality collection, recycling and packaging stewardship activities that, additional to business-as-usual, will enable the achievement of recycling targets and the production of high-quality Australian recycled content. 
• New membership fee model: following modelling and targeted consultation, APCO member fees will be calculated using eco-modulation (ecological modulation). This will be based on each member’s packaging profile and incentivises the design of packaging for reduction, reuse, and recovery. The aim is for these to be in place in the financial year 2026-27. 
• New indicators: The goals of the Covenant will be tracked using new indicators in addition to the NPTs, including the reduction of materials sent to landfill. By 2030, this reduction target is set at 1 million tonnes. 
• Social license: the plan ensures that brand owners will have a supportive system that allows community expectations on packaging design and disposal to be met. Read the full 2030 Strategic Plan to discover how APCO Members will be leading the charge towards a more sustainable and circular packaging system. 

Read the full 2030 Strategic Plan to discover how APCO Members will be leading the charge towards a more sustainable and circular packaging system. 

Access the full 2030 Strategic Plan here.