Collective Impact Summit


Launched as part of the inaugural Collective Impact Summit, APCO’s Collective Impact Report is a critical analysis of Australia’s current progress towards the 2025 National Packaging Targets and an exploration of the need for alternative interventions to support the transition to a circular economy for packaging in Australia.


The report identifies the current system performance and emerging gaps that may impact progress towards the circular economic transition.


Crucially, after identifying the specific gaps that remain for each of the Targets, the report provides a clear list of actions required from businesses and organisations across the packaging value chain on the road to achieving the 2025 Targets.


 “The core message of this report is clear – if we are going to achieve the 2025 National Packaging Targets, we all need to do more and the time to act is now. We have seen fantastic progress so far towards the Targets, but we must accelerate our efforts if we are to be successful by 2025.” - Brooke Donnelly, CEO, APCO


The report identifies the actions required within the three core areas of activity in sustainable packaging:

  • Packaging designed for circularity
  • Improved collection and recycling systems
  • Expanded markets for used packaging.

The report was discussed in detail as part of APCO’s Collective Impact Summit, which brings together businesses and organisations from across the packaging value chain to discuss what needs to be done moving forward and how best to work collaboratively to achieve this.


The Summit also included a panel discussion with Kumar Venkatasubramanian, Senior Vice President & Managing Director at P&G Australia & New Zealand, Andrew Smith, Executive General Manager at Pact Recycling & Demand Creation, and Brent Vrdoljak, Marketing Manager at Natures Organics. The session focused on the critical alternative actions the industry needs to take. Collaboration was singled out as the most important factor for success moving forward, with work to drive the demand for recycled content and financial incentives also identified as crucial factors.


APCO’s Sustainability Manager Jayne Paramor then outlined some of APCO’s work focusing on Collective Impact in action with an important look at several sector-specific projects: Dairy, Wine, Healthcare and Horticulture. The session again touched on the importance of collaboration, urging businesses to work with their industry associations and similar organisations with related challenges to collectively achieve sustainable packaging successes together.


Breakout sessions were then held, with attendees encouraged to enter discussion across the three core areas of activity, with robust examination of major issues from contributors representing organisations across the supply chain.


The full report is available to download on the APCO website, while recordings from the day will be available shortly.