Frequently Asked Questions
National Packaging Targets
The National Packaging Targets delivered a new and sustainable approach to packaging and should be applied to all packaging in Australia. The Targets provide a framework for collective, national action on waste management, recycling and resource recovery for our product packaging.
Within the Sustainable Packaging Guidelines an item of packaging is defined as recyclable if its successful postconsumer collection, sorting, and recycling is proven to work in practice and at scale. As a result, this is not limited specifically to kerbside collection. Using the Packaging Recyclability Evaluation Portal (PREP) is a good way to verify recyclability claims for your products and this includes approved “alternative destinations”.
APCO monitors and reports annually on progress against this particular target. This data is released annually in APCO’s Australian Packaging Consumption and Recovery Data. You can find these reports on the Resource section of the APCO website.
We would recommend using our resource Action Plan for Problematic, Unnecessary and Single-Use Plastic Packaging which can be found here.
The National Packaging Targets provide a framework for collective, national action on waste management, recycling and resource recovery for our product packaging. They are:
- 100% reusable, recyclable or compostable packaging.
- 70% of plastic packaging being recycled or composted.
- 50% of average recycled content included in packaging.
- The phase out of problematic and unnecessary single-use plastics packaging.
The 50% average recycled content target refers to packaging across all sectors, including business-to-business and tertiary packaging. We appreciate that varying constraints exist for the inclusion of recycled content across different sectors, including the food and beverage sector – particularly in relation to food contact. This Target encourages those in the packaging supply chain to aim high by identifying packaging applications in which greater than 50% recycled content may be included. Similarly, for those sectors where 50% may be difficult to achieve, it is a case of including the maximum possible percentage to allow the format to meet requirements, while still progressing packaging sustainability goals.