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Working Groups

JOIN AN APCO EXPERT COMMITTEE AND HELP ACCELERATE A CIRCULAR ECONOMY FOR PACKAGING 

APCO is committed to deep and meaningful consultation with industry to achieve a thriving circular economy for packaging and to meet the 2025 National Packaging Targets.  

 

As we complete our review of industry’s progress toward the targets, APCO is reforming its committee structures to support a refreshed set of strategic priorities. Whilst we will continue to focus on removing the remaining barriers to achieving the National Packaging Targets, we also want to work with the whole packaging value chain to ensure that well-designed packaging is properly used, consistently collected, recycled to a high standard, and re-procured at reasonable value into the packaging system in order to maintain high circularity value. 

 

APCO’s committee’s will play a crucial role in designing and overseeing the projects that will get us there. We’d love to have you on board! 

 

New and Refreshed Committees and Groups in 2023: 

  • Collective Action Group – REFRESHED 
  • 5 x Material Stewardship Committees - NEW 
  • Labels Committee - NEW 
  • IT and Data Strategy Advisory Committee - NEW 
  • Marketing and Engagement Committee – NEW 

 

Continuing and no action required:  

  • NZ ARL Advisory Committee 
  • ANZPAC Collective Action Group  
  • Container Deposit Scheme National Working Group 

 

Closing out: 

  • NPTI 
  • Technical Advisory Committee 
  • Australian Advisory Committee 

 

Registration for interest is currently open for the new committees. If you would like to express interest in those committees, please fill out this form by 28th February 2023.   

 

 

New and Refreshed Committees and Groups in 2023: 

The Collective Action Group (CAG) is seeking nominations from senior industry professionals from across the packaging value chain and government who will help to set the vision and roadmap for a circular economy for packaging in Australia.   

 

The CAG will focus on cross cutting themes and enablers that impact on all materials streams. It will help identify and advocate for a supportive market and policy context that encourages economic development of thriving materials for packaging materials. It will identify the data gaps that need to be filled. It will develop market insights to support efficient investment in the sector. The CAG will have oversight of the Materials Stewardship Committees. 

 

Nominees should have deep experience and a systems level perspective. They should be commercially minded but aspirational in their approach. They should enjoy complex problem solving. 

 

Because projects are inter-dependent and designed to be undertaken in partnership, nominations are sought from those who can represent others and carry shared work programs back into the relevant organisations. Peak body industry representatives are encouraged to apply. 

 

This committee is likely to meet quarterly.

 

 

Material Stewardship Committees 

 

Five Material Stewardship Committees (MSC) will be established to provide deep expertise across the value chain for each of the highest-impact packaging materials (by weight).  

 

Committees will be formed for Flexible Plastics, Rigid Plastics, Fibre (paper, cardboard, and timber), Glass, and Metals.  

 

Committees will bring together the full value chain to deliver high-quality materials stewardship actions committed to maximise for highest and best use for materials. 

 

The committees will validate the portfolio of actions that need to be taken by government, the packaging sector, recyclers, and re-processors, and by APCO itself to remove barriers and create opportunities for improved circularity for these key materials.  

 

Nominees should have deep experience with the material for the stewardship committee they are nominating for. They should be commercially minded but aspirational in their approach. They should enjoy collaborative problem-solving and collective action. 

 

Because projects are interdependent and designed to be undertaken in partnership, nominations are sought from those who can represent others and carry shared work programs back into the relevant organisations. Peak body industry representatives are encouraged to apply. 

 

These committees will focus on achieving the following:

  • Develop and implement a 3–5 year Material Roadmap 
  • Agree an annual action plan to deliver or support priority projects identified in the Materials Roadmap 
  • Provide review and advice on technical issues relating to the operation of the Australasian Recycling Label 
  • Reflect agreed process, practices, and guidance into their own organisations 

 

A summary of actions from their Draft 2023 Action plans are listed below. These will be tested and validated at the inaugural committee meetings before being endorsed as final. 

 

Flexible Plastics – Material Stewardship Committee 

 

It has been a difficult year for flexibles, but industry is committed to delivering a collective solution.  In 2023 this committee will: 

  • Support industry to re-establish widespread collection services for soft plastics  
  • Focus on the Sustainable Packaging Guidelines to ensure that packaging is designed to enable safe, high-quality recovery and remanufacture 
  • Work with industry and government to create thriving markets for collected products for a variety of end uses  
  • Educate the market about the value of flexible plastics in ensuring good product quality and safety outcomes.  
  • Explore strategies to increase recovery through B2B stewardship solutions  

 

This committee is likely to meet bi-monthly.  

 

Rigid Plastics – Material Stewardship Committee 

 

Like the flexible plastics committee, the rigid plastics committee will also work to reduce the material losses through the system and increase end-market demand for non-virgin material 

Some polymers, like RPET are being well recovered, although not yet to their full technical potential. Others need more support to be reclaimed in a circular system.  This group will: 

  • Focus on ensuring polymers like PP and HDPE are more readily recovered into food-grade plastics packaging 
  • Focus on the Sustainable Packaging Guidelines to ensure that packaging is designed to enable safe, high-quality recovery and remanufacture 
  • Work with industry and government to create thriving markets for collected products for a variety of end uses  

 

We are particularly interested in nominations from those with experience in dairy, small goods, fruit, and meat industries. 

 

This committee is likely to meet quarterly. 

 

Fibre – Material Stewardship Committee 

 

Paper and cardboard enjoy good design standards and mature collection systems, but in 2021 600,000 tonnes (24%) of paper and cardboard was not recovered into new products. To put that in perspective, there’s more cardboard going to landfill than all the plastic placed on the market.  

The group will: 

  • Maximise recovery of the remaining paper and cardboard tonnages with a likely focus on B2B recovery 
  • Explore avoidance strategies for paperboard and timber by supporting reusable and refillable B2B systems for tertiary packaging 
  • Focus on the Sustainable Packaging Guidelines to ensure that compound packaging is designed to enable safe, high-quality recovery and remanufacture 

 

This committee is likely to meet quarterly.  

 

Glass – Material Stewardship Committee 

 

Glass is also reasonably mature in its collection and reprocessing. This group will: 

  • Focus on increasing recycled content from 35% to 70% 
  • Focus on enhanced sortation and grow end markets 
  • Consider how to reduce glass contamination of other resource streams  

 

This committee is likely to meet triannually 

 

Metals – Material Stewardship Committee 

 

Metal has an inherently high value and so is reasonably well recovered, however, most is processed offshore and re-procured. This group will: 

  • Focus on traceability and standards to ensure good data to inform mass balance analyses and recycled content claims through an international procurement supply chain  
  • Focus on the Sustainable Packaging Guidelines to ensure that packaging is designed to enable safe, high-quality recovery and remanufacture 

 

This committee is likely to meet triannually 

 

Labels Committee  

 

The purpose of the Labels Materials Stewardship Committee (L – MSC) is to enable the establishment of a thriving domestic circular economy for labels and their labelled packaging. 

 

This technical working group will: 

  • Focus on the complexities that labels bring to the recyclability of other materials.  
  • Improve the advice that APCO and the ARL give to packaging designers considering different label types.  
  • Seek new opportunities to create labels from recycled materials and to  
  • Explore adhesives that enable rather than inhibit recovery 

 

This committee is likely to meet quarterly  

 

IT and Data Systems Expert Advisory Committee 

 

The Data and IT Strategy Committee will provide expert guidance to ensure that APCO identifies and prioritises opportunities and builds IT systems that serve the needs of its diverse stakeholder base.  

 

The group will assist the inhouse APCO team to sort, scope, and deliver new opportunities and data sets that can streamline processes, enhance supply chain integration, and create new knowledge products and insights for our collective benefit  

 

The committee will have oversight of the APCO IT and Data Strategy and may choose to opt-in to pilot or user test new features, capabilities, and knowledge products  

 

This committee will accept nominations from members’ technical consultants and contractors where appropriate. 

 

This committee is likely to meet quarterly  

 

Marketing and Engagement Committee  

 

This committee will provide expert guidance to ensure that APCO implements its consumer engagement strategies in a way that reflects the needs of its diverse stakeholder base. The group will assist the in-house APCO team to design and execute consumer education campaigns that increase consumer confidence and participation in a recycling, reuse, and recovery economy and to value packaging with high sustainability credentials.   

 

The group will ensure that business-to-business training, education, and education campaigns are appropriately designed and targeted for maximum value, accuracy, and impact.  

 

The committee will consist of industry representatives with marketing, brand, and communications experience. 

 

This committee is likely to meet quarterly  

 

 

Continuing Committees - no action required:  

 

NZ ARL Advisory Committee 

 

The New Zealand ARL Advisory Committee (AAC) is supporting APCO in the delivery of the Australasian Recycling Label (ARL) Program in New Zealand.  

The objective of the AAC is to make recommendations to the Internal Review Committee to ensure the data and thresholds within PREP are accurate and provide technical advice on submissions to the ARL Program. The AAC also supports APCO in reviewing consumer education and communication activities and assets to ensure they are effective, consistent, and adhere to industry best practice. 

Experts from across the New Zealand packaging supply chain, with representation from brand owners, packaging manufacturers, waste and recyclers, independent experts, and government, will provide this technical and marketing advice to the ARL Program. 

 

ANZPAC Collective Action Group 

 

The objective of the ANZPAC Collective Action Group (ACAG) is to oversee the development and implementation of the ANZPAC Roadmap to meet the ANZPAC Regional Plastics Targets by 2025. The group is key in enabling a successful transition to a circular economy for plastic packaging across the ANZPAC region. 

  

The ACAG consists of eighteen Members, with six each from Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific Islands. Representation will span the value chain for packaging and recycling, including packaging manufacturers, brand owners, retailers, recycling and waste management service providers, environmental groups/community groups, and governments. 

 

Learn more about this group here. 

 

Container Deposit Scheme National Working Group 

 

The Container Deposit Scheme (CDS) National Working Group supports the national network of CDS Coordinators to drive accountability, transparency, and shared value for consumers, industry, and government through harmonisation of the various Schemes across Australia. This includes a comprehensive program that seeks to support the evolution in the way Australia sorts, recovers, and reuses beverage packaging containers. 

 

Closing out: 

 

NPTI 

 

Technical Advisory Committee 

 

Australian Advisory Committee