Inside FMCG’s Post

The Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation (APCO)’s 2030 Strategic Plan mentioned eco-modulation, a concept many people are unfamiliar with. Phantm's Francesca Puleio explains what this means and why it is important.

We’ve been making strides towards sustainable packaging for our dairy products, and our progress has been recognised by the Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation (APCO), achieving ‘Leading’ status in their 2024 Annual Report.     Fonterra Sustainability Packaging Manager for Global Markets, Jenny Phillips,  said that we improved our APCO performance rating across a number of standards. “Since last year, we have improved our APCO performance rating from 74 to 79 per cent, with notable advancements in two key areas – Disposal Labelling and Recycled Content. “In the Disposal Labelling category, we have moved from Advanced to Beyond Best Practice, with 96 per cent of our consumer products now displaying the Australasian Recycling Label (ARL). We also moved from Leading to Advanced in the Recycled Content category, which can be attributed to an active collaboration with the Pact Group Holdings Ltd and Circular Plastics Australia, focusing on validating the food, safety, quality aspects of recycled content for our milk bottles.     Read more on our website: https://lnkd.in/gHBd-zwY #Sustainability #SustainablePackaging #CircularEconomy #AusDairy 

Last week, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs launched PackUK, its new scheme administrator for packaging Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR). The scheme will enforce a 'polluter pays' principle by shifting the cost of managing household packaging waste from taxpayers and local authorities to the businesses that use and supply the packaging. Through detailed digital information about packaging materials and real-time traceability showing exactly where and when each item of packaging is recycled, Polytag unlocks never-before-seen packaging lifecycle data. Inform your sustainability agendas with real data today! Read more on the new scheme in Packaging News: https://lnkd.in/ejVvmrFh Visit Polytag.io to get EPR ready today. #PackUK #EPR #Polytag 

The Impact of New EU Packaging Laws on Northern Ireland Business "The European Union’s recent approval of stringent packaging and recycling laws marks a significant shift towards sustainability across the continent. By 2030, the EU aims to have fully implemented these measures, which include ambitious targets for packaging reduction, recycling, and a ban on certain types of single-use plastics. While this legislation will affect all member states, it carries particular significance for Northern Ireland, whose unique position under the Windsor Framework presents both challenges and opportunities." The full story is available on our website via the link below. Click here --> https://lnkd.in/eH-gNSV5 #ireland #northernireland #packaging #eu #regulations

We Need a Supporting System for Sustainable Solutions! A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to represent "Refill Station" at our national parliament, where I presented alternative solutions to politicians and interested stakeholders. If we don’t change the system, the only solution for plastic waste is to replace one material with another. That's why we have glass bottles, paper bottles, biodegradable packaging, aluminum cans, and many more to mention nowadays. Currently, the "Refilling System" in Thailand is controlled by strict regulations. We must report every single product on our shelves, and any new products must be registered. In contrast, convenience stores with a lot of packaging do not face the same level of scrutiny. I understand the importance of consumer protection policies, but we need a more balanced approach. Consider France's Anti-Waste Law, passed in 2020, which includes measures to encourage bulk sales and reduce packaging waste. It mandates that large supermarkets dedicate at least 20% of their surface area to bulk sales by 2030. Or in Germany, Unverpackt Movement has seen significant growth in zero-waste stores, supported by both government and NGO initiatives. It's time for Thailand to adopt similar policies to support sustainable solutions and truly reduce our environmental impact. Let's push for a system that encourages innovation and reduces waste! Thank you Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF) for inviting me to share. #ZeroWaste #Refilling #systemchange #Sustianability

The Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation (APCO)'s 2030 Strategic Plan mentioned eco-modulation, a concept many people are unfamiliar with. In this article, Phantm's Francesca Puleio explains what this means and why it is important. Phantm is building technology that helps businesses capture and consolidate their packaging materials data, so they can make better material choices, reduce costs and minimise exposure to business risk. This is a sponsored post on Food & Drink Business, providing insights into eco-modulation, how it works in other countries and commentary on its potential in Australia. Matt Kendall, Lindy Hughson, Chris Foley, Australian Institute of Packaging (AIP), Nerida Kelton FAIP, #packaging #ecomodulation #sustainability #targets

Australia’s Container Deposit Schemes are a brilliant example of what’s possible when government partners with industry to reduce litter, recycle and power the circular economy. Let’s take them to the next level by requiring all businesses to participate in their local schemes. They’re a revenue stream for the people and organisations who take part and are great for the community and the environment as Australia pursues an 80% recycling rate by 2030.

Peter West, CCEP’s Vice President and General Manager of Australia, Pacific and Indonesia, recently participated in the 2024 Visy Recycling Roundtable, alongside leaders from some of Australia’s largest consumer goods companies and Minister for the Environment and Water, the Hon. Tanya Plibersek MP. As a leader in the beverage industry, we take responsibility for the life of our products through active involvement in the nation’s container deposit schemes and our investment with Pact Group Holdings Ltd, Cleanaway Waste Management and Asahi Beverages in two leading Circular Plastics Australia PET recycling facilities. At the roundtable, Peter outlined CCEP’s commitment to going further in the circular economy. Smart, harmonised circular economy regulation will help us to do that. We believe that regulation which requires every business to take part in their local Container Deposit Scheme is a great starting point. Each year hundreds of millions of the containers consumed on their premises go to landfill. This lost material is vital for Australia’s recycling efforts and achieving the government’s ambitious recycling goals. Read more about what was covered in the roundtable via The Sydney Morning Herald: https://lnkd.in/gsHXWSJv #CCEPAustralia

The launch of a system to increase Singapore’s dismal recycling rate for plastics has been delayed. Again. Sources have pointed to industry delay tactics holding back a polluter-pays approach to waste reduction that was mooted in Singapore 2 decades ago. The city-state’s environment agency has confirmed that a consortium of big beverage brands including The Coca-Cola Company, POKKA and Fraser and Neave Limited tasked to run the scheme has taken “more time than expected to put up a proposal”. The cost of setting up the system, which includes an upfront fee and logistics costs, has been among the concerns of industry players as well as where the collection points should be located, according to an industry source familiar with the process. Retailers will need 8-12 months to set up operations after the scheme operator is formed, which could mean a new launch date of 2026 or later. The idea behind the scheme, which is the first time Singapore has taken an Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) or “polluter pays” approach to managing packaging waste, is to boost the city’s recycling rate – just 6 per cent for plastics, well below the global average of 9 per cent. A spokesperson for Coca-Cola said a "well-designed" EPR scheme should be "consumer-focused and ensure environmental, social, and economic viability." The company has reportedly lobbied against polluter-pays initiatives in territories including Scotland, Australia, Romania, and the United States. Rob Kelman, Asia Pacific director of Reloop, a circular economy research non-profit, said that delays to deposit return schemes "play into the hands of the big beverage producers". "Delays like this run the risk of giving an opportunity to drinks producers to overturn these schemes, or water them down and make them less effective." #lobbying #plasticpollution #plastics

The Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation (APCO) Targets are fast upon us! And our team at #Naturpac are on a mission to help shape a future where sustainable packaging is not just an aspiration, but a reality. The #2025NationalPackagingTargets are supported by Australian industry and government to deliver a sustainable approach to packaging. They apply to all packaging that is made, used, and sold in Australia. APCO is the organisation charged by government to facilitate the delivery of the 2025 Targets, to be achieved by 31 December 2025.     The 2025 Targets 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. Read more about the APCO Targets and the Fresh Produce Packaging Impacts here: https://lnkd.in/giCB_wJs For A Better Earth. 🌏