Packaging plays a critical role in protecting and preserving our food products. It is important to recognise that single use packaging only performs this functional role for a relatively short period of time and the impacts beyond this first use need to be considered. By focusing on a circular economy approach, packaging can be recovered and recycled back into use as recycled content for new packaging or a new product.
The nature of a circular economy means that each part of the circle needs to play their part for the overall system to be a success. For packaging this means investing in consistent and advanced collection, sorting and recycling infrastructure capable of producing food grade materials back to packaging manufacturers. As a food manufacturer our role in the circular economy is to ensure our packaging is designed for ease of collection, sorting and recycling (to create supply of material for recycling) and to require an increase in recycled content from our packaging suppliers (to create demand for recycled materials). In short, packaging needs to fulfil a functional role while also being a valuable feed stock for recyclers.
We are committing to 100% reusable, recyclable or compostable packaging by 2025. For Australia and New Zealand, this means our packaging is not just ‘technically’ recyclable but must also meet the strict recyclability criteria in the Packaging Recyclability Evaluation Portal (PREP), the Australasian Recyclability Label (ARL), or similar. In countries not covered by these systems we will focus on making packaging ‘recycle ready’ while working with local partners to build recycling programs. Currently, compostable packaging is problematic for retail products due to the lack of collection and processing infrastructure. Our use of compostable packaging will be based on a robust assessment of the likelihood of packaging actually being composted.
Recyclability has been a focus of our sustainable packaging programs for many years including the recent conversion of 100 tonnes/yr worth of problematic PVC packaging to PET.
As foundation partners of the Redcycle program in Australia and the New Zealand Soft Plastic Recycling Scheme (SPRS) we are building product stewardship programs for materials not accepted in kerbside recycling. We’re now supporting the expansion of the SPRS into New Zealand’s South Island and in Fiji we have replaced styrofoam trays with reusable tubs for a range of Crest products.
We are focussed on eliminating non-recyclable plastics that contaminate recycling streams, identifying alternatives for single use plastic, delivering engineering projects that reduce material use, and improving end of life solutions for soft plastics. Using design innovation alongside Life Cycle Assessment and evaluation tools, we will continue to improve our packaging formats to achieve recyclability and circularity. Importantly, we will continue our roll out of the ARL to encourage consumers to correctly recycle our packaging as designed. We’re also working alongside the Australian Food and Grocery Council to establish a National Packaging Recycling Scheme for specific plastics not currently captured in kerbside recycling.