The Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation (APCO) has unveiled its 2030 Strategic Plan, marking a significant shift towards enhanced responsibility and sustainability in the packaging industry.  

The plan outlines a future where industry players will be more accountable for the recyclability of their packaging and the achievement of national targets. 

The strategy introduces a novel membership fee structure designed to promote packaging material circularity and grant brands the social licence to operate in Australia.  

Starting from financial year 2027, the APCO will adjust its fees based on the types and volumes of packaging introduced to the market.  

Materials that are more challenging and costly to recycle will incur higher fees. 

This fee model aims to encourage brand owners to minimise packaging use, implement reuse models, and switch to materials that are more readily recyclable.  

The revenue generated from this initiative will be reinvested into the recycling system to address economic challenges that have previously impeded the attainment of national packaging targets. 

Investments will focus on enhancing end markets, developing reprocessing infrastructure, and fortifying collection networks.  

This approach - new to Australia - has been successfully implemented in other countries such as the Netherlands, Belgium, and France. 

APCO CEO Chris Foley said: "We're aiming to support and grow the existing system. local governments and the waste and recycling sectors are key. Together, we need to collect and work out where funds can be most effectively applied to drive up recycling.  

“That could be collection systems for problematic materials such as expanded polystyrene or a national consumer education campaign to increase recycling rates at kerbside."  

The APCO, which is responsible to Australia's environment ministers for meeting the national packaging targets, will maintain its core goals under the new strategy: to optimise packaging recovery and mitigate the impacts of litter.  

Progress will be monitored using new indicators, including a target to reduce materials sent to landfill by one million tonnes by 2030. 

The strategy, which commenced on 1 July 2024, was developed in collaboration with the APCO's over 2,400 industry members, waste and recycling sectors, industry associations, and governments.  

In May this year, the APCO officially classified Ravenwood Packaging’s linerless label technology as recyclable within Australasia.