Circular economy opportunities for paint and packaging scheme

Minimum recycled content, product as a service, and refillable options are just some of the circular economy opportunities highlighted in the second report of a project to create an all-of-industry product stewardship scheme.

The report, prepared and published by product stewardship specialists 3R Group, highlights the importance of collaboration among the Aotearoa New Zealand paint industry to reduce the environmental impact of the industry’s products and packaging.

Project Lead Steve Nicholls of 3R Group, says the second milestone report focused on the circular economy and how its principles can be applied to an all-of-industry scheme. The three high level principles of the circular economy are:

• Eliminate waste and pollution
• Keep products and materials at their highest value
• Regenerate nature

One significant factor impacting the application of circular economy principles is current schemes have developed independently, limiting opportunities for collaboration between industry members, he says. “There are significant end-of-life opportunities for paint which will benefit from a cross-sector collaboration – from the technical knowledge to the potential use of production facilities,” Steve says.

The first would be at the product design phase to enable reuse and recycling and where renewable resources are favoured, he says.

Changing the way paint is offered to customers is another opportunity, such as paint-as-a-service (particularly for commercial painters) and refill options. Transport is another area where collaboration can lead to more sustainable outcomes, with bulk transport and reverse logistics reducing emissions.

An industry-wide agreement on minimum recycled content in new packaging was one of the ideas considered a “significant step to develop consistent quantity and volumes of recycled materials,” Steve says.

Key areas of the scheme which will be prioritised are education of trade and consumer paint users to reduce waste, improvement of reverse logistics, standardisation of return containers, increased options for reuse, remanufacturing of paint into new paint, and the recycling of waste paint and packaging into other products.

“We had some great engagement from the Working Group in this milestone and that’s given the project some real momentum as we move forward,” Steve says.

The project is industry-led and has the backing of the New Zealand Paint Manufacturers Association (PaintMan).

You can read the milestone reports and find out more about the project here.