Report finds circular economy is a huge opportunity for paint and paint packaging industry
An industry-led project to improve recovery, reuse and recycling of paint and its packaging across the country has passed its first milestone.
The project, which is being managed by product stewardship specialists 3R Group, has the backing of the New Zealand Paint Manufacturers Association (PaintMan) and aims to create a system that promotes more sustainable outcomes for the industry.
The first of five milestones is now published, with work well under way on milestone two, says Project Lead Steve Nicholls of 3R Group. Milestone one crunched the numbers on current market volumes and recovery rates, and looked at how overseas schemes were structured, he says.
A key finding was New Zealand currently has around a 14% recovery rate for plastic paint pails packaging and 28% for steel cans (and the paint it contains). “That’s a huge opportunity for an industry-wide scheme to capture far more material for recycling and reuse, which is where regulated stewardship comes in,” Steve says.
A future, regulated, all-of-industry scheme will need to significantly expand the pathways for collection and recycling paint and its packaging, as well as increase processing capacity onshore, he says.
“International examples have shown us that legislation and regulation is key to initiating the development of paint and packaging stewardship. New Zealand’s current legislation and priority product regulation provides an excellent opportunity to move in this direction for the paint industry,” Steve says.
“Government’s declaration of single-use plastic packaging as a priority product, in 2020, was pivotal. It gave industry the impetus and framework to create a regulated scheme for plastic paint packaging. The industry has gone beyond what was required to include steel packaging, and the paint, to create higher value outcomes and should be commended.”
Work on milestone two is already well advanced, with the final milestone expected to be completed next year. You can read the full milestone one report here.
