3R
  • Home
  • About Us
    • Overview
    • Our Team
    • Sustainability
    • Sustainable Futures Accelerator
  • Services
    • Overview
    • Product Stewardship
    • Sustainability Projects
    • Waste Assessment
    • Hazardous Waste Management
      • ChemCollect
      • MyHazWaste
    •  Compliance and Certification
    • ChemCollect
  • Work
  • Resources
    • Case Studies
      • Sustainable is Attainable
      • Resene PaintWise
      • Glass Packaging Forum
      • Community hazardous waste event
      • See all
    • Guide to product stewardship
    • Sustainable Futures Accelerator
    • Jargon buster
  • News
  • Contact Us
3R Logo Yellow
Services
  • Overview
  • Product Stewardship
  • Circular Economy Solutions
  • Waste Assessment
  • Sustainability Projects
  • Hazardous Waste Management
    • ChemCollect
    • MyHazWaste
  • ChemCollect
3R Logo Yellow
Work
  • Overview
3R CE Adele Rose and GM innovation Trevor Tutt
3R Logo Yellow
About Us
  • Overview
  • Our Team
  • Sustainability
  • Sustainable Futures Accelerator
  • Careers at 3R
3R Group Resrouces
3R Logo Yellow
Resources
  • Case Studies
    • Sustainable is Attainable
    • Resene PaintWise
    • Glass Packaging Forum
    • Community hazardous waste event
    • See all
  • Guide to product stewardship
  • Guide to the circular economy
  • Sustainable Futures Accelerator
  • Jargon buster

Will we see sustainable packaging promises met by 2025?

By Natalie Martin on July 21st, 2022 in Consumer goods
Sustainable packaging pledge 2025

For NZ Food Technology News as part of an ongoing series.

Globally and in New Zealand many players in the food and grocery industry have committed to making their packaging recyclable, reusable or compostable by 2025.

The commitment is both commendable and ambitious. So, what’s been achieved, will they get there, and will there be sustainable outcomes for such packaging?

Producers are increasingly opting for packaging materials such as PET and HDPE plastic, glass, fibre and compostables. The challenge remains the sheer volume, capacity, and infrastructure to collect, recycle, reuse or compost it and, importantly, who is responsible for this.

Glass has a good recovery rate in New Zealand, but contamination and recycling capacity remain a challenge while its manufacture is emissions-heavy compared with other options.

Recyclability of fibre makes it a popular choice, yet recovered volumes outstrip onshore recycling capacity by some 50%. The rest is sent overseas – where processors are becoming more stringent about the quality of what they accept.

Compostable packaging has potential, but also lacks onshore processing and collection infrastructure, has no New Zealand standard, and there have recently been concerns around PFAS chemicals.

The challenges with plastic are well known but its low weight, low cost and durability mean it may never be replaced as the most used packaging material. Using plastic types which can be recycled onshore, and minimising packaging are therefore current focal points, along with the use of recycled content in new packaging.

Government is backing change with the $50 million Plastics Innovation Fund announced in late 2021. It offers funding for projects to reduce plastic waste as well as make it more reusable and recyclable.

Overseas we are increasingly seeing product stewardship being made mandatory for industry. This makes the supply chain responsible for not just their choice of packaging material, but its outcomes.

In New Zealand, this has only been applied to single-use plastic packaging, and a proposed container return scheme. However, as signaled in recent consultation on new waste legislation, we can expect more if industry doesn’t step up voluntarily.

So, will the industry meet it’s 2025 pledge? I think it’s possible – the drive, investment and public pressure is growing – but the clock is also ticking. Industry must collaborate with each other and government on the bigger solution of product stewardship to achieve truly sustainable outcomes.

Previous Design is key to the circular economy

Design – the genesis of a circular economy

Next

Meeting food packaging recycling goals isn’t simple

Browse articles:

Archives

Categories

3R

3R Group Limited

info@3r.co.nz
0508 374 768
+64 6 872 7235
ChemCollect: 0508 243 642
207 Karamu Road North, Hastings 4122
PO Box 1216, Hastings 4156
New Zealand

Quicklinks

  • About Us
  • Services
  • Work
  • Case Studies
  • News
  • Jargon buster

Subscribe for latest updates

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Social Media

© Copyright 2023 3R Group Limited | Privacy Policy

Site by Agrarian + Caddie

Cleantalk Pixel
Subscribe for latest updates

Get regular inspiration for accelerating our circular economy.

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
ISO 14001:2015

Environmental management systems and safe work practices.

ISO 14001:2015 is an internationally recognised standard that certifies our commitment to environmental management systems and safe work practices.

Consistent with our environmental policy, the intended outcomes of our environmental management system include:

  • The enhancement of environmental performance;
  • The fulfilment of compliance obligations;
  • The achievement of environmental objectives.

Our ISO 14001:2015 certification includes 3R Operations, the Paint Product Stewardship Programmes, ChemCollect Service and the SeatSmart Child Car Seat Recycling Programme (owned and operated by 3R).

This certification is audited by TELARC.

ISO 45001:2018

Keeping our people safe, healthy and happy.

ISO 45001:2018 certification has been chosen to demonstrate the importance we place in caring for our people as we bring to life our values of Kaitiakitanga and Manaakitanga.

Keeping our team safe, healthy and happy is a primary focus for our business. We feel that the work our operations staff do makes this particularly important. Their responsibilities can include collecting and processing paint; collecting chemicals; driving trucks around the country; and getting hands-on with work wherever needed.

3R received ISO 45001:2018 certification in 2021. The ISO 45001:2018 certificate is valid for 3 years and includes annual surveillance audits which provide a valuable framework for further growth.

What is a circular economy?

New Zealand is “one of the highest generators of waste per person in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)”. The way we currently produce and manage our waste is not sustainable.

The current economy in New Zealand is linear: this equates to a process of take-make-use-dispose. The aim of the government is to move towards a circular economy.

A circular economy can refer to either biological or technical materials.

With biological materials, the cycle could be defined as make-consume-enrich. In this cycle waste returns to the environment and enriches the land.

A technical materials cycle may be more like make-use-return. In a technical materials cycle waste is repurposed and used to make something new.

Whether you need help with biological materials, technical materials, or both; 3R can partner with your business to assess your current waste, then help you reduce it.