Packaging Sustainability

Imagine an Australia with a lot less litter, a lot less waste and much less impact on our environment. Imagine a more sustainable world and a healthy global economy that will empower future generations to meet their own needs.

Australian businesses, now more than ever, have the capacity to meet the needs of the present whilst developing a healthy relationship with the environment and its resources. Sustainability is not just an environmental imperative; it also makes great business sense. And according to Jim Owens, Caterpillar CEO, in the next decade, "the most successful companies will be those that integrate sustainability into their core businesses."

There is a growing trend by consumers to gravitate towards companies that are transparent and accountable in measuring and reporting on their corporate social responsibility. Furthermore, a recent Neilson survey revealed Asia-Pacific consumers are willing to pay that little bit extra for products from businesses that display strong environmental stewardship.

Ideally, Australian businesses must adopt a holistic approach to driving sustainability; some of which include scrutinising water usage and carbon costs, adapting to changes in customer demand, efficient consumption of energy and resources, and measuring and monitoring business activities to help streamline production processes. The benefits in doing so can lead to increased efficiencies, being more price competitive and adding intrinsic value to a brand.

So how can we achieve this?

The Australian Packaging Covenant (APC) is an example of one sustainable initiative which aims to change the culture of business to design more sustainable packaging. Underpinning this is a plan to encourage its signatories to increase recycling rates and reduce packaging litter. Together with government, industry and community groups, the APC agrees to take a leading role in managing the impact of its packaging on the environment.

Currently 900 organisations are APC signatories, with one such company being Australian owned and operated pastry manufacturer, Mrs Mac's. The family bakery signed the Covenant in July 2010, signalling a commitment to an action plan that sets out a number of initiatives to be undertaken in line with the Australian Packaging Covenant strategic plan. These initiatives include:

• Design
• Recycling
• Product Stewardship

A brief overview of how Mrs Mac’s intends to work towards each goal in the strategic plan is outlined below:

Design
Develop a program which incorporates the Sustainable packaging guidelines and then conduct and document systematic reviews of existing and future stock keeping units.

Recycling
Continue to implement recycling strategies as outlined in our environmental policy and commit to working towards the Australian Packaging Covenant goals with education and onsite recovery procedures and systems a key focus.

Product Stewardship
Commit to packaging throughout its life span. Develop better labelling and educational tools for packaging to increase the likelihood of packaging being recycled. Furthermore, investigate possible ways to promote packaging recovery projects.

This action plan covers the commitment made by Mrs Mac's to reduce the impact of packaging over the next five years. This commitment stems from the realisation that competing in a global economy goes hand in hand with embracing a valuation of the environment as a measure of economic health, whether for a business, community or for Australia.

Climate change, ecosystems depletion, resource inefficiency and loss of productivity: together, we can address these forces with the tools and know-how to pave the pathway to a sustainable Australia – and world.

GreenBizCheck is proud to be working with The Australian Packaging Covenant  following the Business Clean Up Day. If you're a signatory and would like to know how GreenBizCheck can help you improve sustainability and reduce your costs e-mail  us today.