SEPTEMBER 2005
The New Zealand Packaging Accord 2004 has just completed its first year. The first anniversary occasion will be marked by a special event in Auckland on 27th October bringing representatives of all the sectors together to celebrate and re-affirm the determination to successfully and fully meet the Accord’s targets. Much has been achieved, but there is still a very long and arduous task ahead. We believe the foundations have been successfully laid and look forward to the 2006 year being the second year of working towards the successful achievement of the task we have set ourselves.
IN THIS ISSUE WE WILL COVER
If you are unable to read this newsletter or to use the links, please refer
to the online version which is on our website: www.packaging.org.nz/newsletter
The latest from all our sector groups
Packaging Council of New Zealand
Recycling Operators of New Zealand
Case Study - Events Recycling Guidelines
SECTOR NEWS
Packaging Council of New Zealand
Welcome to the following new members:
- Living Nature
- BJ Ball Papers
- PACT Industries Pty Ltd
2 Day Workshop – Sustainable Packaging - 24 – 25 November 2005 - Auckland
This 2 day workshop is hosted by the Council and will be held at PINOT, Orakei Road, Auckland. The workshop is presented by Helen Lewis and Dr Karli James, RMIT University, Centre for Design, Melbourne.
The workshop incorporates an understanding of responsibilities and obligations under the Australian National Packaging Covenant and the New Zealand Packaging Accord, how sustainable packaging is defined and how to identify appropriate strategies, and lessons on how to change your product development process to implement sustainable packaging.
Contact Deb Statham, Packaging Council of New Zealand for further information – d.statham@packaging.org.nz
Invitations to attend this workshop will be forwarded to all Accord parties in October and details will be on the Councils website.
Ministry for the Environment
Talk Environment is coming!
The Ministry's popular Talk Environment Roadshow is back for another year. In mid-October, the Ministry will visit up to 14 regions from 10 – 27 October to talk with business, community groups and local government about our work programme and direction. This is an opportunity for you to come along and share your views with us. Click here for a list of times and venues.
The roadshow provides a good vehicle for the Ministry to talk face-to-face with many interested people and groups. A range of topics will be covered - more information to be provided in the coming weeks.
Funding round for environmental projects now open The Sustainable Management Fund (SMF) provides financial support to projects which produce long-term environmental benefits. The 2006/07 funding round is open now and closes on 8 November 2005.
Sustainable office paper products: procurement guidelines now online
The Govt3 programme has recently released procurement guidelines online for office paper. Practical actions are provided to enable paper consumers to make a difference in their procurement policies.
Office paper is essential to our work and New Zealand as a whole uses about 64,000 tonnes of it every year. The global impacts of paper production and use are significant. They include contribution to climate change, air and water pollution, soil erosion, loss of forest habitat, and waste to landfill. Efficient use of sustainable office paper products helps to reduce these impacts.
For example, recycled content paper is promoted by the Govt3 programme because it helps to reduce a number of environmental impacts by diverting paper waste from landfill and helps to support a viable market for paper recycling.
To find out more and view the guidelines see: http://www.mfe.govt.nz/issues/sustainable-industry/govt3/topic-areas/office-consumables/paper-products.html
Sustainable Procurement Conference 7 & 8 November
There is a new and improved programme with increased industry content for the Sustainable Procurement Conference to be hosted by the Ministry in November. An exciting new addition is a separate workshop session on the afternoon of Monday 7th November for Packaging Council members attending the conference. This session will be run with the keynote speaker Scot Case, an international expert on environmentally preferable purchasing, and is presently being scoped by the Ministry for the Environment. More information on this will shortly be made available through the Packaging Council.
Minister commends Accord Action
9/9/05. In her speech to the Keep NZ Beautiful conference, Environment Minister Marian Hobbs commended companies working towards the aims and targets of the Packaging Accord.
“The Waste Minimisation Strategy was developed as a partnership between Central Government and Local Government New Zealand, and the spirit of partnership has underpinned many of the activities that have flowed from the waste strategies. Partnerships bring the strengths and problem solving skills of different groups for a common purpose.
The Strategy also introduced the concept of Extended Producer Responsibility – which we now call Product Stewardship. Product Stewardship acknowledges that producers, importers, retailers and users all have some responsibility for products at different points over the life of those products. Producers are asked to take particular responsibility for management of goods that have reached the end of their useful life.
The product stewardship principle and partnership underpin a third important element, the Packaging Accord. Under the Accord, relevant industry groups, and Local and Central Government have committed to reduce the environmental impacts of packaging.
I have been impressed by the enthusiasm with which many groups have addressed the Packaging Accord. For instance, the Environmental Beverage Action Group, a group established to look after drink bottles and cans, is working very hard to increase the rates at which those items are recycled.
Some of the major companies working on packaging issues are strong supporters of Keep New Zealand Beautiful, and I applaud them for being so.” Read the Minister’s speech here.
The Warehouse introduces recycled content checkout bags.
The Warehouse have launched a new specification check out bag which now has 50 per cent recycled content along with a printed "Reduce Reuse Recycle" message and the Packaging Accord Logo.
In January of this year The Warehouse introduced a 20 cents rebate for customers using our reusable bag when making a purchase - instead of requiring a new plastic checkout bag. Since January just over 5000 transactions have been processed using the rebate.
The Warehouse is continuing to further develop their in-house waste minimisation efforts and report that all their major recycling centres now recover waste polystyrene previously sent to landfill.
The packaging design and procurement guidelines contained in The Warehouse’s published Packaging Guide are being further refined to more closely conform with the principles of the Packaging Accord.
Shell New Zealand Sustainability Fund launched
To help Small and Medium Enterprises (SME’s) overcome barriers to participation in sustainable development, Shell New Zealand, in association with the New Zealand Business Council for Sustainable Development, has launched the Shell NZ Sustainability Fund.
The Fund aims to help SMEs develop and implement systems that will enable them to operate in a sustainable, environmentally responsible way. It recognises the challenges that confront SME’s in terms of the upfront investment required to turn talk into action. To find out more, visit www.shell.co.nz/smefund.html
Local Government
Councils support Keep NZ Beautiful Week 19-25 September
19/09/05 Councils throughout New Zealand are supporting this campaign, which aims to get towns, cities and rural areas litter free. This means putting policies and resources in place to ensure our environment is protected from litter and refuse. It also means finding innovative and new ways to reduce, to re-use and to recycle to improve rubbish disposal.
Paper
NZPPA has a new web page on the PrintNZ website www.printnz.co.nz/nzppa.htm.
NZPPA have made a submission to Ministry for the Environment on the Product Stewardship consultation paper. The submission stresses the importance of the Packaging Accord and other voluntary processes as the best way to progress, rather than any new Government regulation. If you want to view the Submission - Product Stewardship Sept 2005 go to http://www.printnz.co.nz/NZPPA.htm - Environmental Issues / The Packaging Accord.
As part of a new MfE sponsored project, the paper sector is focusing on the implementation of the paper Code of Practice. Individual companies will be visited to discuss ways in which they can take actions to implement the Code, or enhance what they are already doing. We will also be looking to work closer with Designers, Brand Owners and Retailers.
Printing Industries NZ is working to facilitate a meeting to discuss the possible formation of a Paper Council. This would involve ALL areas of the paper sector and would look at discussing matters that cross the sector, with a special focus on environmental issues (including the Accord).
Plastics
The Plastics Sector has been active over the last month. Their Good News for the Environment report has just been released.
A number of plastics companies in the packaging area are participating in our Best Practice Programme. Their Good News for the Environment stories are up on the website.
30 Sep 2005. Our Best Practice Companies are making their businesses more environmentally responsible and we want to share these 22 good news stories with you. We hope they will inspire you to get involved. Our congratulations to all the Best Practice Companies featured for all their hard work and dedication View PDF file (853kb)
In addition our working groups are making good progress:
Flexible Plastics – George Campbell chaired a successful meeting of Flexible and Food and Grocery Council representatives on 14 September.
Bron Bartley, EBAG Secretariat, talked to the group about the lessons from EBAG in forming a cross sector working group. A meeting is planned for November when the flexible group will come back to the FGC about where to focus action and ways to move forward as a cross sectoral group.
EPS – A subgroup has been formed to look at recycling EPS.
An open meeting in Auckland planned for 18 October 2005 to discuss ways to increase recycling EPS. If you are interested in attending please contact Ket Bradshaw, Environmental Manager, Plastics NZ ket@plastics.org.nz
Rigid Plastics – Our first meeting on 30 August was chaired by Dave Scobie with a second scheduled for 4 October. The aim is to identify areas where more rigid packaging can be collected for recycling. In these initial meetings we’re identifying the “low hanging fruit” and whether a cross sectoral group is required.
Kerbside Recycling Contracts – the Packaging Council and Plastics NZ hosted a very successful meeting on 14 September where representatives from RONZ, LGNZ, MfE, Packaging Council, Plastics NZ, Steel, Paperboard Packaging, and Brand Owners and Retailers discussed the issues and opportunities to increase kerbside recycling.
Four of the key points from the meeting were; improve the flow of information between brand owners/importers, packaging producers and recyclers; ask sectors to identify upcoming packaging trends; standardise product labelling to help the consumer; and encourage councils to negotiate contracts that include a wider and more flexible range of packaging material.
Recycle Operators of New Zealand
Coca-Cola Amatil (NZ) Ltd recently launched a new platinum coloured PET container in conjunction with a short-term national Diet Coke promotion from 4th September to 20th November. RONZ was consulted to confirm the recyclability of the container and contracted to inform the resource recovery industry, community groups and councils involved in the collection and/or processing of PET that this platinum coloured PET is recyclable.
Information packs which included sample 390ml and 600ml containers and A4 laminated information sheets were distributed.
It is important that the resource recovery industry is kept up to date and informed of packaging changes and new developments. RONZ will be seeking feedback regarding the usefulness of the information pack and how they can continue to keep industry better informed.
For further information contact: Melissa Arseneault, RONZ, mob 021 0611537, email mel@ronz.org.nz
Litter Steering Group
The Litter Alliance, now re-named the Litter Steering Group, has commissioned some preliminary research on effective litter abatement campaigns. Findings and recommendations of the study are not yet available. The Steering Group is now focussing on short term projects likely to deliver visible and useful results.
Tauranga challenged to pick up its rubbish
19/09/05 Tauranga will never be New Zealand's most beautiful city unless it gets on top of its rubbish problem, says Papamoa beach resident Ron Melville. Next week, he and hundreds of other Western Bay locals will pick up rubbish from their local neighbourhood to mark Keep NZ Beautiful Clean Up week.
CASE STUDY - EVENTS RECYCLING GUIDELINES
The Environmental Beverage Action Group (EBAG) is a cross-sector group working on meeting the beverage industry’s obligations under the Packaging Accord 2004. EBAG has identified several areas they believe will significantly contribute to progress towards targets. They are developing guidelines to assist organisations sponsoring events to ensure that recycling and resource recovery is an integral part of the event.
EBAG believes that organisations want people to remember events they sponsor and their organisation’s support of it for the good time and good value experienced. It is also important that participants understand and associate sponsoring organisation with the values that the event itself embodies. Most New Zealanders are accustomed to recycling at home. EBAG believes they will soon expect the opportunity to recycle at public events. Well-managed recycling services will enhance the profile of events and the public perception of its sponsors’ corporate citizenship.
The guidelines suggest that the first step for any organisation in successfully incorporating recycling at their event is to formulate an event Waste Minimisation policy to act as the guiding light and foundation to ensuring that recycling happens. The guidelines give examples of such Policies. The second step is to appoint someone to be responsible to ensure that recycling is a part of the event and to manage the process.
The guidelines will be available later in the year and EBAG hopes that the first events to incorporate ideas from the guidelines will be in November and December. EBAG members Coca-Cola are planning that Coca-Cola Christmas in the Park will have a strong environmental focus this year.
NEW ZEALAND NEWS
16/09/2005 Hamilton City Council is affirming its focus on sustainability issues in Hamilton through a visit to Waitakere eco-city on Thursday 22 September. Hamilton mayor Michael Redman, nine councillors and members of the Strategic unit will visit Waitakere to see what the city has achieved in terms of best practice sustainability.
Recycling venture targets corporates
13/09/05 NZ Herald A new recycling and recovery division is being set by Waste Management for commercial customers. The venture, Recycle NZ, will be launched early next year. Managing director Kim Ellis said an increasing number of commercial customers wanted recycling and resource recovery as part of their waste collection service. "This is partly driven by increasing disposal costs and partly by the quest for sustainable development," he said.
Cleaning up the world starting with Christchurch’s back yard
12/09/05 Clean Up The World, a global event where volunteers clear rubbish from a part of their community, is now in its 13th year. Held in conjunction with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the annual event gains the services of over 35 million volunteers from more than 100 countries around the globe, making it one of the largest community-based environmental campaigns in the world.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Marks & Spencer Project Closes the Plastics Packaging Recycling Loop
Marks & Spencer's today became the first retailer in the UK to trial the use of recycled plastic in food and drink packaging on a large scale and to gauge customer reaction to the concept.
First bio-plastic computer cases
1/9/05 The first bio-plastic computer case has been developed by a consortium of Japanese companies.
2/9/2005 An estimated five million barbeques took place in Britain over the August Bank Holiday, generating a huge mountain of waste.
First Minister opens giant Welsh recycling plant
12/9/2005 Rhodri Morgan has cut the ribbon at a £3.5million recycling plant in Flintshire, marking the official launch of the biggest waste operation in Wales.
TXT (Text) to remind Londoners when to recycle
13/09/2005 More than a quarter of Londoners have admitted they do not know what day their local council collects their recycling from the doorstep, despite the fact the city now has almost blanket coverage.EVENTS COMING UP
27 October 2005 - Packaging Accord – One Year On – Auckland – marking one year’s progress under the Accord. Invitations have been forwarded to all Accord parties.
1-3 November 2005 Wasteminz Conference, Rotorua. Information and program here
7 – 8 November 2005 Smarter Buying: Better Future - Sustainable Procurement Conference, Wellington Convention Centre, Wellington, New Zealand
24 – 25 November 2005 Sustainable Packaging two day workshop – PINOT, Orakei Road, Auckland. Hosted by the Packaging Council this workshop is presented by Helen Lewis and Dr Karli James, RMIT University, Centre for Design, Melbourne.
Back issues of ACCORDing to Packaging are available here
We welcome and encourage those involved in bringing the Packaging Accord 2004 to life to contribute to this newsletter. Please send us your stories and comments so they can be shared with others.
| REPRESENTING MANUFACTURERS, FILLERS, BRAND OWNERS, WHOLESALERS, RETAILERS & CONSUMERS OF PACKAGING |
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