Too much plastic waste ends up in landfill and in our region’s natural environments. In Australia, only 18% of all plastic packaging is recovered for future use, while in New Zealand, 41% of recyclable plastic containers are sent to landfill. A similar situation is happening in the Pacific Islands, where over 300,000 tonnes of waste plastic is generated each year. By 2040, if we fail to act, the volume of plastic on the market will double, the annual volume of plastic entering the ocean will almost triple, and ocean plastic stocks will quadruple.
However, a new way for addressing the plastics issue is here. On 1 January 2021, the Australian, New Zealand and Pacific Island Plastics Pact (ANZPAC) launched in our region – a collaborative platform for the circular economy, in which plastic never becomes waste or pollution.
ANZPAC is part of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s global Plastics Pact network, a globally aligned response to plastic waste and pollution that enables vital knowledge sharing and co-ordinated action. Each Plastics Pact brings together businesses, policymakers, and NGOs around the world, who through shared ambition, combined expertise and collaboration create regional and national solutions to plastic waste and pollution.
The Australian Institute of Packaging are proud to be one of the earliest adopters of ANZPAC. As an official Supporting Association of ANZPAC, the AIP will be working closely with other businesses, governments and NGOs to move towards a circular economy for plastic
The ANZPAC Plastics Pact will:
- Coordinate and align stakeholders from industry, government, academia, NGOs and industry associations to work towards the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s vision for a circular economy for plastic
- Work collaboratively towards national and regional Plastics Pact 2025 Targets
- Build a clearly defined roadmap for how the region will reach them
- Measure and communicate progress through public annual reporting
- Co-design and implement pioneer initiatives, activities and solutions across the region
- Share knowledge and experiences, and learn from regional, national and global experts
To find out more about ANZPAC, visit www.anzpacplasticspact.org.au