 |
New Zealand Packaging Accord 2004
On 10th August 2004 Plastics New Zealand proudly became a key supporting signatory of the New Zealand Packaging Accord., which is a voluntary agreement between Government and Industry to improve the sustainability of the packaging used in New Zealand.
The Targets
- The Plastics Industry has agreed to recycle 23% of all plastic packaging by 2008 (This will require over 6,000 tonnes more plastic packaging to be collected; each tonne equates to about 25,000 2 litre milk bottles).
- Major NZ brand owners & retailers have also committed to reducing plastic shoppping bag usage by 20%
BRAND OWNERS AND RETAILERS SECTOR ACTION PLAN
5.1 PLASTIC SHOPPING BAG REDUCTION TARGETS
The retail sector signatories to this Accord believe that plastic shopping bags provide the most cost-effective and practical means for distributing merchandise at point of sale in supermarkets and in the general retail environment. They often provide an important secondary use within homes for storage and ultimate removal of waste.
Plastic shopping bags are estimated to contribute less than 0.2 percent (by weight) to the entire waste stream in New Zealand. It is often the litter impact of plastic bags that contributes to the perception that they are a waste problem. The retail sector can assist in promoting to the public the responsible disposal of plastic shopping bags to alleviate this litter problem.
Retail signatories to this Accord are committed to the responsible use of plastic shopping bags, including reducing unnecessary use of bags, providing reusable bag alternatives and collaborating with other sectors to promote the recovery and recycling of plastic shopping bags.
| Individual retail signatories to the Accord will develop and implement plans in order to achieve national reduction targets for plastic shopping bags. | Reduce - discourage unnecessary use of plastic shopping bags. Reduce - maximise the number of items packed per bag, appropriate to item type. Reuse - provide alternative multi trip/reusable (cloth and plastic) shopping bags for sale in store. Recycle - provide customer recycling facilities for checkout bags. (Implementation will differ according to type of retail environment.) Targets - using the 2003 and 2004 years as a baseline, establish company reduction targets of a minimum of 20 percent by 2008 and adjusted for growth in sales.Quantify - the usage of plastic shopping bags:
Forward above data to PAC.NZ on an annual basis for inclusion in national target reporting. Promote - use company advertising media and in-store communications to engage consumer support for the above initiatives. | Years 1-5 |
| Retail Accord signatories will collaborate in non-commercially sensitive ways to achieve the national reduction target for plastic shopping bags. | Standardise - while still retaining competitive differentiation and sourcing, the industry will investigate creation of a New Zealand standard for plastic shopping bags, incorporating a plastics ID code, appropriate messages promoting responsible reuse and recycling, and recycled material content and degradability (where this is an accepted option for all sector groups). | Years 1-2 |
| Recycle - investigate the feasibility of a retail industry standard checkout bag recycling receptacle for placement in large stores, malls and retail precincts. (Implementation will differ according to type of retail environment.) | Year 1 | |
| Cross-sector collaboration to achieve the national reduction target for plastic shopping bags. | Recycle - develop a joint recycling initiative with recyclers and local government to enable consumers to recycle their bags through established kerbside collection systems. | Years 1-2 |
| Promote - Investigate trans-sector initiatives to promote responsible use of plastic shopping bags targeting reduction, recycling and litter. | Years 1-5 |