Product Stewardship in Australia

MS2 was commissioned to conduct research and analysis for a range of international best practice approaches and options for packaging recovery, recycling and litter reduction in support of the Packaging Impacts Consultation Regulation Impact Statement (CRIS) conducted for Australia’s Environment Ministers, serving as the Environmental Protection and Heritage Council (EPHC). Various approached examined in the MS2 report included a national container deposit scheme (CDS), an advance disposal fee and actions targeting away from home recycling, including industry-driven producer responsibility schemes. MS2 also developed Australia-specific models of best practice CDS and an industry-driven producer responsibility scheme for consultations with stakeholders and cost-benefit analysis in the CRIS. [ViewPDF]

In a project for the Australian Government, MS2 (on behalf of Perchards) consulted with key stakeholders and developed robust and defensible conversion factors to convert import quantities of televisions, computers and computer peripherals into weight to support the operation of the National Television and Computer Product Stewardship Scheme. The conversion factors were incorporated into the Scheme's Regulations. [View PDF]

Product Stewardship in North America and Europe

The Australian Government commissioned MS2 and Perchards to examine a range of product stewardship programs in North America and Europe. [View PDF]

The following schemes were selected for analysis:

• The Dutch scheme for waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE);
• The French packaging take-back scheme (including Green Dot implementation);
• The Swiss arrangements for the collection and recycling of packaging waste;
• British Columbia's Encorp Pacific program for beverage containers and WEEE;
• Stewardship Ontario as an Industry Funding Organization;
• Canadian battery programs, such as those led by Waste Diversion Ontario;
• The Belgian take-back scheme for spent batteries;
• US programs for lamps and other mercury-containing products; and
• Adoption and implementation of the Minnesota Electronics Recycling Act 2007.

In addition, MS2 and Perchards critically examined the German and UK packaging schemes. The Germany Green Dot program and impacts resulting from German introduction of container deposits on top of comprehensive recycling were specifically addressed. The report featured prominently in the Australian development of framework legislation for product stewardship.

The Global Product Stewardship Council Executive Committee provided input and review on a confidential basis during report development. MS2 and Perchards also applied an analytical framework for product stewardship and extended producer responsibility developed in conjunction with the Council.

Coupling findings from the report with recent developments in product stewardship and producer responsibility, MS2 Director Russ Martin presented on international trends in product stewardship for packaging at the Australian Institute of Packaging national conference in June 2010. [View PDF]

Status of Packaging Sustainability in Australia
MS2 and Perchards prepared the first annual packaging sustainability report for the Packaging Council of Australia. [View PDF]

MS2 Director Russ Martin summarises findings from the report in Towards Packaging Sustainability for WME Magazine. [View PDF]

The Packaging Council of Australia's President and CEO, Mike McKinstry and Gavin Williams, respectively, stated in their foreword to the report,

The authors were instructed to prepare an open, honest and transparent account of Australian packaging and its sustainability record. We wanted it to be rigorous, accurate and relevant. It was not to be a greenwash and nor was it to be simply a list of achievements with the negatives either ignored altogether or glossed over. If the report was to have credibility, we recognised that it needed to document strengths and weakness, successes and failures, as well as highlight areas for improvement and make clear, specific recommendations for future action.

In our view, a pro-active and upfront examination of the issues will have real benefits for our industry. Overall, the industry has a solid record of achievement on a range of environmental matters over several decades. It needs to build on that record and demonstrate publicly that it is making a determined effort on sustainability.

We view this report as an important statement and benchmark for the industry. The demand for sustainable packaging will be a driving force for years to come.

Sustainability is relevant to all companies in the packaging supply chain. Companies that ignore sustainability do so at their peril. The time has come for sustainability to work for, rather than against, the industry.

Packaging Mega Trends
MS2 Director Russ Martin and packaging sustainability were highlighted in the Packaging Magazine's coverage Packaging Mega Trends 2009. [View PDF]

Gap Analysis
MS2 and New Resource Solution Pty Ltd were commissioned by the National Packaging Covenant Industry Association to identify and document the gaps and inconsistencies in the collection, storage and analysis of packaging materials flow data as required by the National Packaging Covenant in order to help inform discussions to develop packaging and litter targets for proposed revisions to the Covenant (Covenant MkII). [View PDF]

Strengthening Packaging Product Stewardship in Australia
As part of preparing a submission to the Productivity Commission, MS2 was commissioned to investigate options for strengthening packaging product stewardship in Australia, including complementary and alternative approaches to the National Packaging Covenant. The primary objectives were to provide an overview of the Covenant, complementary mechanisms and alternative approaches in context with resource efficiency, extended producer responsibility and product stewardship principles and recommend appropriate courses of action for strengthening packaging product stewardship in Australia based on this research. [View PDF]

AFGC Submission to Productivity Commission
The Australian Food and Grocery Council commissioned MS2 to research, prepare and finalise the AFGC submission to the Productivity Commission Inquiry into Waste Generation and Resource Efficiency, in conjunction with AFGC staff. [View PDF] MS2 also provided expert testimony to the Commission in support of the submission (pp.505-518 of transcript). [View PDF]