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PACKAGING RECYCLING IN NZ |
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NEWSLETTER |
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PACKAGING ACCORD
As a signatory to the Accord in August 2004 on behalf of the brand owners and retailers, I was never in any doubt about the challenges which lay ahead. Companies more traditionally used to competing in every arena, including packaging and design, have been asked to co-operate towards a common goal of using less packaging and developing sustainable markets for new and recycled materials. Over the past year, industry, local and national Government and the recycling operators have worked together to achieve the excellent results which are documented in this report. The enthusiasm of all those involved has been immensely inspiring for those managing the Accord process. However we did not expect it to be easy and it has not been. The task was greatly underestimated and we are indebted to the professionalism and commitment of the Executive Director of the Packaging Council and his staff in delivering the Accord's Secretariat functions. Whilst we expected to spend this first year benchmarking and providing a framework for joint work programmes, we were faced almost immediately with a serious challenge to the Accord from changes in the market for glass cullet. The subsequent reduction in the rate paid to recycling operators for glass recovery put the onus on industry to find a workable solution which would enable recyclers to continue kerbside collection. The very nature of a voluntary agreement requires compromise and though this could not be achieved overnight, virtually all parties in the glass sector have accepted a temporary voluntary levy to enable glass recovery to continue nationwide whilst a longer-term solution is sought. And adversity is indeed the mother of invention with new uses for glass being found to extend the commercial viability of the recovery scheme. Glass is just one sector within the Accord and it may seem that this has consumed much of the Accord's time in 2005. However each sector is inevitably co-dependent, given that recyclers collect multiple packaging types, each with a different commercial market. A problem in any one sector ultimately places pressure on the overall viability of the recycling service. In any case, activity across all the sectors has been extensive - as this report shows. At the end of Year One, I believe that we are stronger as a group and have proven credibility with our partners and stakeholders. We are progressing well towards meeting our targets. We have excellent sector groups in place and we must now leverage our joint expertise to innovate more sustainable packaging and to develop new productive uses for our recovered materials. I look forward to working with you to meet our objectives under the Accord.
Tony Nowell
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PACKAGING COUNCIL OF NEW ZEALAND |