PACKAGING COUNCIL (SECRETARIAT)

Brand Owners and Retailers Sector

The vital contribution to the Accord made by brand owners and retailers is recognised in other sector reports. Member companies are involved in leading initiatives through their involvement in the Packaging Council, the Food & Grocery Council, the New Zealand Retailers Association, Glass Packaging Forum and the Environmental Business Action Group (EBAG).

The ability of this sector to galvanise public opinion was demonstrated by the high-profile 'Make a Difference' plastic bag reduction campaign now rolled out to 646 supermarkets and grocery stores across the country reminding shoppers of their own role in choosing whether to take a plastic bag or use an eco-bag.

Since 2004 supermarkets, Foodstuffs and Progressive Enterprises, along with general merchandise and grocery retailer, The Warehouse, have:-

• reduced plastic bag consumption by 9.5% taking nearly 70 million bags out of use
• achieved an overall 15% reduction in the amount of plastic used
• a 275% increase in sales of eco-bags

Over three years the amount of bags taken out of the waste stream is equivalent to 17 million two-litre plastic drinks containers

The food processing sector accounts for 5% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), 31% of manufacturing GDP and 26% of manufacturing employment, with 63,000 full-time jobs. New Zealand supplies 2.4% of the world trade in processed foods. Their decisions about packaging have a major impact on the success of the Accord.

Click here to download the Economic Evaluation of the Food Processing Sector.

The Food & Grocery Council (FGC) established a Sustainability Group to educate and advise its members in the packaged goods industry on sustainable business practices, including social, environmental and economic best practice. FGC members have continued to register packaging data into the EANnet database which is proving to be a massive undertaking.

The Environmental Business Action Group (EBAG), which brings together the private and public sectors, has this year focused on three core objectives:

• Event Recycling
• Public Place Recycling and
• Business to Business mentoring.

Different systems of event waste management were explored at high profile events such as the Ellerslie Flower Show, Coca-Cola Christmas in the Park, Round the Bays and Womad. This has provided solid data of what does and does not work and is helping to crystallise a framework to help event managers.

Work continues with the Ministry for the Environment to introduce a nationwide network of public place recycling bins. Successful trials are anticipated before the end of Year Four.

The Business to Business mentoring process has developed as members engage with their own customers and suppliers. The Packaging Council and Fonterra ran a series of workshops through WasteMINZ under the EBAG banner. These workshops focused on simple, practical ideas which can be undertaken at any level within an organisation.

Sector Action Plan Annual Survey

• 91% of respondents now have in-house waste reduction programmes in place
• 70% of respondents review new packaging for compliance with the Packaging Council's Code of Practice
• 48% of respondents include the percentage of recycled content as part of their evaluation criteria for selecting packaging

PACKAGING COUNCIL OF NEW ZEALAND
ACTING AS THE NZ PACKAGING ACCORD SECRETARIAT
77 Greenmount Drive, East Tamaki, Manukau
PO Box 58899, Greenmount, Auckland
PHONE: 09 271 4044, FAX: 09 271 4041