As per WWF-Australia, the much-anticipated review when it comes to Australia’s 2025 National Packaging Targets indeed happens to be a wake-up call that puts forth the urgent requirement for robust laws in order to break the country’s national plastic addiction.
In the report, which happens to be published by the Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation (APCO), this review sheds light on the fact that the country is falling very short of its target in regard to plastic packaging recycling.
This final report came out with the following major findings:
- Although the 2025 National Packaging Targets happen to be driving a shift in Australia’s packaging, they are nowhere near meeting the 2025 targets, with an aim to recycle and compost 70% of the plastic packaging proving to be the biggest threat.
- While the 2025 National Packaging Targets continue to act as a catalyst in terms of a circular economy for packaging, it is critical to have a consensus that is based on targets for post-2025 so as to enable long-term innovation and investment.
- The partnership and cooperation between the government and the industry when it comes to the overall packaging system are important in order to overcome the barriers to growth.
- Urgent as well as matched policy and programmatic action is required in order to address the critical differences as far as the circulation of mandatory packaging and its formats are concerned.
The report has gone on to confirm that Australia’s targets involving packaging will not be met by 2025, which is indeed disappointing; however, it also puts forth the urgent need for a way when it comes to doing business that not only lessens the waste but also safeguards significant places and species from pollution caused by plastic, opined the no plastic in nature policy manager for WWF-Australia, Kate Noble. She added that the sector has made it loud and clear that it will not be able to deliver its targets without the help of more government intervention, which should come in the form of more robust laws. They indeed welcome the sector making the case for a robust regulatory framework as well as laws that can go on to reduce consumption of plastic, elevate recycling, and, at the end of the day, reduce pollution from plastic.
Noble believes that the sector’s self-regulation has not been a successful experiment and that it is time for the country to get its act together as far as plastic addition goes.
With the leadership in the government and also everyone else playing a key role, one can reduce consumption of plastic, pollution, and waste and thereby enhance repair, reuse, and recycling, says Noble.
There has never been a much better time so as to drive action pertaining to this issue, with the UN at present negotiating a worldwide plastic pollution treaty and this research opining that Australians are going to create more single-use plastic waste per person annually than any other country across the world other than Singapore.
And although there is massive public support as well as commitment in order to tackle the steep addiction to plastic, people, societies, and organisations cannot bring about the major change that is essential. This indeed has to be a countrywide effort.
