While plastic is a critically important material in the economy, it presents a significant challenge for waste management, resource efficiency and the environment.
Accord is coordinating strategic action for our industry on packaging waste—particularly plastics—with the goal of advancing pragmatic and sustainable solutions as Australia transitions to a circular economy.
- Benchmarking surveys: Accord conducted extensive industry-wide ‘Packaging & Plastics’ surveys in 2020–21 to establish a reliable quantitative and qualitative profile of the status, issues, concerns and aspirations of Accord member companies in relation to packaging and waste.
- Policy and stakeholder engagement: Accord has developed fruitful dialogue with relevant ministers and other government and industry stakeholders on waste, plastics reduction and our industry’s many proactive sustainability and stewardship initiatives.
- Affiliate Supporter of National Plastics Recycling Scheme (NPRS): Accord is a formal supporter of the NPRS for soft plastics, being developed by the Australian Food and Grocery Council with initial funding support from the Australian Federal Government’s National Product Stewardship Investment Fund.
- UN Global Plastics Treaty: Accord is providing input to the Australian position and is actively following the progress of this global initiative.
- Active local and global collaboration with other associations and partners to advance waste policy objectives at both a local Australian and global level. Internationally, Accord collaborations include with:
- international cosmetic associations e.g., we contributed to development of global industry position statement The Beauty and Personal Care Industry Supports a Global Agreement to Address Plastics Pollution
- the International Network of Cleaning Products Associations e.g., we contributed to development of Principles for Plastics in a Circular Economy
- the APEC Chemical Dialogue, which includes a focus on marine litter issues
- APCO member: Accord is a proud member of the Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation and welcomes the opportunity to contribute towards practical advances in packaging waste management.
- BeadRecede: Accord has already made great strides in environmental stewardship through our successful industry-led phase-out of solid plastic microbeads from rinse-off cosmetic, personal care and cleaning products. Read more
- Packaging & Waste Steering Group: Accord’s PAWSG provided sector-specific intelligence and expert advice to inform Accord’s plastics and packaging waste priorities, strategy and initiatives.
- Cosmetic packaging stewardship: Accord’s Small-format Cosmetics Working Group is exploring the development of small-format cosmetic packaging waste sustainability initiatives/outcomes for Accord Member companies and the broader industry, with the aim of developing an industry-led approach to help reduce the environmental and human health impacts of cosmetic product packaging that is not currently recyclable through the kerbside system.
- Publications:
- ‘No time to waste‘: Accord’s forward-looking article on small-format cosmetic packaging waste stewardship was published in the Autumn 2022 edition of Retail Beauty magazine.
- Plastics Paper: This Member resource summarises the current ‘plastics environment’ as relevant to the hygiene, personal care and specialty products sector, with a focus on actions undertaken by Australia’s governments and by major international economies.
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- Events: Accord hosts packaging-themed events for Members and external stakeholders, including:
- The Packaging Challenge: Towards packaging waste circularity solutions for the cleaning & hygiene industry was the theme of Accord’s workshop in conjunction with the 2022 ISSA EXPO.
- Member-only Insight Hour webinars that, to date, have included sessions with key organisations such as APCO and Terracycle, and innovative solution providers such as Labelmakers and Recycle Mate.
