The Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation (APCO) has been recognised in this year’s Australian Financial Review (AFR) Sustainability Leaders list as an Education Enabler for its Australasian Recycling Label (ARL) program and Check Locally logo.
The AFR’s annual Sustainability Leaders list celebrates the Australian companies making real progress in tackling sustainability challenges. Notably, also among the winners was retail industry leader Winning Group.
APCO CEO Chris Foley says, “APCO Members are leveraging the ARL Program to help educate consumers on responsible packaging disposal. We are incredibly proud of the program, not only does it give consumers the confidence to recycle right, but it supports brands to design their packaging for recycling and circularity”.
In response to the collapse of the REDcycle program in 2022, eliminating the recycling pathway for soft plastics, APCO revised the ARL to include the Check Locally logo. Check Locally directs consumers to arl.org.au where they can find their nearest soft plastic collection point. The Check Locally logo can also be found on other material types that can’t be traditionally recycled via kerbside recycling bins.
“We introduced Check Locally to overcome the challenges that came following the collapse of REDcycle. Brands were struggling with the transition to update their recycling labels and consumers didn’t know where to access accurate recycling information.
“Now, brands can avoid numerous label updates for hard-to-recycle materials and consumers are directed to the ARL website where they can access time- and place-based recycling information,” Mr Foley said.
The ARL is much-loved by Aussie consumers, with 75% wanting to see the ARL on-pack and two-thirds saying it increases their likelihood of recycling (2023 ARL Consumer Insights Report). The program has seen significant growth since 2022. The presence of the ARL has more than doubled, increasing from 250,000 to nearly 580,000 SKUs. There are now 2500 businesses participating in the program, including Blackmores, Nestle, Officeworks, Unilever, the Arnott’s Group and retail giants like Woolworths, Coles, and ALDI.
“The bigger brand owners are embracing it and we have a parallel program that will be launched in coming months for small- to medium-sized enterprises that is a simplified version of the main program,” Mr Foley said.
In late 2024, APCO will launch the ARL Marketplace – an online packaging directory that will help small businesses adopt the ARL and enhance their packaging sustainability with educational resources. The Marketplace will enable registered SMEs to access packaging that has been assessed through the Packaging Recyclability Evaluation Portal (PREP).
