The ANZPAC Plastic Pact is launched

Leading businesses, NGOs and governments from across the plastic supply chain and the region unite behind 2025 targets to eliminate plastic packaging waste.

The ANZPAC Plastics Pact (ANZPAC) has launched in the Australia, New Zealand and Pacific Islands region, uniting businesses, NGOs and governments behind a series of ambitious 2025 Targets to eliminate plastic waste. ANZPAC joins the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s global Plastics Pact Network, a globally aligned response to plastic waste and pollution that unites over 550 member organisations behind the shared vision of a circular economy for plastic, where it never becomes waste or pollution. Plastic pollution is one of the most pressing environmental issues facing the planet. By 2040, if we fail to act, the volume of plastic on the market will double, the annual volume of plastic entering the ocean will almost triple, and ocean plastic stocks will quadruple. The ambitious new cross-regional program will work to fundamentally transform our response to plastic by eliminating the plastics we don’t need, innovating to ensure that the plastics we do need are reusable, recyclable, or compostable, and circulating the plastic we use, keeping it in the economy and out of the environment. The ANZPAC Plastics Pact represents the complete plastics supply chain, from leading brands, packaging manufacturers and retailers to resource recovery leaders, government institutions, and NGOs.

ANZPAC founding Members and Supporters celebrated the program’s official launch at the Australian National Maritime Museum in Sydney on Tuesday 18th May. On the same day the founding members in Vanuatu held an event at the Bistro at Chantilly’s. The Vanuatu businesses that are founding members of ANZPAC and showing their commitment to tackling the plastic packaging problem are: Vanuatu Beverages Ltd, Vanuatu Brewing Ltd and RecycleCorp. The organisations which have signed up as ANZPAC supporters are Vanuatu Environmental Science Society (VESS) and the Vanuatu Recyclers and Waste Management Association (VRWMA).

ANZPAC Members will work towards four clear, actionable targets by 2025:

  1. Eliminate unnecessary and problematic plastic packaging through redesign, innovation and alternative (reuse) delivery models.
  2. 100% of plastic packaging to be reusable, recyclable or compostable packaging by 2025.
  3. Increase plastic packaging collected and effectively recycled by 25% for each geography within the ANZPAC region.
  4. Average of 25% recycled content in plastic packaging across the region.

The immediate next steps for the ANZPAC program to achieve its 2025 goals is to develop a roadmap for action.

Brooke Donnelly, CEO, Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation (ANZPAC lead organisation) said at the launch in Sydney, “On behalf of the APCO and ANZPAC teams, and our passionate community of founding Members and Supporter Members, it is my absolute pleasure to officially launch the ANZPAC Plastics Pact. We are the 11th Plastics Pact to enter the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s global Plastics Pact Network, joining a community of more than 550 businesses, policymakers and NGOs united behind the shared vision of a circular economy for plastic, where plastic never becomes waste or pollution. Plastic pollution is one of the most pressing environmental issues facing the planet. By 2040, if we fail to act, the volume of plastic on the market will double, the annual volume of plastic entering the ocean will almost triple, and ocean plastic stocks will quadruple. As Australians, New Zealanders, and Pacific Islanders, we are fortunate to live in one of the most beautiful and diverse regions on earth. It is our responsibility to protect it. We have a big task ahead of us, and organisations across the region, from multi-national and local businesses to community groups and governments, all have a role to play. Together through the ANZPAC community, we can achieve more”.

Christina Shaw, CEO of VESS, took part in the virtual discussion panel at the Sydney launch as well as hosting the Vanuatu event, with funding from WRAP UK. She says, “It is very encouraging that the Pacific Island nations have been given a seat at the table and that their voices are being listened to right from the beginning of this initiative.  Our plastic come from overseas and many of the solutions will be overseas as well, so regional cooperation is critical for countries such as Vanuatu to address this issue. We are looking forward to playing our part in this regional collaboration and hope we will see some tangible action on the ground in the next few months and this initiative lasting into the future.”

If other businesses are interested in join the pact, more information is available on the ANZPAC Plastic Pact website: https://anzpacplasticspact.org.au

Event to introduce ANZPAC Plastics Pact to businesses in Vanuatu

A new initiative, the ANZPAC Plastics Pact (ANZPAC) was introduced to businesses during an event on Wednesday night hosted by the British High Commission in Port Vila and the Vanuatu Environmental Science Society and attended by members of government, the diplomatic corps and NGOs as well as the business sector. The information evening was delivered in partnership with the ANZPAC Plastics Pact Team from the Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation (APCO) and UK Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP).

It is well known that plastics are causing a significant problem in our world, particularly our oceans. Too much plastic waste ends up in landfill or leaking into our natural environment. Our region is not immune to this problem. Currently, in Vanuatu, no plastic is being recycled and we see plastic packaging on our streets and on our waters every day. In the Pacific Islands it is estimated over 300,000 tonnes of waste plastic is generated each year.

The Australia, New Zealand and Pacific Islands Plastics Pact, or ANZPAC for short is a collaborative solution that brings together key players in the region behind a shared vision of a circular economy for plastic, where plastic never becomes waste or pollution. Together through shared knowledge, investment and industry led innovation solutions will be implemented tailored to our local context. ANZPAC is a collaboration of businesses acting together to address the plastics packaging problem, supported by governments, academia and NGOs. It is aiming to changing the paradigm from the linear produce, use, dispose model to a circular economy where plastics have value and are not simply wasted after one use.

In her welcome remarks, British High Commissioner Karen Bell praised the leadership Vanuatu had already shown in reducing and re-using plastic waste through government and private sector led initiatives.  But local action could only be part of the solution.  The UK had been pleased to support development of a national plastics strategy for Vanuatu which had highlighted the need for all parts of the supply chain to work together.   Mrs. Bell welcomed the ANZPAC Plastics Pact initiative as a means to bring together manufacturers and suppliers in Australia and New Zealand with their customers in Vanuatu to eliminate plastic waste, create economic opportunity and protect our environment.

Dr. Christina Shaw, from the Vanuatu Environmental Science Society, who is engaged as a champion for the pact in Vanuatu, said “I think one of the biggest benefits, I can see for businesses here in Vanuatu is the access to the depth of expertise and knowledge that being a member can bring. We can be part of the innovation rather than trying to catch up as bigger businesses overseas, with much larger resources, adapt.” Christina said she was very pleased to see so many people come to the information evening and that it showed the momentum, generated from the plastic bans, had not waned and that there is still an appetite to find a solution to the plastic problem amongst the business community of Port Vila.

More information can be found at the ANZPAC Plastic Pact website: https://anzpacplasticspact.org.au . If your business would like to reduce the impact of the plastic packaging you use and you are considering becoming a Member of ANZPAC, email Christina@vanuatuconservation.org.

New plastic bans have been gazetted

The new waste management regulations were gazetted into law yesterday. These are the plastic bans which were announced at the beginning of the year. From 1st December this year the following items are banned:

  • Plastic flowers
  • single use plastic cups
  • single use plastic folks
  • single use plastic knives
  • single use plastic plates
  • single use plastic spoons
  • single use plastic stirrers
  • Plastic egg cartons
  • Plastic mesh

The definitions of single use bag has been changed to include all types of plastic and all thicknesses and sizes. So all kinds of single use shopping bags are covered by the ban including the so-called “biodegradable” or “compostable” ones. The definition of a “disposable container” made of polystyrene has been changed to include open containers not just closed or lidded one.

Click here to see a copy of the official gazette

We should be saying “Ta Ta Plastik” to those red meshes in the markets and supermarkets very soon.

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