Australia’s National Waste Policy Action Plan, published in December 2019, marked a significant turning point in the country’s approach to waste reduction and resource recovery. As part of its strategic objectives, the Plan established a clear mandate for consumer-goods companies to engage with circular economy principles, with a strong focus on reducing packaging waste, increasing recycling, and ensuring transparency in material flows. By 2021, these objectives had begun to translate into practical reporting and disclosure requirements that companies could no longer ignore. Central to this shift was the expectation that firms would take ownership not only of their own packaging decisions but also of the material impacts embedded within their supply chains, particularly with respect to plastics, paper, metals, and glass. For consumer-goods companies, meeting these expectations required far more than internal commitments; it demanded verifiable reporting through national frameworks and active participation in industry-wide data transparency initiatives.
The National Packaging Targets, managed under the umbrella of the Australian Packaging Covenant Organization (APCO), became the primary platform for firms to demonstrate alignment with the circular economy goals set by the Action Plan. Companies were encouraged—and increasingly expected—to report detailed data on packaging types, material composition, and end-of-life outcomes. The Targets set ambitious benchmarks: by 2025, 100% of packaging should be reusable, recyclable, or compostable; 70% of plastic packaging should be recycled or composted; and problematic or unnecessary single-use plastics should be phased out. Achieving these goals required companies to strengthen supplier partnerships, improve internal tracking of material flows, and make packaging data publicly accessible in a way that could withstand scrutiny from regulators, investors, and consumers alike. Reporting on the National Packaging Targets website provided a means of demonstrating this commitment, as well as an opportunity to benchmark progress against industry peers.
A key task for many consumer-goods firms in 2021 was to upload supplier refracted PET (polyethylene terephthalate) volumes to APCO’s open registry. This task, while seemingly technical, represented a crucial step in aligning supply-chain practices with national circularity goals. Companies began by working with Tier 1 suppliers to gather accurate data on PET usage, including the proportion derived from recycled content versus virgin resin. The next step involved validating this data through supplier declarations, invoices, or third-party certifications, ensuring that reported volumes reflected actual material inputs rather than estimates or assumptions. Firms then accessed the APCO Member Reporting Portal, where they could log into their profiles, navigate to the packaging data submission section, and enter the relevant PET volumes under the appropriate material categories. The system allowed companies to specify both primary and secondary packaging, as well as the percentage of refracted (i.e., recycled and reprocessed) PET incorporated into their products. Companies that integrated their reporting processes with internal ERP or procurement systems often found this task easier, as data could be extracted directly from supplier records without requiring extensive manual consolidation.
Beyond data submission, companies faced the equally important task of communicating their performance to external stakeholders. The National Waste Policy Action Plan and the National Packaging Targets both underscored the importance of public transparency, recognizing that credible, verifiable disclosure would drive accountability and continuous improvement. Annual sustainability statements emerged as the primary vehicle for these disclosures. Firms crafted dedicated sections within their reports, detailing reuse and recycling rates not only at the corporate level but also within specific product lines or packaging formats. These disclosures typically included metrics such as total packaging weight, proportion of packaging made from recycled materials, reuse rates for returnable containers, and percentage of packaging that met recyclability or compostability criteria. Where possible, companies linked these metrics to independent audit findings or APCO reporting summaries, strengthening the credibility of their claims. Some firms went further, publishing case studies or profiles of successful supplier collaborations that had advanced circularity objectives—such as partnerships with packaging converters to increase recycled content or pilot programs that tested reusable packaging models in select markets.
Importantly, the process of reporting and disclosure also illuminated gaps and challenges. Many companies found that supplier data on recycled content was incomplete or inconsistent, particularly when dealing with international suppliers unfamiliar with Australian reporting expectations. In response, firms began to issue updated supplier codes of conduct or sustainability questionnaires, explicitly requiring the disclosure of packaging material specifications and recycled content percentages. Some companies invested in supplier training or hosted joint workshops to raise awareness of the National Waste Policy Action Plan’s objectives and the reporting obligations that flowed from them. Others explored the use of digital traceability solutions—such as blockchain-based systems or QR-coded packaging labels—to track material flows from converter to shelf. While these innovations showed promise, they also highlighted the complexities of achieving circularity at scale, particularly in supply chains spanning multiple jurisdictions and regulatory environments.
Another lesson emerging from early implementation efforts was the importance of aligning internal teams—procurement, sustainability, marketing, and operations—around a shared understanding of circular economy priorities. In some firms, conflicting objectives led to tensions: procurement teams focused on cost efficiency sometimes resisted the higher unit prices associated with recycled-content packaging, while marketing teams grappled with balancing environmental messaging against the practical constraints of packaging performance. Senior leadership engagement proved critical in resolving these tensions, with some companies establishing cross-functional circular economy task forces or embedding packaging targets into executive performance metrics to drive alignment and accountability.
The National Waste Policy Action Plan catalyzed a shift toward circular supply chains by creating a structured, transparent framework for packaging data reporting and disclosure. Consumer-goods companies that engaged fully with this framework in 2021 laid the groundwork not only for regulatory compliance but also for enhanced stakeholder trust, improved supplier relationships, and long-term competitiveness in an increasingly sustainability-conscious marketplace. The path to full alignment with Australia’s circularity ambitions remained challenging, but the tools, platforms, and practices developed in response to the Action Plan provided a solid foundation on which to build. As companies prepared for the next phases of implementation, the lessons of 2021 pointed to the importance of continuous supplier engagement, robust data systems, and a willingness to innovate in pursuit of circular economy goals.