Australia has announced a strengthened national packaging regulation framework introducing mandatory compliance and reporting requirements for businesses, including overseas suppliers, as part of its push to ensure 100% of packaging is reusable, recyclable or compostable.
In response, Canopy, a leading environmental not-for-profit working at the intersection of forest protection and supply chain transformation with 950+ brands, says the move signals a welcome shift toward stronger corporate accountability, but that packaging policy must also address fibre sourcing and upstream repercussions on native forests.
Nicole Rycroft, Founder and Executive Director at Canopy, comments, “No matter the market, governments are tightening requirements on packaging in recognition of its massive environmental footprint. Australia’s move to strengthen its packaging regulation is a welcome step toward reducing pollution and improving environmental performance across all packaged goods sold in Australia. Mandatory reporting and compliance create greater market certainty for businesses across complex, global supply chains.
“Reporting and end-of-life recyclability alone will not solve packaging’s climate and nature impacts. Demand for high-carbon forest fibre is rising across packaging and other sectors just as forests face intensified pressure from climate-induced fires and land competition, restricting wood supply, increasing price volatility, and raising the compliance stakes for brands.
She concludes, “That’s why sustainable packaging policy must also tackle what packaging is made from and where it comes from, not just how it’s collected or its end-of-life. Mandating ambitious recycled content requirements alongside targets for other low-carbon alternative Next Gen inputs like agricultural residues need to be set as part of this initiative. Pairing circularity targets with robust native forest protection, credible traceability, and incentives to scale low-carbon Next Gen alternatives will cut risk for business, reduce landfill pressures and pollution, cut emissions, and help keep forests standing.”
