Weltrade Packaging is a leading manufacturer of cosmetic and wellness plastic packaging that is dedicated to sustainability and meeting the national packaging targets set by the Australian Government and the Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation (APCO) for plastic. With over 20 years of experience in supplying and manufacturing packaging, Weltrade Packaging is committed to providing innovative, high-quality plastic packaging solutions to hair, skin, beauty, and pharmaceutical product manufacturers and brands.
In 2018, APCO & the Australian Government established a series of targets for sustainable packaging that must be achieved from 2023 leading up to 2025. The end goal is to shift our economy and community away from single-use and disposable plastic packaging to more durable reusable and recyclable packaging.
The first target was set in 2022 which was for compostable packaging. This target stipulates that all compostable packaging must be non-fragmentable, ensuring that no microplastics are released during the breakdown process. At Weltrade Packaging we welcome this initiative. Microplastics in the soil will be around for hundreds of years and contaminate the soil and water ways. To support our customers in meeting this requirement, Weltrade Packaging offers Biodegradable in Landfill packaging that is specifically designed to be non-fragmentable. Our packaging is designed to break down into only soil and gas, leaving no harmful residue behind. Our biodegradable packaging is available across our range of bottles, jars and cosmetic tubes.
The next target is due by the end of 2023 and that is for at least 80% of supermarket products to display the new Australasian Recycling Label. This means that for all your current recyclable packaging that is on retail shelves you will need to start updating your artwork to display this new label as many supermarkets will be enforcing this rule throughout the year. To find out more information about what the label must look like click here.
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One of the main targets set and the one that most brands need to be aware of is that packaging must be 100% reusable, recyclable or compostable by 2025. At Weltrade Packaging, we understand the importance of this target and are proud to offer a range of plastics that are fully recyclable through standard kerbside recycling streams. These plastics include PET, HDPE, LDPE, and PP plastic. Plastic packaging has some of the lowest recovery rates of any material, so recycling plants have a target that 70% of this plastic packaging is actually recycled rather than sent to landfill.
Additionally, the government and APCO aim to phase out difficult-to-recycle packaging by 2025. At Weltrade Packaging, we recognize that certain types of plastic packaging, such as acrylic plastic, mixed-material packaging, and laminated or coated packaging, can be difficult to recycle. We are committed to identifying and phasing out these materials in our packaging range and have already made significant progress in this area. We are constantly researching and testing new materials and technologies that can replace difficult-to-recycle materials, and we are working closely with our industry partners to find new and better ways to recycle these materials.
The final target set by the government and APCO is to set a minimum amount of recycled content in new plastic packaging to at least 20% by 2025. As a responsible packaging provider, we are aware of our role in this target and are committed to reducing the overall impact of our packaging on the environment. This is why we offer a range of recycled plastic packaging across our entire range of products. At Weltrade Packaging we offer up to 100% recycled PET or up to 50% recycled HDPE across our bottles, jars & tubes.
We understand that achieving these targets is not only about making our business more sustainable, but it’s also about making the entire packaging industry more sustainable. To that end, we are actively engaged in a number of partnerships with industry, government, and community organisations to work towards these targets.
Weltrade Packaging is committed to making our packaging as sustainable as possible, we are proud of the efforts we have made to achieve the national packaging targets set by the government and APCO. We believe that by working together and with the support of industry, government, and the community, we can make significant progress in increasing the recycling of plastic packaging, reducing the amount of plastic packaging in landfill, and phasing out difficult-to-recycle packaging. We are proud to be a leader in sustainability in the cosmetic and wellness packaging industry and we will continue to look for ways to improve our environmental impact in the future.
If you have any questions regarding the new targets and you would like to know if your current packaging range is compliant, please don’t hesitate to fill in your information below, where a member of our team can give you a no hassle packaging audit.
