In 2018, Australian Environment Ministers established the following 2025 National Packaging Targets:
- 100% of packaging to be reusable, recyclable or compostable by 2025
- 70% of plastic packaging to be recycled or composted by 2025
- 50% of average recycled content included in packaging by 2025
- problematic and unnecessary single-use plastic packaging phased out by 2025.
Environment Ministers agreed to work with the Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation (APCO) to deliver the targets.
Australian Packaging Covenant
The Australian Packaging Covenant is an agreement between Australian governments and the packaging industry to reduce the environmental impacts of packaging.
The Covenant is one part of the national regulatory framework underpinned by the National Environment Protection (Used Packaging Materials) Measure 2011 (NEPM) which sets out how governments and businesses across Australia share the responsibility and meet obligations for managing the environmental impacts of packaging.
For details visit the APCO website.
Information for WA businesses
In November 2020, we held a joint webinar with APCO to provide businesses with information on how to reduce the environmental impacts of packaging in Western Australia.
View the video to find out more about the Covenant and NEPM, including obligations for brand owners.
National Environment Protection (Used Packaging) Measure
NEPM provides the regulatory requirements that support the Covenant. NEPM is implemented in Western Australia through the Environmental Protection (NEPM-UPM) Regulations 2013.
Brand owners that are not compliant signatories to the Covenant may be subject to requirements under the NEPM-UPM.
