National Packaging Covenant

Detailed information on the National Packaging Covenant, including signatories, action plans, project funding and up-to-date news can now be found at:

www.packagingcovenant.org.au

What is the National Packaging Covenant?

The National Packaging Covenant (the Covenant) has been the leading instrument for managing the environmental impacts of consumer packaging in Australia since 1999. It is the voluntary component of a coregulatory arrangement based on the principles of shared responsibility through product stewardship, between key stakeholders in the packaging supply chain and all spheres of government - Australian, State, Territory and Local.

The Covenant is designed to minimise the environmental impacts arising from the disposal of used packaging, conserve resources through better design and production processes and facilitate the re-use and recycling of used packaging materials.

The Covenant establishes a framework for the effective life cycle management of consumer packaging and paper products that will be delivered through a collaborative approach between all sectors of the packaging supply chain, consumers, collectors, reprocessors and all spheres of government.

The regulatory underpinning is provided by the National Environment Protection Measure on Used Packaging Materials (NEPM), designed to deal with free riders and non-signatories and applied at the jurisdictional level. Information on NEPM development and implementation is available on the Environment Protection and Heritage Council (EPHC) web site and from State Government Environment Agencies.

The Australian Government's role

The Australian Government has been a Covenant signatory since 1999 and fully supports the Covenant principles of shared responsibility and lifecycle management of packaging and paper.

The Government recognises that a cooperative approach between industry and all spheres of government is essential to achieving national consistency in the lifecycle management of packaging and paper and the implementation of sustainable kerbside collection systems.