A second five year Covenant was approved by the Ministerial Environment Protection and Heritage Council (EPHC) in July 2005.
A third Covenant - the Australian Packaging Covenant (APC) - is now in place. It came into effect in July 2010.
The aim of the APC is to provide more effective management of used packaging based on the principles of shared responsibility and product stewardship.
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 efficient collection 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 Australian Packaging Covenant has two tiers:
The Covenant - The framework or umbrella document that establishes the policy approach and sets the broad parameters. It is the key document.
The National Environment Protection Measure (NEPM) or regulatory safety net - Focuses on brandowners and is designed to catch the "free loaders" and encourage companies to sign the Covenant. The NEPM is designed to support the Covenant.
Signatories
Click here for a complete list of signatories to the APC.
Action Plans
Signatories to the Covenant are required to produce Action Plans.
Further details can be obtained by contacting either the PCA or the Covenant Secretariat via:
T: 02 9416 0821
E:
W:
