Packaging
Packaging of goods contributes hugely to New Zealand's economy. It can enhance the quality, longevity, and safety of goods and also plays an important role in marketing and brand development.
It’s important though to understand what happens to the waste packaging. Each year discarded packaging makes up about one-eighth of the waste in our landfills. New Zealanders throw away about 83 kilograms of used packaging per person, per year.
By re-designing and thinking about packaging, you can make a difference to the amount of rubbish that ends up in landfill sites. You can also achieve lower levels of energy used in the production of packaging, leading to lower energy bills and reduced greenhouse gas emissions. You’ll also attract consumers who are interested in buying products that are better for the environment.
The links below will help you develop sustainability in your specific business field.
Case studies
Plastics New Zealand Case Studies (Plastics New Zealand)
Developed as part of the Plastics New Zealand Environmental Best Practice Programme, this webpage contains a number of case studies on Environmental Management Systems, Cleaner Production and Resource Stewardship in the plastics industry.
Guides
Best Practice for Plastics - Waste (Plastics New Zealand)
Developed as part of the Plastics New Zealand Environmental Best Practice Programme, this webpage provides overview guidance for the plastics industry on how to reduce waste, including case studies.
Eco-labels: a short guide for New Zealand producers [PDF, 120 KB] (Landcare Research)
This document provides an overview of the main eco-label categories, their meaning and specifications, and explores their use in a trade context.
Guidance for Voluntary, Corporate Greenhouse Gas Reporting
This publication gives guidance for corporations on voluntary Greenhouse Gas (GHG) reporting, including emission factors. It is intended to help those corporates that wish to voluntarily monitor and report greenhouse gas emissions on an organisational basis for their New Zealand operations.
Organisations
Packaging Council of NZ
The council provides information about the environmental effects of packaged goods, waste packaging, waste materials collection, recycling, reuse and residual management. It also works to initiate voluntary action addressing the issue of packaging waste.
Plastics NZ
Plastics NZ offers information on the sustainable design of plastics, including design guidelines for recyclable plastics.
Other resources
Code of Practice for the Packaging of Consumer Goods (Packaging Council of NZ)
This self-regulating code applies to all packaging of consumer goods in NZ (domestic and imported). It is intended to promote excellence in packaging and encourage packaging with minimal impact on the environment. This packaging must still preserve product integrity and provide information to the consumer.
Paper and Packaging Life Cycle Assessment (Centre for Design (Melbourne))
This Australian study shows there are net benefits in recycling as opposed to sending waste to landfill
Think something should be added to Simply Sustainable? Send your suggestion to webmaster@mfe.govt.nz.
