Australia's sustainable packaging challenge

In 2018, Australia’s National Packaging Targets were launched with a bold vision: by 2025, all packaging would be reusable, recyclable or compostable; plastic recycling rates would hit 70%; and problematic single-use plastics would be phased out. These targets were ambitious, but they relied on assumptions about technology, infrastructure and industry readiness that have proven difficult to realise.

Now that 2025 is here, the gap between those targets and reality is clear. Specialist supplier for the food packaging, industrial manufacturing, and print & finishing industries Jet Technologies has seen firsthand how packaging forecasts are meeting reality. According to Jet Technologies’ General Manager, Daniel Malki, while certain early predictions have proven accurate, others have met real-world challenges, particularly when it comes to soft plastics.

“There’s a lot of positive momentum, but it’s also an incredibly difficult moment for packaging and sustainability,” Malki said. “The truth is, Australians have made excellent progress. The recent release of the Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation’s (APCO) 2022–23 Australian Packaging Consumption and Recovery Data Report shows we’ve made particularly good progress with recycling materials like glass, rigid plastics, metals, wood and paper, but the conversation around soft plastics remains largely unresolved to households.”

Jet Technologies services three key markets: coffee, dairy and bulk liquids, and Malki said all are navigating similar barriers.

“Take coffee roasters, for example. Many roasters are under intense cost pressure right now from persistently high coffee prices (green bean) and rising energy costs to operate their roasting equipment,” he explained. “Roasters want to do the right thing, and many are choosing recycle-ready packaging, and that’s a great step. But when those premium packs typically cost more than traditional options (foil bags), and there is no kerbside access to recycle that recycle-ready packaging, it can feel like a heavy investment in today’s high-cost market without the impact it deserves.”

Jet Technologies supplies recycle-ready packaging and the machinery to form, fill and seal the coffee bags, with a focus on supporting practical innovation and future growth. “We’re here to help businesses make smart, sustainable choices that are viable now and set them up for the future. Packaging designed for recyclability is part of that future; we just need the recovery systems to catch up.”

More broadly, many everyday packaging formats such as yoghurt pots made of polypropylene, milk bottles, cans of tuna and glass jars are widely accepted for kerbside recycling and increasingly well-managed across Australia’s metro and regional areas. According to APCO, from 2018–19 the recovery rate for rigid plastics has outpaced growth in packaging placed on market, with post-consumer recycled content rising from 10% to 14% — 32,000 additional tonnes compared to 2021–22.

“These materials are being recovered at relatively high rates, regardless of where you live,” Malki said. “The systems are in place for those packaging types. The consumer behaviour is there. But soft plastics remain the elephant in the room.”

Soft plastics, while highly effective at reducing food waste and being lightweight and cost-efficient, still lack a viable, scalable recycling solution available from kerbside.

“They were chosen for good reason, soft plastic’s first job is to help eliminate food waste using very little packaging weight, and it does that really well,” Malki said. “But unless we solve the infrastructure challenge around processing them, we’re always going to fall short of those sustainability targets on soft plastics.”

The disconnect between sustainability targets and economic, technical and logistical global conditions, is what continues to slow widespread change. “We made bold predictions about where we’d be by 2025,” Malki said. “But without fixing the back-end systems and factoring in cost realities, it’s been hard for businesses to commit.”

In response to these ongoing challenges, APCO recently announced a new approach and revised plastic packaging target, scaling back the original 70% recycling or composting goal to 55% by 2030.

Flexible plastics were identified as one of the biggest barriers to progress, with a lack of kerbside access and costly infrastructure limiting their recovery. As a result, even packaging designed to be recyclable can end up in landfill.

Jet Technologies said it is focused on helping clients make achievable progress today, while staying flexible for what comes next. It said in the current climate, that adaptability is essential. Many businesses want to make greener choices, but the cost of overhauling their packaging all at once can be out of reach.

“Our machinery portfolio is highly efficient in helping businesses reduce waste and operating costs at a time when every dollar counts,” Malki said. “New machinery is also designed to be compatible with the next generation of sustainable materials and production methods. So, when businesses are ready to switch to more sustainable substrates in future, they wouldn’t have to start from scratch. They’re already equipped.”

Despite the gap between early expectations and current realities, Malki remains optimistic. “Progress doesn’t always unfold the way we predicted, but that doesn’t mean it’s not happening. We’re having more honest conversations, and that’s a good thing. If we can solve the challenge of soft plastics, I truly believe the next generation won’t see these questions as problems. Sustainable packaging will just be the norm.”

Image caption: Daniel Malki, General Manager, Jet Technologies.