The PoPPr Program
Greenlife Industry Australia (GIA) partnered with Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation (APCO) to establish the Polypropylene Plant Packaging Recycling (PoPPr) Program - a national recovery program for polypropylene plant packaging, including plant pots, trays, tags and stakes. In response, members of the greenlife industry led the development of an extended producer responsibility (EPR) initiative for the recovery of plant packaging, for processing back into plant packaging. The PoPPr Program, which helped to contribute to the acceleration of this initiative, therefore concluded early in July 2022.
The Australian greenlife industry’s strong support for the PoPPr Program directly contributed to the acceleration of this and similar initiatives by demonstrating the economic and environmental benefits of recovering plant packaging, raising awareness of producer responsibilities and instilling confidence in the marketplace by bringing the industry together in a powerful display of collective impact. This strong industry led action, leveraging the output of the PoPPr Program, means an effective EPR program for plastic plant packaging is now being implemented. As such, the PoPPr Program concluded early.
Under the National Product Stewardship Investment Fund (NPSIF), the PoPPr Program delivered:
- A situational analysis and business case demonstrating strong stakeholder support for a national scheme.
- A successful Pilot Program which captured key operational and financial details for product stewardship scheme design.
- Assessment of alternative scheme design options and a preliminary cost benefit assessment for a national scheme.
- Version 1 of a co-designed and industry supported product stewardship framework.
Interested greenlife packaging value chain stakeholders can review the first version of the framework for the plant packaging stewardship scheme online at www.anzpacplasticspact.org.au/taking-action/.
GIA and APCO would like to thank the many industry stakeholders who united to share their knowledge and provide their considered feedback in support of the project and acknowledge the Australian Government grant support under the NPSIF. Particular thanks go to the businesses who shared their sites for the pilot program and to the Steering Committee who committed their time to the task.
The expansion of this initiative coupled with other existing initiatives means options for businesses to participate in the clean stream recovery of plant packaging including pots, labels, stakes, and trays are growing.
For more information on available plant packaging collection programs in your state or territory, please contact one of the following businesses:
For enquiries regarding the PoPPr Program, please contact APCO at info@anzpac.org.au or GIA at jolene.brown@greenlifeindustry.com.au.