In today’s world, the importance of circularity in packaging cannot be overstated. Picture a future where every piece of packaging is designed to be reused, recycled, or repurposed, creating a system that reduces waste and makes the most of our resources. How can this become reality? Circularity is everyone’s responsibility, and the time to act is now.

To play our part, at Pact Packaging NZ our goal is to reach 50% recycled content and 100% recyclable packaging across our portfolio by 2030.

With 13 facilities and over 800 employees, we serve every major supermarket segment—from food and dairy to health, personal care, and industrial sectors. To put it simply – we produce packaging that you see every day in the supermarket and for brands that you know and love.

Because of our reach and scale, we believe that it is our responsibility to increase the amount of recycled content that is being used in packaging here in Aotearoa, but, we can’t do this alone.

What is needed create circular packaging in New Zealand?

A cultural shift is necessary to integrate circularity and recycling as standard to our daily life, with all stakeholders having a role within the packaging ecosystem. Packaging manufacturers like us, brand owners, consumers, and regulators all play a role in increasing the use of recycled content in packaging and ensuring effective collection following consumption of products.

Governments Must Lead the Way 
New Zealand has made great strides through voluntary product stewardship schemes like Agrecovery, Paintwise and Paint Take-Back, and the Caps and Lids Recycling Scheme. These programs have shown how industry-led initiatives can recover materials and close the loop. Voluntary efforts have filled a gap, but this is just one step in a viable circular economy.

The Government’s early efforts to phase out hard-to-recycle products were impactful.  The combination of the infrastructure improvements and these phase-outs allowed the volume and quality of recycled products to shift in the right direction.

But it cannot stop there.

We encourage the Government to continue on the path to regulation and mandates.   A circular economy needs mandatory product stewardship that takes an all-of-packaging approach —not just priority products. We need recycled content mandates that drive demand and investment in local recycling infrastructure and fully utilise existing infrastructure.  We need to continue the phased ban on hard-to-recycle plastics that continue to undermine progress and pollute our environment.

The recent failure of the UN Plastics Treaty to deliver binding global commitments highlights it is not simple – but it is urgent. In the absence of international consensus, individual governments must act decisively.  Governments do not need to wait for a global consensus to put into place clear, enforceable regulations which will contribute to an effective circular economy.  There is a fear that without Government Intervention progress will remain fragmented and slow.

We should not see regulation as a barrier—it is a catalyst for progress. It levels the playing field, eliminates free riders both domestically and overseas, and ensures that every stakeholder is accountable. Governments must lead with bold policy, strong enforcement, and a commitment to circularity that matches the scale of the challenge.

Creating Consumer Behavior Change 
Even with strong regulation, success depends on public participation—and right now, New Zealand’s recycling system faces high levels of confusion and distrust which leads to a lack of concerted effort from every consumer to recycle. Our recycling systems must be simple and easy to understand to ensure that as consumers there is minimal amount of effort needed to decide to recycle.

To address this issue, a government led, and industry supported targeted consumer education and system design that makes recycling simple and rewarding must hold hands with government regulation.  This methodology has been successfully proven to deliver results in other countries – why would that not be impactful here?

Clear labelling and point-of-sale messaging from brand owners help people understand what to recycle and how.
Educating today’s buyers and all consumers about recycling systems helps them quickly identify what can be recycled.
Unified kerbside recycling and accessible drop-off points reduce friction.
These approaches not only boost collection rates and reduce litter but also build lasting habits that support a circular future.

What You Can Do Today to Drive Change 
Manufacturers and brand owners have a critical role to play in accelerating the shift to a circular economy. Practical steps can be taken immediately to reduce packaging waste and increase the use of recycled materials:

• Choose Packaging Solutions with Locally Recycled Content 
  Prioritizing packaging that includes locally sourced recycled materials not only reduces environmental impact but also strengthens domestic recycling markets. It takes a whole of life cycle approach. If you aren’t buying recycled – are you really committing to recycling?
• Educate Consumers 
  Clear labelling and point-of-sale messaging help consumers make informed choices.  Education is key to building trust and encouraging responsible disposal behavior – this education should consider the consumer lens – Consumers will take 2-3 seconds to decide what to do with your packaging – messaging needs to be straightforward.
• Participate in Voluntary Product Stewardship Schemes
  Programs like Plasback, Agrecovery, and the Caps and Lids Recycling Scheme demonstrate how manufacturers can close the loop by recovering used materials and turning them into new products.
• Advocate for Regulation 
  Support for mandated Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) schemes and local recycled content requirements help create a level playing field and ensure full industry participation. Regulation is essential to eliminate free riders and drive systemic change.
• Support Better Policing and Inclusivity 
  Regulations must be enforced consistently, and stewardship schemes should cover all of packaging, not just priority products. Inclusivity and accountability are key to ecosystem-wide transformation.

Circularity can’t wait…. Let’s work together as industry to move Aotearoa into more sustainable packaging, today.

Hon. Penny Simmonds, Minister for the Environment, and Joe Osborne, Wash plant Manager,
at Pact Packaging Wellington, New Zealand’s only food-grade recycling plant.