Pact Group processed more than 54,000 tonnes of recycled plastic in the 2023 financial year, the equivalent total weight of the steelwork on the Sydney Harbour Bridge.[1]

The plastic waste was recycled at seven facilities operated by Pact and its joint venture partners in Australia and New Zealand, converted into either food-grade or industrial-grade recycled resin and flake, and then used by Pact to make new packaging or sold to customers.

As revealed in Pact’s 2023 Sustainability Report, the 54,000 tonnes of recycled plastic is a 42% increase on the previous year and predominantly came from household kerbside collections and container deposit schemes, as well as pre-consumer and post-industrial scrap.

Pact CEO Sanjay Dayal said recycling plastic not only helped divert waste from landfill but also contributed to lowering carbon emissions by replacing virgin resin produced from fossil fuels.

“Consumers and brand owners are increasingly demanding locally produced recycled packaging that is in turn recyclable,” Mr Dayal said.

“Recycled plastic is 2.2 times less emissions intensive than virgin fossil fuel plastic so by providing high-quality, local, recycled content for commercial use, Pact is enabling a lower emissions Circular Economy solution.”[2]

Two new recycling facilities operated by Pact and its joint venture partners in Melbourne’s west are scheduled to commence operations in the coming months which will increase Australia’s annual plastic recycling capacity by 40,000 tonnes.

This includes the Circular Plastics Australia (PET) recycling plant in Altona North which will be able to recycle the equivalent of approximately 1 billion 600ml beverage bottles a year. The facility is a joint venture between Pact, Cleanaway Waste Management, Asahi Beverages and Coca-Cola Europacific Partners.  The second new facility, a joint venture between Pact and Cleanaway, will predominantly recycle HDPE plastic milk bottles and dairy containers.

Other key findings in Pact’s 2023 Sustainability Report are:

• As part of our 2030 Emissions Reduction Target, Pact achieved a 12% reduction in Scope 1 and 2 emissions in Australia and New Zealand by reconfiguring operational processes, investing in energy-efficient machinery and installing solar panels.
• Pact’s Reuse division circulated more than 82 million reusable plastic crates, eliminating more than 40,500 tonnes of single-use cardboard from the fresh produce supply chain.
• Pact redistributed more than 824 million hangers and 175 million security tags for reuse, diverting approximately 16,000 tonnes of waste from landfill.
• Pact Packaging decreased production of polystyrene packaging by 11% or more than 360 tonnes, and reduced PVC packaging by 42% or more than 125 tonnes.
• The average recycled content across Pact’s packaging portfolio was 12%, with a target of 30% average recycled content by 2025.

For calculation assumptions and other information, Pact’s 2023 Sustainability Report is available here

Media Contact:  Simon Dowding: 0438 480 860 | simon.dowding@pactgroup.com