Amcor, in partnership with 35 leading companies in the consumer goods industry, will take measures to significantly reduce plastic waste. The supplier and its partners in this coalition will be enforcing two new design rules to deliver packaging that is easier and more cost-effective to recycle.

The first design rule is expected to improve the economic viability of PET bottle recycling by removing colouring pigments and labelling that impact recycling rates. The second design rule will remove materials that are problematic for recyclers from all forms of plastic packaging. By implementing these rules, recycling will become easier, cheaper, more efficient and can scale faster - which will result in less waste leaking into the environment.

As a global packaging company that supplies innovative packaging for food, beverage, pharmaceutical, medical, home and personal care products, Amcor has been instrumental in developing these rules. The design principles also align with the company’s own objectives to develop  more sustainable packaging and to collaborate to increase recycling rates worldwide. This year, Amcor reported that $7.71bn of its revenue is now generated from products that are designed to be recyclable – landmark progress towards its industry leading pledge that all of its packaging will be recyclable or reusable by 2025.

“APR is pleased these design rules comply with the APR Design for Plastics Recyclability for PET Recyclability. These guidelines help to create industry standards to provide sustainability solutions for plastic packaging, and will serve to enhance the value of PET bottle recycling," said Steve Alexander, president and CEO of the Association of Plastics Recyclers. "Recycling serves as the base for packaging to be part of the circular economy, and these guidelines help to close the loop when it comes to our waste management system.”

Amcor is also endorsing the CGF’s recent position paper on Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) which calls on governments to work with industry to ensure that EPR schemes meet a set of guiding principles for fairness, effectiveness and sustainability.