The NZFGC and Packaging Forum have welcomed the announcement from The Minister for the Environment to jointly lead the project to co-design a Plastic Packaging Product Stewardship Scheme for New Zealand. Tony Nowell CNZM has been appointed the project’s independent chair; supporting him as project manager is Rob Langford, Packaging Forum CEO and project coordinator Lyn Mayes.
“The project will deliver the research, data collation, analysis and discussion to identify the most fitting product stewardship scheme for New Zealand. Ultimately, the project will look at how plastic is currently collected – or not – and whether there is a more efficient and effective way to do this,” said Langford.
“In addition, part of the project remit is to include recommendations to the Minister on the precise design and organisational structure for a plastic priority product stewardship scheme. As an industry, we have a responsibility to deal with the end-of-life recovery for packaging. It is also important that producers are actively engaged and are involved in leading the project because they are responsible for the choices made around plastic packaging.”
"Both organisations bring huge expertise in this area to the table, and we look forward to putting that to good use. The time for such a scheme is now. NZFGC members have a mantra that if we are part of the problem, then we’ll work hard to be part of the solution, and that’s what we are doing,” said Mike Pretty, NZFGC Chair.
