Australia is at risk of losing the war on waste. Over 250 kg of plastic leaks into Australia’s environment every minute.¹ The more plastic we use, the more plastic ends up polluting our beaches and oceans.²
No time to waste
In early 2024, the Australian Senate launched an inquiry to investigate waste reduction and recycling policies.
After over a year of consultations, public hearings and drafting, the inquiry has now published its final report: No time to waste. The evidence in the report paints a picture of current and historic federal policies failing to improve plastic pollution and waste management outcomes in Australia. It outlines the impacts on our environment, which is paying the price for government and industry inaction. It also clearly demonstrates the appetite from industry and the broader community for government regulations, and stresses the need for mandatory packaging regulations.
The Senate Committee in charge of delivering the final report contained members from the Labor, Greens, Liberal, and Nationals Parties. They handed down 19 recommendations based on information provided during the inquiry, including submissions, evidence, and supporting documents.
A shopping basket full of fresh produce wrapped in plastic packaging at an Australian supermarket in 2024.
Supermarkets in the spotlight
Recommendation 12 shows the impacts we can have when we all speak up for the ocean together. It calls for Australia’s big supermarkets, as well as other major packaging producers, to be required to provide data on their packaging use every year.
Recommendation 12: The committee recommends the Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation be authorised to receive and publish annual data from Australia’s major supermarkets and other major packaging producers and users, including their progress towards National Packaging Targets, the amount and categories of packaging being placed on the market, and the percentage of Australian recycled materials used in supermarket packaging.
In making this recommendation, the Committee directly referenced the Unwrapped report published in 2023 by the Australian Marine Conservation Society and the Boomerang Alliance! It was used to demonstrate the significant lack of data and transparency on the volume of plastic packaging placed on supermarket shelves each year.
This report was made possible by thousands of our supporters who helped gather essential data in supermarkets around the country. After a second successful report in 2024, we will publish the third Unwrapped report later this year.
We are once again calling for supporters to investigate plastic packaging in their local supermarkets so we can have an even bigger impact this year. In 2024, supporters found that, in more than 70% of assessed cases, loose fresh produce was more expensive than the plastic-wrapped alternative – a statistic that shocked politicians and was discussed in Parliament.
Dr Monique Ryan MP and then Minister for the Environment Hon Tanya Plibersek MP discuss the results of the second Unwrapped report during parliament in late 2024.
Cip Hamilton, AMCS Plastics Campaign Manager, was also frequently referenced during the inquiry and spoke at a public hearing.
Plastic pollution is having devastating effects on marine life and, increasingly, ocean ecosystems. Plastics can also have a devastating impact on the health of corals, the building blocks of our iconic reefs. Preventing plastics from entering our environment benefits our oceans and wildlife, Australia’s fishing and tourism industries and human health, and prevents unnecessary wastage of resources.
– Cip Hamilton, Australian Marine Conservation Society Plastic Campaign Manager, at a public hearing in 2024 for the Australian Senate inquiry into waste reduction and recycling policies.
A joint submission from the Australian Marine Conservation Society and WWF-Australia provided additional information for the committee to consider in their inquiry.
Data from Australian Marine Conservation Society supporters help make our Unwrapped reports happen. You can help make the third edition have even more impact by joining our Plastics Investigation Unit.
A step in the right direction
This recommendation from an Australian Senate committee is a strong step in the right direction. It’s a moment to be proud of, and shows us that sustained efforts can create real impacts.
Thank you for your continued support to hold supermarkets accountable for the amount of plastic packaging they continue to place on their shelves.
But there is, of course, much more to do.
For the sake of our fragile oceans, beautiful beaches, and precious marine wildlife, we urge the newly re-elected Albanese government to implement the Committee’s recommendations.
We also urge the big supermarkets, and all other major plastic packaging producers in Australia, to step up and take responsibility for the impact their products and packaging are having on our environment. We need to see a significant reduction of overall plastic production, a shift towards reusable and refillable packaging, and more transparency about the scale of their contributions to plastic packaging in Australia.
References:
- O’Farrell, K., Harney, F., & Chakma, P. (2021). Australian Plastics Flows and Fates Study 2019-20 – National Report. Prepared for the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment.
- Cowger, W., Willis, K. A., Bullock, S., Conlon, K., Emmanuel, J., Erdle, L. M., Eriksen, M., Farrelly, T. A., Hardesty, B. D., Kerge, K., Li, N., Li, Y., Liebman, A., Tangri, N., Thiel, M., Villarrubia-Gómez, P., Walker, T. R., & Wang, M. (2024). Global producer responsibility for plastic pollution. Science Advances, 10(17).