Australia’s dairy processors set environmental packaging targets

Dairy processors are moving on from plastic and towards more eco-focused packaging. Here’s how long they have to make the change.

Australia’s dairy processors have signed up to a plan to ensure all their packaging is either reusable, recyclable or compostable within four years.

The Australian Dairy Sustainable Packaging Roadmap also commits to making collection and recycling systems available for all dairy packaging by 2025.

The blueprint — devised by the Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation, Dairy Australia and the Australian Dairy Products Federation — also sets new labelling objectives.

In bid to bolster the sector’s environmental credentials, 80 per cent of supermarket dairy products will be branded with the Australasian Recycling Label by December 2023.

Australia’s big three supermarket chains — Coles, Woolworths and Aldi — have also backed the dairy packaging plan.

Aldi group buying director Adrian Nel labelled the dairy packaging changes “a first-of-its-kind blueprint.”

“Australia’s dairy sector has worked tirelessly to identify opportunities and challenges as well as outline strategies for improvement,” he said.

“Aldi is excited to do our part in supporting the collective industry vision to establish a sustainable packaging future.”

Moves by the Australian dairy sector to make packaging more environmentally friendly reflect a retailer shift already taking place abroad.

Last year, Fonterra rolled out a new line of sugarcane-produced packaging for its Anchor brand milk.

Most of Australia’s milk bottles are made with petrol-based plastics, although that industry standard has shifted in recent years.

A number of small-scale dairies have entered the reusable package market, appealing to a small but growing shopper demographic that’s keen to ditch plastic.

Schulz Organic in southwest Victoria and Barambah Organic in Queensland are the leading exponents of glass bottled milk with a reuse system in place.

Originally published as Australia’s dairy processors set environmental packaging targets