Waste

Reducing food waste, at both the production and consumer level, will be integral to feeding a growing population and offsetting the anticipated higher raw material and food prices.

Waste generated from the food and grocery sector is skewed towards the consumer end of the supply chain.  In this way, packaging can play an important role in minimising food wastage.

On average, in 2007-08 our members recycled 74 per cent of total waste generated.  Recycling rates at the subsector level ranged from 96 per cent for the paper and paper products subsector to 33 per cent for the meat and meat products subsector.

Love Food Hate waste

The AFGC view is that the level of food waste in Australia is a serious concern. While food waste may be an individual and household phenomenon, the collective impact of these decisions means that it is a substantial policy challenge. Australian households are throwing out more than $5 billion worth of food each year. In addition to the direct financial costs of this waste, the environmental impact associated with excessive greenhouse gas emissions and water use is substantial¹.  

Food waste is a significant, but poorly understood, issue in Australia. Waste food thrown out by Australian households has significant financial and environmental consequences. The disposal of millions of tonnes of food waste imposes considerable costs on the community through waste collection, waste disposal and the greenhouse gas emissions associated with rotting food. In addition to the direct financial cost to households of purchasing food that is not consumed, food waste exacerbates the negative environmental effects associated with food production and processing. Put simply, if less food were wasted, less land, water and energy would be needed across the entire value chain.

The AFGC is an inaugrual sponsor of the Love Food Hate Waste program which is managed by the Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water NSW (DECCW) who have partned with corporate, government and not-for-profit organisations committed to reducing food waste in NSW. The aims of the program are to raise awareness about the impact of food waste and reduce how much ‘good’ food we waste.

¹_{What a waste - An analysis of household expenditure on food November 2009 Australia Institute.}

National Packaging Covenant

AFGC has been a signatory and strong supporter of the National Packaging Covenant (NPC) since 1999, with all of our members a committed signator. The food, beverage and grocery sector makes up approximately 50 per cent of industry signatories.

The NPC is the voluntary component of a co-regulatory approach to tackle the environmental impact of packaging in Australia.  The NPC is founded on the philosophy of product stewardship, and pursues a partnership approach between industry and the three levels of government to address packaging issues. 

It is designed to minimise the environmental impacts arising from the disposal of used packaging, conserve resources through better design and production processes and facilitate the re-use and recycling of used packaging materials.

An independent mid-term review of the performance of the Covenant found that it is an effective mechanism to address packaging waste.  It also found that postconsumer packaging recycling rates had increased by 16 per cent over the past three years (from 40 per cent to 56 per cent), and is on track to meet the target of 65 per cent of all packaging recycled by 2010. Click here to visit the NPC website.

We are currently working with like-minded industry associations and all levels of government to develop arrangements for similar co-regulatory agreement to address packaging waste beyond June 2010.

Our members are constantly looking for ways to reduce their packaging's impact on the environment. To view a case study on Kellogg's Reduction in Waste to Landfill intiative, read our 'Towards Sustainability' Report.