The Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation (APCO) is reforming packaging regulations through the implementation of an Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) scheme. The initiative aims to address economic gaps in recycling and support Australia’s transition to a circular economy. 

A national consultation with stakeholders in early 2025 revealed the need for greater regulatory clarity, stronger governance, and industry-specific considerations. In response, APCO will continue using the current turnover-based charging system while further developing the EPR model. 

Feedback from the consultation highlighted the need for greater regulatory clarity, government efforts, and industry-specific considerations. The organisation emphasised its commitment to delivering an EPR model that works effectively and the necessity for additional time to ensure its success.  

The plan focuses on interventions to support recycling, aiming to deliver outcomes that are in addition to existing systems, such as kerbside recycling. This approach ensures that the intervention costs by APCO members are lower compared to brand owners in other countries, making it a more feasible model for Australia.  

With strong government backing and ongoing consultation, the EPR reform remains a key part of Australia’s broader strategy to transform packaging use and recycling. This is to ensure the final model is robust, practical, and aligned with both industry needs and environmental goals. But considering the EPR is already in application in other markets such as parts of the EU, we expect this to only be a delay, not a cancellation. 

With the EPR implementation still looming and the existing need to regularly complete your APCO reporting, how are you tracking and reporting your data? Are you still relying on multiple spreadsheets and never-ending manual reporting? At MSAC, we have created Addis®, an all-in-one solution to solve all your packaging challenges that has already been adopted by major industry players.  

Capture all your data in one safe place, automatically manage your claims and certificates, enable automatic volumetric calculation with all associated dashboards and reports, enable easy APCO reporting and track your progress towards your sustainability targets. Work with your suppliers and manage your data or let us handle all of it with our team of specialised packaging technologists. 

Get in touch with us to organise a demo or learn more: regulatory@msacsolutions.com