Empowering people to recycle

Putting our packaging in the right recycling bin, makes it possible for companies like Amcor to reuse that material – keeping waste out of the environment. The concept is simple but helping people to understand and participate in recycling remains a challenge.

How is Amcor helping?

We are doing a huge amount of work making sure our products are designed so they can be recycled, and we’re working with others to support infrastructure development, but our efforts do not stop there. We are also working to help people make the right decision when the time comes to dispose of packaging.

We’ve taken the time to understand consumers’ attitudes towards recycling and have conducted consumer research to figure out what people know about sustainability issues and how to make it easier for them to recycle correctly. We found that clarity is the key. Better labelling leads to better understanding and, ultimately, to better environmental outcomes. We have applied these lessons on our products – for example, carrying How2Recycle’s® store drop-off label on consumer packaging for products in our AmPrima™ PE Plus heat resistant portfolio.

We have shared our work across the industry through webinars and insight blogs so that others can apply these lessons within their organisations too.
We also contribute to The Recycling Partnership, an initiative that works to increase residential recycling in the U.S. Since joining in 2014, Amcor, in partnership with other companies, has provided hundreds of thousands of dollars to the initiative, boosting rates of recycling and increasing the supply of valuable recycled material for future use.

Closing the loop

It is key that when each of us recycle, that we do not let our collective efforts go to waste. At Amcor we are using more and more recycled plastics – known as post-consumer recycled (PCR) content – in our products. Last year, we used more than 83,000 tonnes of PCR and our target is to have at least 10% PCR use across our portfolio by 2025. This target can give consumers confidence that when they recycle their packaging Amcor will make use of those materials – we always need and want more recycled content.

We all have our part to play

It is three years since we became the first packaging company to commit to the 2025 target and our focus on reducing waste and improving sustainability remains absolute. We cannot, however, solve this problem alone. We know that all our hard work counts for very little if consumers are not empowered to play their part in helping us to close the loop – which is why we’re determined to help people understand and participate in recycling and reuse.

Driving awareness will help to ensure Amcor’s growth and success for all our stakeholders. Sustainability is top of the agenda for businesses, governments and consumers around the world, with 2021 poised to be a year of action to protect the environment. Amcor will continue to play our part – through design, by collaborating to improve infrastructure and by informing and empowering consumers.

To learn more about Amcor’s sustainability activities, please click here.