New Zealand is set to introduce a series of measures in a bid to further cut single-use packaging for food and beverage products.

The initiatives, including targeting the use of polystyrene meat trays, cups and takeaway food containers, follow a report issued by Professor Juliet Gerrard, the chief science advisor to New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.

Go deeper with GlobalData

Data Insights

The gold standard of business intelligence.

Find out more

“Our ban on plastic bags has already made a difference as we confront our enormous long-term challenge to tackle plastic waste,” Ardern said.

“There’s more to do and our next steps to tackle plastic waste include setting goals to shift away from low-value and hard-to-recycle plastic

“Our first target will be to move away from single-use packaging and beverage containers made of hard-to-recycle PVC and polystyrene. Examples include polystyrene meat trays, cups and takeaway food containers. We will work towards ensuring that these are made of high-value alternatives like PET, HDPE and polypropylene, which can be recycled and reprocessed.”

Ardern said the New Zealand government would look to “stimulate [the] innovation and development of solutions to the soft plastic problem” and speed up work on “better and more consistent kerbside collection of recyclables”.

How well do you really know your competitors?

Access the most comprehensive Company Profiles on the market, powered by GlobalData. Save hours of research. Gain competitive edge.

Company Profile – free sample

Thank you!

Your download email will arrive shortly

Not ready to buy yet? Download a free sample

We are confident about the unique quality of our Company Profiles. However, we want you to make the most beneficial decision for your business, so we offer a free sample that you can download by submitting the below form

By GlobalData
Visit our Privacy Policy for more information about our services, how we may use, process and share your personal data, including information of your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications. Our services are intended for corporate subscribers and you warrant that the email address submitted is your corporate email address.

The Rethinking Plastics in Aotearoa New Zealand report, calls for a “national plastics action plan” to guide New Zealand’s “transition to a circular economy for plastics”.

Other recommendations from the report include moves to improve plastics data collection, for “consistency” in the “design, use and disposal” of plastic and for better recycling systems, as well as for “sector-specific approaches to rethinking plastics”.

Prof. Gerrard said: “We convened a panel of experts from within and beyond academia earlier in the year and set out with a bold and broad scope – to find ways to reduce the size of the plastic shadow that is cast by modern life. Plastic is everywhere and tackling the problem of plastic waste needs a systems change, a collection of adjustments – some large, some small – across all aspects of society.”