New Zealand plastics sustainability initiative

Archiv – Plastics New Zealand Inc. – which comprises 51 plastics companies in New Zealand including major players ACI Plastics Packaging NZ, Alto Plastics, Huhtamaki New Zealand, Iplex Pipelines NZ, Marley New Zealand Ltd, Vertex Pacific and Viscount Plastics (NZ) – has released the ’New Zealand Plastics Sustainability Initiative’.Plastics New Zealand Inc. – which comprises 51 plastics companies in New Zealand including major players ACI Plastics Packaging NZ, Alto Plastics, Huhtamaki New Zealand, Iplex Pipelines NZ, Marley New Zealand Ltd, Vertex Pacific and Viscount Plastics (NZ) – has released the ’New Zealand Plastics Sustainability Initiative’.
The purpose of the industry body is to maximise the growth and success of plastics-based technology in New Zealand in an economically-, socially- and environmentally-responsible manner. For example, it looks to ensure that the plastics companies’ products are designed, manufactured, used, re-used, recycled and disposed of in the most environmentally-friendly way possible.
The first task of the initiative is to set a New Zealand plastic packaging recycling target.
There are over 400 plastics businesses in New Zealand employing a total of more than 8000 people, and the sector as a whole has an annual turnover of US$ 1.8 billion. Annual plastics production has now reached 236 000 tonnes in New Zealand, with 75% of this total used domestically.
New Zealanders currently consume 31 kg of plastic per year and recycle around 5.5 kg. Over 29 000 tonnes of plastic were collected for recycling in 2001. Most was reused within New Zealand with the exception of PET soft drink bottles, the majority of which were exported for conversion into polyester fibre.