Retail Economics
Part of Retail sustainability claims
Evaluating packaging and waste claims from published evidence
Separate recyclable design, recycled content, collection and measured waste outcomes when assessing Australian retail packaging claims.
To evaluate a retailer’s packaging or waste claim, identify the material, the stage it has reached and the reported measure. “Recyclable”, “contains recycled material”, “collected” and “recycled” are separate claims. Less waste generated and a higher share diverted from disposal are separate too.
Start with the package and its components
A package can contain a tray, film, label and lid, each with different disposal routes. Ask whether a statement covers the whole pack or one component, and whether it applies to a product line or all packaging the retailer sells. For a recycled-content claim, check which component holds the material and whether the percentage is calculated by its mass or the mass of the whole package.
For a recyclability claim, check the collection conditions customers face. The Packaging Recyclability Evaluation Portal (PREP) assesses separable components against collection, sorting and processing conditions. The Australasian Recycling Label (ARL) communicates the resulting component instructions, which may require a local check or a specified drop-off route. An assessed route is not a measurement of how much of the retailer’s packaging was collected or recycled.
Key sources for evaluating Australian packaging and waste claims
- Packaging Recyclability Evaluation Portal (PREP)
- Assesses components against collection, sorting and processing conditions
- Australasian Recycling Label (ARL)
- Communicates component-specific disposal instructions
- ACCC guidance
- On environmental and sustainability claims in advertising
- National Waste Resource Recovery Report 2026
- Published by DCCEEW on national waste trends and recovery rates
Follow the material past collection
Published evidence may stop at a bin, a contractor pickup or a processing facility. Record that endpoint. Material placed in a recycling bin has entered a collection route; it has not necessarily been recycled.
For a retailer’s own waste claim, ask whether reporting covers stores, distribution centres, offices or some combination. Look for the total generated and quantities sent to each destination in the same period. “Diversion from landfill” needs its own definition: it may include destinations other than recycling. Ask for those destinations separately before calling the diverted amount recycled.
| Published figure | What it can show | What it leaves open |
|---|---|---|
| Component assessed as recyclable | A route under the stated conditions | Customer use and actual recovery |
| Recycled content in packaging | Material incorporated into the specified pack | What happens to the pack after use |
| Tonnes collected for recycling | Material entering a collection route | Losses and the processing outcome |
| Waste diverted from landfill | A result under the publisher’s diversion definition | The shares reused, recycled or sent to energy recovery |
Compare the right denominators
A lighter pack uses less material per pack if measured on the same basis. To know whether the retailer used less packaging overall, ask how many packs it placed on the market and whether the product range changed. For operational waste, compare total generated and each destination over aligned periods. A rising diversion percentage can coexist with more total waste if the amount generated rises.
Keep packaging placed on the market separate from waste generated at retailer facilities. One measure follows packaging sold to customers; the other follows material discarded in the retailer’s operations. A national recycling rate cannot fill a missing company denominator.
A supported conclusion names the component or waste stream, geography, period, denominator and measured endpoint. If a report discloses only a design classification, report that classification. If it discloses downstream quantities, state the result at the measured stage and its method. Leave any unreported later stage unresolved.
