Latest Sustainability News
The retail industry and our supply chain are innovating and designing for recovery of recyclable materials to support the growth of Australia’s circular economy.
Australia produces 74 million tonnes of waste per year and we only recycle 60%. We recycle less than 20% of plastic but many plastics are highly recyclable and can go in our current recycling bin.
Glass, plastic, paper, cardboard, tyres, electronics, batteries, construction materials, food and garden waste are all waste items containing value in the form of energy and resources.
But we are creating change.
One example of recent success is Container Deposit Schemes which are now recycling large volumes of plastic, creating domestic and international demand for recycled content, providing financial incentives to customers and charities, and most importantly dramatically reducing plastic litter in our environment.
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Container Deposit Schemes
Multiple states and territories have introduced Container Deposit / Refund Schemes (CDS) schemes which are now creating significant environmental change, as well as a new Australian economy in plastic recycling. These schemes involve extensive government and business collaboration and are proving to be highly successful in reducing litter and increasing recycling.
Find out about the CDS in your state
NSW CDS QLD CDS WA CDS SA CDS ACT CDS NT CDS
What we do
The National Retail Association Policy Team exists to help retail businesses succeed and grow within an ever-changing regulatory environment.
Our team works with a wide range of industry stakeholders – retailers, government, law enforcement, regulatory bodies, shopping centres, community groups, supporting associations and many more – to develop industry-wide policy platforms or positions on issues of importance to the Australian retail sector.
We work with all retailers across the retail and foodservice industry – regardless of size, category or business model – from the largest department chains to family-run pizza shops. Similar issues affect all retailers every day – such as retail crime, product safety and environmental legislation – and we all benefit from sharing intelligence and real-world experience.
We work actively with governments at international, federal, state and local levels to ensure the interests and needs of the Australian retail and services sectors are protected and promoted. Rather than running from inevitable regulatory change, we provide a bridge between retailers and government – facilitating the exchange of ideas and information which ultimately leads to more informed, commercially-aware outcomes for all parties.
We place real-world insight above all else, so we actively engage with retailers in stores, strip precincts and shopping centres.
We tackle the issues you can’t tackle alone.