In the weekend of 7th December, a panel convened by the Office of the Prime Minister’s Chief Science Advisor releasing their report Rethinking Plastics in Aotearoa New Zealand. This is an insightful report and I applaud it.
As a company, we look forward to working with all stakeholders in New Zealand to reach practical, meaningful and realistic targets, including affordability. We all must take a responsible approach to plastics use; you cannot argue with this. But it is a complex issue and no one solution will work for all.
Sinclair and Jenkins Freshpac remain genuinely excited about the release of our new Ecolabel® this year. Ecolabel® is a fully certified compostable fruit label and a wonderful option as it meets the “OK Compost” industrial (certified by TUV Austria) compostable standard. But we do recognise this option will not be for everyone.
Firstly, the product comes with a premium price tag as many sustainable style products do due to their limited raw material supply base. And secondly, there are no industrial compostable facilities conveniently located for product at “end of life”. This is just the beginning though, and our company recognises there is more work to be done to ensure the solutions meet customer and consumer needs.
In 2020 the government will call for submission and consultation on this report and it is important that you have your say.
There is no question that being environmentally responsible is the right thing to do - but going green is not cheap and we must also remain focussed on delivering food safe, affordable and fit-for-purpose solutions.
Get stuck into this in 2020 and have your say when people come knocking. In the meantime, get some sand between the toes and have a relaxing and fun time this summer with family and friends.