What Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation does

Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation (APCO) is the Sydney-based, non-profit industry body responsible for administering the Australian Packaging Covenant, a collaborative agreement between government and industry on packaging sustainability. Founded in 2010, APCO operates as a company limited by guarantee with a small team (11-50 employees) and coordinates policy, standards, and reporting on packaging sustainability across Australia and New Zealand. Its core products include the Australasian Recycling Label (ARL) Program, the National Packaging Targets framework, Sustainable Packaging Guidelines, five Material Stewardship Committees (Soft Plastics, Rigid Plastics, Fibre, Metal & Glass, and Labels), and the ARL Marketplace for SME engagement.

APCO's business model is membership-based subscription: organisations across six tiers (Brand Owners, Industry Associations, Community Groups, International Affiliates, Sustainability Professionals, and Waste Management Providers) join to access the ARL labelling system, the PREP recyclability assessment portal, reporting tools, and National Packaging Targets compliance resources. As of the FY22-24 review period the organisation has grown to over 2,300 members and signatories, with 230+ brand owners using ARL across Australia and New Zealand and 135 organisations achieving 100% ARL labelling on own-brand packaging. Revenue is derived from member fees (a dedicated fee schedule is published but price tiers are not publicly disclosed), with the ARL access bundled into membership at no incremental charge.

The strategic positioning centres on being the convening authority between government, brand owners, recyclers, and community groups ahead of mandatory Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) legislation. APCO pursues expansion through trans-Tasman programme governance (via the Recycling Leadership Forum MoU), operational integration with stewardship schemes (Soft Plastics Stewardship Australia, COFOSS EPS Challenge), and standards-extension work through the ANZPAC Plastics Pact. Its technical stack is content- and standards-driven rather than AI- or software-driven, with no disclosed machine learning, API, or integration surface.

Name

Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation

Legal name

Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation Ltd.

Website

https://apco.org.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

APCO is the Australian non-profit that administers the Australasian Packaging Covenant, convening over 2,300 members across the packaging value chain to operate the Australasian Recycling Label, set National Packaging Targets, and coordinate industry action ahead of mandatory Extended Producer Responsibility.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sustainable Packaging Services

NAICS

Packaging and Labeling Services (561910)

akta.pro primary industry

Packaging Recovery & Closed-Loop Programs (Take-Back, Deposit-Return, EPR Support) (IMALAMAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Product Sustainability & LCA/EPD (Eco-design, PCF) (EUAHAJAF), Mono-Material & Recyclability-Designed Packaging (Design-for-Recycling, Barrier Alternatives) (IMALAMAD)

Keywords

• Packaging sustainability programs
• Recycling labelling systems
• Circular economy coordination
• Producer responsibility advocacy
• Sustainable packaging guidelines

Headquarters

HQ city

Sydney

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: APCO operates as a membership-based organisation. Organisations join as members and signatories to access the ARL program, reporting tools, resources, and to meet covenant obligations. Fee schedules are available with different categories for Brand Owners, Industry Associations, Community Groups, International Affiliates, Sustainability Professionals, and Waste Management Providers.
2. ARL Program Access: The Australasian Recycling Label is free with APCO membership, providing labelling certification services to brand owners for on-pack recycling information.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

APCO is a membership-based industry organisation that administers the Australian Packaging Covenant. It operates the Australasian Recycling Label (ARL) Program, publishes the Sustainable Packaging Guidelines, coordinates the National Packaging Targets and 2030 Strategic Plan, and convenes Material Stewardship Committees across the packaging value chain to advance packaging circularity in Australia and New Zealand.

Product overview

APCO operates as a membership-based industry organization providing a coordinated suite of programs and frameworks for sustainable packaging in Australia. The core offerings include the Australasian Recycling Label (ARL) Program—a consumer-facing on-pack labeling system—and the ARL Marketplace for SME engagement. Strategic frameworks include the 2030 Strategic Plan, National Packaging Targets, and Sustainable Packaging Guidelines. Technical coordination is delivered through five Material Stewardship Committees (Soft Plastics, Rigid Plastics, Fibre, Metal & Glass, Labels) and Best in Class Design Guidance. APCO also administers the ANZPAC Plastics Pact, soft plastics stewardship partnerships, and annual awards programs. The organization does not operate a software product platform with integrations, APIs, or AI capabilities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Australasian Recycling Label (ARL): A consumer-facing on-pack recycling label providing easy-to-understand recycling instructions to reduce contamination and improve recycling outcomes across Australia and New Zealand.
• ARL Marketplace

Products and services

• Australasian Recycling Label (ARL) Program

Quantifiable outcome

• 86% of packaging is now recyclable, up from 84%
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Recycling Leadership Forum (RLF)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026APCO and New Zealand's Recycling Leadership Forum (RLF) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to strengthen how New Zealand recycling system insights are provided, considered and managed as part of the ARL Program. RLF coordinates input on NZ collection, sorting, reprocessing, market and policy conditions. APCO retains responsibility for program governance, technical settings, and final decision-making.
• Soft Plastics Stewardship AustraliacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAPCO has a partnership with Soft Plastics Stewardship Australia (SPSA) to support industry participation, reporting and scheme administration for building national soft plastics recovery capability. Through this partnership, APCO members can express interest in SPSA participation through their existing APCO membership, supporting coordinated industry action and expansion of soft plastics recovery in Australia.
• COFOSS (Coalition for Sustainable Solutions)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAPCO partners with COFOSS for industry-led discussions on EPS (Expanded Polystyrene) packaging challenges and recovery. Joint EPS recovery project shares insights on cost drivers, reverse logistics, collection challenges, and reduction pathways in preparation for EPR scheme implementation.
• ANZPAC Plastics PactmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAPCO is involved in the ANZPAC Plastics Pact, a regional initiative working towards circular economy solutions for plastic packaging across Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific region.
• ReckittminorOthersReckitt, an APCO member, shifted Finish tablets to paper-based packs as part of its sustainability commitments, removing up to 48 tonnes of plastic annually from its tablet packaging in Australia.
• Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP)minorOthersCCEP, an APCO member, continues national RVM (Reverse Vending Machine) rollout supporting container recycling and Extended Producer Responsibility commitments under the Return and Earn scheme.
• Exchange for ChangeminorOthersScheme coordinator for Return and Earn container deposit scheme, partnering with beverage suppliers like CCEP on RVM installations.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• WRAP (Waste & Resources Action Programme): UK-based non-profit coordinating industry action on packaging, food waste, and textiles. Runs the UK Plastics Pact and similar member-based frameworks, making it the closest international analogue to APCO's convening role around National Packaging Targets and stewardship programs.
• RECOUP: UK charity promoting plastics recycling, providing member services, recyclability assessment, and design guidance. Closely parallels APCO's PREP recyclability evaluation portal and Material Stewardship Committees approach.
• GreenBlue: US non-profit that convenes industry on sustainable materials, packaging, and chemicals. Operates membership-based programs and technical guidance comparable to APCO's Sustainable Packaging Guidelines and MSC model.
• Sustainable Packaging Coalition (SPC): US-based membership collaborative of companies and organisations working to advance packaging sustainability. Operates programs like How2Recycle (a direct parallel to APCO's ARL) and similar design-for-recyclability guidance, with comparable industry-coordinator positioning.
• The Recycling Partnership: US national non-profit focused on improving recycling systems through funding, technical assistance, and member collaboration. Comparable to APCO in its industry-funded, member-driven model targeting packaging recovery and circularity outcomes.
• Soft Plastics Stewardship Australia (SPSA): Industry-led stewardship scheme for soft plastics recovery in Australia, partnering with APCO for member participation and reporting. Operates an adjacent program on the same value chain and shares funding/membership pools with APCO.

Regional players

• WasteMINZ: NZ's largest waste-sector representative body, overlapping with APCO's NZ outreach via RLF. Relevant as a regional peer for trans-Tasman coordination and NZ-side policy engagement on packaging and recycling.
• Recycling Council of Ontario / Canada Plastics Pact: Canadian regional implementation of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation Plastics Pact network. Operates under a similar voluntary industry-pledge model targeting problematic plastics, recyclability, and recycled content, offering ANZ-comparable jurisdictional learnings.

Broad incumbents

• Closed Loop Partners: US investment and innovation firm focused on circular economy and recycling infrastructure. Overlaps with APCO's recovery and stewardship agenda, though its investment-fund model differs from APCO's pure convening role.
• Ellen MacArthur Foundation: Global foundation leading the Plastics Pact network (including ANZPAC, of which APCO is a member). Sets the broader circular-economy agenda that APCO operationalises in ANZ, and is the upstream architect of pact-style voluntary commitments APCO implements.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/APCovenant
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/australian-packaging-covenant-organisation
• Facebookfacebook.com/262346074718088

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation