Product stewardship in Australia

Everyone who imports, designs, produces, sells, uses and disposes of products has a shared responsibility to reduce the environmental and human health and safety impacts of those products.

Product stewardship schemes support the environmentally sound management of products and materials over their life. This includes at the end of their useful life. These arrangements may be voluntary, mandatory or shared with industry.

Examples of good product stewardship are when:

people recycle products, and their packaging
companies design their products for easier recycling
companies use more recycled materials and less resources to manufacture their products
companies limit the hazardous materials their products contain.

See current arrangements and government priorities.

Government accreditation

The Australian Government accredits arrangements that effectively manage the negative environmental impacts of products throughout their life.

How to get your arrangement accredited.

Investment fund

The National Product Stewardship Investment Fund provides financial support to set up new product stewardship arrangements or improve existing ones. It also funds the Product Stewardship Centre of Excellence.

Find out more about the investment fund.

Australian Packaging Covenant

The Australian Packaging Covenant is an arrangement between governments and industry. It reduces the negative environmental impacts of consumer packaging. The arrangement focuses on sustainable package design, increasing recycling rates and reducing litter.

Read how businesses are committing to change.