Leading global sustainable packaging company, Better Packaging Co., is excited to provide Australia Post with a new range of POLLAST!C recycled plastic satchels in Post Offices across the country.

The new satchels are made from certified potential* Ocean Bound Plastic (OBP) rescued from coastal communities in Southeast Asia and recycled into fit for purpose mailers for their customers – now available in three sizes on Australia Post’s Online Shop and in Post Offices.

“We are so thrilled to provide a product in the POLLAST!C range to Australia Post” says Rebecca Percasky, co-founder of Better Packaging Co. “Since 2021, we’ve rescued over one million kilograms of plastic waste and recycled it into functional packaging solutions for global brands.”

Richard Pittard, Australia Post Chief Sustainability Officer said: “Providing our customers with access to POLLAST!C is part of Australia Post’s efforts to deliver a more sustainable future. Small changes in packaging can lead to big impacts in reducing plastic waste.”

A recent report by the UN Environment Program (UNEP) found that by 2040, global plastic pollution could be reduced by a whopping 80% if companies implement a series of practical and affordable changes like increasing reuse of virgin plastics.

“POLLAST!C is just one way that we can tackle the global plastic problem whilst providing employment for local communities,” says Rebecca. Better Packaging Co. focuses its collection efforts in Indonesia and other equatorial regions that are subject to monsoonal rains. These places are home to the world’s most polluting river systems, termed ‘plastic superhighways’ for their ability to transfer waste into the ocean quickly and easily.

Rebecca says that mailing satchels are an ideal application for high Post Consumer Recycled content as they do not have to be food grade or perfectly clear, and that all recycled material inputs are traceable under the product’s two key certifications; Global Recycled Standard and Ocean Bound Plastic Certification.

The new POLLAST!C satchels contain at least 90% recycled potential Ocean Bound Plastic, which far exceeds the APCO's National Packaging Targets of 50% recycled content in packaging by 2025.

“This is an exciting step towards a more circular economy from one of Australia’s largest companies,” says Rebecca. “By using an Australia Post POLLAST!C satchel, you’re helping to reduce virgin plastic consumption. With so many mailers shipped nationwide per year, we’re creating a strong impact on the global plastic problem.”

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* Certified potential Ocean Bound Plastic (OBP) must meet the following criteria:

• Has been, or would be, abandoned;
• In an areas with no formal waste management infrastructure;
• Is within 50km of the coast.

Read more on the OBP certification process and criteria here: https://www.obpcert.org

About Better Packaging Co.

Better Packaging Co. is a carbon-neutral B Corp helping ambitious brands reduce their environmental footprint and create positive impact through their packaging. Founded by Rebecca Percasky and Kate Bezar in 2018, the company is now a world-leader in developing regenerative packaging solutions, with their innovative POLLAST!C range of mailing satchels and poly garment bags. It is a founding signatory to the Ellen MacArthur New Plastics Pact, the Business Coalition For a Global Plastics Treaty and a Sedex Member. It is an ‘Unreasonable Company’, part of the Katapult Ocean Accelerator, Elemental Impact, a Coralus venture and 2021 Cartier Women’s Initiative winner. In 2022 the company was awarded the Ocean Impact Pitchfest’s Innovocean Plastic Spotlight Award and in 2023, the Sustainable Retail Award for ‘Best Innovative Packaging Solution’.

@betterpackagingco      www.betterpackaging.com

About The POLLAST!C Project

Founded in 2021 by Better Packaging Co., The POLLAST!C Project provides companies with packaging that positively impacts our planet and its people. Made from 80-100 percent recycled potential Ocean Bound Plastic, the innovative range includes poly mailers, garment bags, reusable carry bags, pallet wrap, and more. Partners in The POLLAST!C Project include iconic Australian brands like PE Nation, CUE, Veronika Maine, Camilla, AJE, ZIP Water Industries and Bisley Workwear.

About the Australian Postal Corporation

As Australia’s postal service for more than 215 years, Australia Post is at the heart of every community. Last financial year Australia Post delivered more than 2.3 billion items to 12.7 million delivery points. Australia Post has one of the largest retail networks in Australia, with more than 4,000 Post Offices. Australia Post employs people of all ages, genders, and abilities, with an extended workforce of more than 64,000 team members. Australia Post is proud to be included in the inaugural Indigenous Employment Index with 3% of its workforce identifying as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander, and as one of the largest Australian employers to be certified as a Disability Confident Recruiter.