Interesting Statistics About The Australian Packaging Industry

Considering how much you use and rely upon packaging materials in your daily life, it stands to reason that learning a bit more about the industry that creates them can be interesting. Packaging suppliers are a formidable force in the Australian economy, and their influence is far-reaching and impressive. You can learn more about how food packaging and other products impacts the nation by reading the facts below.

The Packaging Industry: Value And Employment

Numbers are among the very best ways to get an idea about the size of something. Consider this: The Australian packaging industry accounts for approximately 1% of the country's GDP, or Gross Domestic Product. That may sound small, but Australia is a massive country with a very high volume of output. Combine that fact with the fact that approximately 30,000 people are employed by the Australian packaging industry, and it's easy to see why this industry is so important.

Material Statistics Related To The Packaging Industry

At 36%, paper and cardboard packaging definitely corner the market when it comes to packaging materials. A simple glance in your pantry or refrigerator will confirm to you that this is the case. However, plastics have reached 30% - a very respectable figure that is easy to confirm, what with the popularity of plastic packaging these days. At 20%, metal packaging has diminished a bit but is still fairly common. Glass only accounts for 10% of the packaging that's used in Australia today, which makes sense since it is the most breakable and the least practical.

Recycling And The Packaging Industry

Considering that the packaging industry only contributes about 10% of urban solid waste, it is remarkable that the industry has, nonetheless, agreed to a National Packaging Covenant that will increase the levels at which it recycles various materials. For example: Plastics, which are currently recycled at a rate of approximately 20%, will now be recycled approximately 30% to 35% of the time. Paper and cardboard, which are currently recycled at a rate of approximately 64%, will now be recycled at a rate of approximately 70% to 80%.

Packaging: An Industry To Watch

Whether you work in the packaging industry or not, there's no question that it plays a major role in your life. From the food you buy at the store to the recycling that you do, packaging plays a role in many aspects of your day to day life. As time goes by, the industry itself will be amping up its recycling efforts and will be contributing to the health of the planet. In this way, consumers can feel good about the food products that they buy and can rest assured that the industry that packages them is always working to make the world a better place.