Packaging

Packaging plays an important role in maintaining food quality and safety for our customers, while also helping to reduce food waste by keeping food fresher for longer.

We are committed to reducing unnecessary packaging, improving recyclability and increasing recycled content across all our Own Brand packaging.

Our approach is informed by our R3 Packaging Framework, which is centred on redesigning our Own Brand packaging to support a circular economy.

Supporting industryCollapsed

As a signatory to the Australian Packaging Covenant (‘the Covenant’) and a member of the Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation (APCO), Coles remains committed to supporting industry progress towards the National Packaging Targets.

Expanding and investing in Australia’s recycling infrastructure is essential. Coles is committed to working collaboratively with industry partners and other stakeholders to support this growth and to explore innovative packaging solutions. Since 2019, Coles has been rated as a ‘leading’ retailer by APCO in its annual performance assessment of its members. Our most recent APCO Annual Report and Action Plan can be found hereView PDF, Annual Report and Action Plan, file size 801KB.

Coles Own Brand R³ Packaging FrameworkCollapsed

Our R³ Packaging Framework is based on the three pillars of Redesign, Recycle and Reimagine:

Redesign: Reduce unnecessary packaging where possible, while maintaining product safety, quality and preventing product waste;
Recycle: Improve recyclability and increase recycled content where possible, reducing the amount of virgin materials; and
Reimagine: Enhance our customers’ experience.

The framework helps ensure a systematic approach is used across our business to drive continuous progress. This includes a dedicated sustainable packaging team to provide expertise, drive sustainable packaging outcomes through the product development process, conduct packaging reviews and ongoing engagement with our suppliers and team members.

Here is a recent example of our R³ Packaging Framework in action.

More information on some of our key packaging achievements can be found in the Coles Sustainability Supplement here.

Partnership with Planet Ark

Coles has partnered with leading environmental not-for-profit, Planet Ark, to help further our efforts to reduce food waste and packaging, and to tackle the challenge of plastic waste and recycling.

We are working with Planet Ark on a range of waste reduction and recycling initiatives, including during National Tree Day and the School Recycle Right Challenge, of which Coles is the major sponsor.

Australasian Recycle Label (ARL)

Coles has added the Australasian Recycle Label (ARL) to the packaging artwork across all Own Brand products*. The ARL provides Australians with easy-to-understand recycling information that helps to remove confusion at the recycling bin, save time for users and reduce the amount of waste going to landfill.

Australasian Recycle Label

* Customers may keep seeing some Coles Own Brand products without the ARL, as updated artwork flows through the store network.

Transport packagingCollapsed

We are working with our suppliers to reduce waste in the supply chain. Plastic crates are used across our fresh produce and meat supply chains, replacing some corrugated cardboard, waxed cardboard and expanded polystyrene boxes. As well as reducing waste, these crates help reduce product damage, which also cuts down on food waste. In FY21, Coles entered a 10-year supply chain partnership with CHEP Australia, a division of Brambles. CHEP is providing many of Coles’ fresh produce and protein suppliers with a pool of reusable crates that are washed and rotated up to 80 million times per year.