The National Packaging Protocol, referred to as NaPP, is a voluntary agreement supported by members of a multi-stakeholder task force, to increase waste diversion in Canada.

Packaging is a term that refers to all materials, fabricated containers and other components used in the containment, protection, movement and display of a product or commodity. A package or packaging can also be a material or item that is physically attached to a product or its container for the purpose of marketing the produce or conveying information about the product.

Who started NaPP?

The Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment (CCME) established a multi-stakeholder task force, the National Packaging Task Force, in 1989 to develop national policies for reducing the environmental impact of packaging.

Who is involved in the Task Force?

There are representatives from federal, provincial, territorial and municipal governments, industry, consumer and environmental groups. Consumers Glass is a member of the Task Force and participates on the Monitoring Committee.

What are the key elements in NaPP?

The Protocol is a ten-year commitment by Task Force members to reduce 50% of the amount of packaging sent for disposal by the year 2000. There are six packaging policies and three milestone targets for the diversion of packaging waste from disposal against a base year of 1988.

NaPP Policies All packaging shall have minimal effects on the environment. Priority will be given to the management of packaging through source reduction, reuse and recycling. A continuing campaign of information and education will be undertaken to make all Canadians aware of the function and environmental impacts of packaging. These policies will apply to all packaging used in Canada, including imports. Regulations will be implemented as necessary to achieve compliance with these policies. All government policies and practices affecting packaging will be consistent with these national policies.

Milestone Targets: by... December 31, 1992 a 20% reduction December 31, 1996 a 35% reduction December 31, 2000 a 50% reduction ...from a base year of 1998.

How are NaPP results calculated?

A nation-wide survey was conducted by Statistics Canada targeting 10,000 business from the agriculture, manufacturing, transportation, wholesale, retail and service sectors. The survey collected data on the weight of packaging used, reused and sent for recycling by these businesses.

The calculation itself considers weight-based data in millions of tonnes, (shown here with the 1996 data):

Use + (Imports - Exports) - Reuse - Recycling = Disposal 8.74 + 0.165 - 4.07 - 2.20 = 2.64

What is so important about NaPP?

The 1996 results demonstrate that Canadians have surpassed the year 2000 targets, four years ahead of schedule. Canadians have diverted 51% of their packaging from landfill, 16% more that the agreed to 1996 interim target.

There are five important features in NaPP that make it unique. One, NaPP is a voluntary process. Two, NaPP targets were developed using a consensus process with the participation of multi-stakeholder groups. Three, it is a tracking mechanism that enables the all stakeholders to evaluate the success or need for improvement. Four, NaPP represents the results of a system that includes Canadian householders, municipalities, governments, recycling operators, and the industries that use and/or make packaging. Five, NaPP is a resounding success.

What has been the role of glass packaging in meeting and exceeding the year 2000 target?

Glass has been one of the top three materials that have made packaging's success possible. Through partnership effort with other stakeholders, 82% of glass packaging consumed in Canada in 1996 was reused or recycled. Glass containers have been consistently ahead of many packaging materials in diverting material from landfill. Consumers Glass has been a major contributor to this process as it is the only Canadian manufacturer of container glass.

Who decides which opportunity for minimizing packaging waste is chosen?

The decision is not made by one person. It is controlled and influenced by everybody in the system who touches the package. The brand owner chooses the package based on a variety of factors. Packaging has to protect and maintain the quality of the goods being produced, from the time it leaves the brand owners facility. Then the package acts as a means of storage when in consumerís hands. At this point, control and responsibility for whether the package is kept inside the loop to be reused, recycled or discarded is the consumer's decision. In the case of glass packaging, all glass containers whether reused in the home, or returned for refill, can be recycled. Ultimately no glass container should go to landfill.

Does Consumers Glass recycle all the glass containers in Canada?

Actually Consumers Glass is not a recycler at all. Consumers Glass is Canada's only manufacturer of glass containers. They purchase recycled glass specially prepared as a raw material for reuse back into the manufacturing process. Every glass container manufactured in Canada has a percentage of recycled glass in it, the percentage varies regionally depending on supply.

There are other markets for container glass now as well. The fiberglass industry uses container glass in their manufacturing process.

Who prepares the recycled container glass for Consumers Glass and the fiberglass industry?

There are five major processors of recycled glass packaging in Canada. They purchase recycled glass from residential multi-material recycling and deposit-return programs and Industrial, Commercial & Institutional (I.C.&I.) programs. Combined, these companies can process in excess of 400,000 metric tonnes of recycled glass packaging annually. There are other smaller processors located in Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia. Some glass in areas bordering the US is purchased for that market. These processors have a combined annual capacity exceeding 150,000 metric tonnes.

The five largest processors are: Neighbourhood Recycling in Moncton, NB (506) 858-1600 Unical in Longueuil, QC (450) 674-3099 NexCycle Industries in Guelph, ON (519) 836-5981 Vitreous Environmental Group in Airdrie, AB (403) 948-7811 ETL Environmental Technology Ltd. (ETL) in Surrey, BC (604) 589-4385

What role does the consumer have in the success of NaPP?

Canadians can be proud of their role in two ways. First, by making environmentally wise packaging choices, each consumer made a small but important contribution. Secondly, Canadians also adopted new environmentally helpful habits by reusing or recycling glass packaging and other packaging materials. In fact between 1988 and 1996 Canadians reduced their per capita waste disposal from 209 KG/person to 92 KG/person, a 56% decrease in waste going to landfill. Every Canadian has a right to be proud of this accomplishment for we all win by working together.

If NaPP has been successful, why are there reports that recycling is too expensive for many municipalities?

These are two separate issues. The economics of recycling programmes have proven to be a struggle for some municipalities. Many municipal governments are struggling to become more efficient, just as the private sector has to remain vigilant on their costs. The fiscal challenge municipalities face are not restricted to recycling programmes. However, a number of municipal and regional governments have adopted user pay systems for disposal resulting in dramatic diversion numbers.

Why are these approaches showing such promising results?

Behavioural scientists, who specialize in environmental issues, indicate that the closer the triggers of change are to the necessary behaviour modifications sought, the higher the probability of success. Similarly, social marketing seeks to initiate behaviour changes at the community level by involving direct contact with people. User pay is an example. It places a charge on garbage to prompt householders to adopt recycling, composting or other waste diversion behaviours, and financially discourages waste generation.

User Pay Success Stories The Capital Regional District, B.C. Contact: Andy Schiiler (250) 360-3086 and Nanaimo in BC Contact: Carey McIiver (250) 390-6560 The REACT Waste Management District is a pilot project based on the regionalization of solid waste located in the Humboldt/Watson area of Saskatchewan (east of Saskatoon) involves a population of about 20,000 people. REACT works on a strong principles of waste minimization. Their actions have helped to reduce twenty-six landfills down to two for REACT residents. Contact: Dan Swerhone, CEO, Box 810, Humboldt, Saskatchewan SOK 2A0 (306) 682-1955 Outlook is a community of around 2,000 people. Faced with a rapidly filling landfill the town opted to design a recycling system coupled with a $2.50 levy on the monthly utility to offset costs. These efforts have quadrupled the life span of the landfill from 25 to 100 years. Contact: Rick Pederson, Superintendent, Town of Outlook, Box 518, Outlook, Saskatchewan, S0L 2N0 (306) 867-8663

Other Sources of Information

Consumers Glass
777 Kipling Avenue, Etobicoke, Ontario
Tel: (416) 232-3260 Fax: (416) 232-3635 Email: jarcher@consumersglass.com

CCME
326 Broadway, Suite 400, Winnipeg, Manitoba R3C 0S5
Tel: (204) 948-2090 Fax: (204) 948-2125

Environment Canada Waste Prevention Division
Ottawa, On K1A 0H3
Tel: (819) 997-3060 Fax: (819) 953-6881

Web sites

http://www.ec.gc.ca/napp-pne