What brands can do now to prepare for packaging reform

Australia’s packaging reform agenda is moving closer to operational reality.

While final rules are still to come, the direction of travel is becoming clearer. A more coherent national packaging framework is likely to place greater responsibility on businesses to understand the packaging they place on market, how that packaging is designed, what materials it contains, and whether the supporting data can be trusted.

That makes packaging data one of the most important readiness tasks for brands.

Start by mapping your packaging portfolio

The first step is to understand what packaging your business is placing on market.

That means moving beyond broad estimates or high-level supplier information and building a clearer view at SKU, component and material level.

For many businesses, this data is scattered across suppliers, procurement systems, spreadsheets, product teams and sustainability reports. Some of it may exist, but it may not be complete, current or easy to evidence.

A useful starting point is to identify:

• Which products and SKUs are in scope
• What packaging components are used
• What materials each component is made from
• The weight of each component
• Which suppliers hold the relevant information
• Where the data currently sits inside the business

This does not need to be perfect on day one. But it does need to start.

Identify suppliers and internal data owners

Packaging reform will make supplier engagement more important.

Brands will need to know which suppliers can provide accurate packaging information, which ones need support, and where the gaps are likely to appear.

At the same time, internal ownership matters. Packaging data often sits between sustainability, procurement, packaging, compliance and finance. If no one clearly owns the process, data collection becomes reactive and difficult to maintain.

A strong readiness process should identify both supplier data owners and internal business owners. This helps teams avoid repeated follow-up, inconsistent records and last-minute reporting pressure.

Validate the data, don’t just collect it

Collecting packaging data is only part of the task.

As reform progresses, businesses will increasingly need data they can trust. That means information should be validated, evidenced and structured in a way that can be reused.

If future reporting, EPR fees or eco-modulated fee structures depend on packaging data, brands will need to understand how the numbers were calculated. Waiting until a bill or reporting deadline arrives is a risky position.

Reliable packaging data gives teams more confidence in compliance. It also helps them understand cost exposure, identify improvement opportunities and make better packaging decisions over time.

Build a data asset, not just a one-off report

The strongest opportunity is to treat packaging data as a reusable business asset.

The same information can support reporting, compliance, supplier engagement, cost modelling, design decisions and future reform readiness.

That only works if the data is structured properly. A spreadsheet built for one deadline may solve an immediate problem, but it often creates more work later.

A packaging data asset should be maintained, updated and trusted across the business.

Preparing now creates options later

Brands do not need to wait for final regulation before getting ready.

The practical work can begin now: map the portfolio, identify suppliers, collect the right data, validate the records, and build a stronger foundation for future decisions.

Packaging reform will create new obligations, but it can also help businesses build better visibility across their packaging portfolio.