GS1 NZ Chief Operating Officer appointed to Plastics Governance Group

Richard Manaton, GS1 New Zealand’s Chief Operating Officer, has been appointed to the Plastic Packaging Product Stewardship Governance Group. He joins a broad-based group of plastics manufacturers, retailers, local authorities, mana whenua, product stewardship groups and recyclers, among others.

Minister for the Environment, Hon David Parker, announced in September 2022 that The Packaging Forum and the NZ Food & Grocery Council will lead the co-design of a regulated Plastic Packaging Product Stewardship Scheme, with funding from both the Waste Minimisation Fund and both organisations.

Tony Nowell, Independent Chair of the project, announced the members for both the Project Steering and Governance Groups. The Governance Group comprises experienced Board Directors whose role is to oversee project progress, provide regulatory and fiduciary oversight, scrutinise reporting, and review risks.

The project will assess the current state of the plastics packaging problem in New Zealand and recommend a scheme for New Zealand implementation. The project aims to reduce thousands of tonnes of plastic packaging going to landfill every year and is intended to be completed by mid-2023. The final report and recommendation will be presented to the Ministry for the Environment.

Richard comes highly credentialed having held senior executive positions in retail in New Zealand and internationally. His role and knowledge of how GS1 global data standards and solutions could be used to evaluate the current problem and assist in co-designing future strategies and solutions brings a unique perspective to the project. 

For more information

Information about the project and progress is available at: https://ppps.org.nz/