On 21–22 October, Joachim Quoden, Managing Director of EXPRA, was invited by Australasian partners to present the “10 Golden Rules for Effective Product Stewardship and Pitfalls to Avoid” during an online session attended by more than 270 participants from across industry, government, and the stewardship community.
The webinar marked the first event of the series hosted Soft Plastic Stewardship Australia, and delivered in partnership with Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation, One Planet Consulting, and The Packaging Forum NZ .Together, the partners aim to support Australasia as it designs the next generation of stewardship schemes for soft plastics.
Drawing on more than three decades of European experience, Joachim Quoden highlighted how well-designed Producer Responsibility Organisations (PROs) can deliver strong environmental outcomes while providing regulatory clarity and cost efficiency for producers. His presentation focused on lessons learned in Europe, common pitfalls encountered during EPR implementation, and how these insights can help Australia and New Zealand avoid repeating costly mistakes.
The opening session also featured contributions from Robbie Staniforth, Director of Innovation and Policy at Ecosurety (UK), and Helen Millicer, who recently returned from six months of policy work in the EU. Together, the speakers explored how European best practices can be adapted to the Australasian context.
EXPRA’s involvement in the webinar series reflects the growing international recognition of its 10 Golden Rules as a practical framework for effective product stewardship. The principles are already informing policy discussions in the region and have recently been referenced in a submission to the New South Wales Government on draft EPR regulations.