04.Take action
Maintain the rage
All the experts we spoke to emphasise how important it is for consumers to speak up when they have a bad experience with packaging. “When the only reward in the current market is price, money talks,” says Barry. “It’s potent for a manufacturer to hear testimonials from people who’ve stopped buying their product because it’s too hard to open.
“The primary reason most companies approach us to improve their packaging is as result of consumer complaints. If you’re struggling to open packaging then companies want to hear from you, which is why many set up a dedicated packaging complaints line. Consumers have more power than they realise but they have to speak out and let companies know what the problem is.”
Join our Pack Attack campaign
So how do you let them know? CHOICE has made it easy – head to choice.com.au/packattack to access our form email that can be copied, pasted and emailed to the Australian Packaging Covenant (APC). The APC is a commitment by government and industry to the sustainable design, use and recovery of packaging. The companies who are signatories to the covenant represent 90% of all the packaged product available in Australia.
The APC will report back to any complaints about packaging within three working days, and if the matter relates directly to the manufacturer there will be a response within 20 working days.
If you prefer to phone, you can call the APC Packaging Line on 1300 308 030 (Mon–Fri, 9am-5pm) or write to PO Box 346, Gordon, NSW 2072.
We also encourage you to jump on board our campaign for more accessible packaging by dobbing in the worst offenders by name or uploading a picture to our gallery.