Industry News – Connections June Newsletter 2025

PonyUp for Good to launches CO₂ reduction solution

In a market first, ANZRP partner PonyUp for Good (PonyUp) has joined forces with Rejoose, a leading provider in carbon emission data solutions for the tech industry, to help Australian businesses monitor the information technology (IT) carbon footprint for the life of their IT Assets, making them the first Social Enterprise in Australia to do so. This addition to the suite of metrics is a standout feature of the Rejoose e.voice circularity solution, which provides accurate and auditable documentation of the carbon savings from tech refurbishment projects, setting a tangible and immediate view of the environmental benefits of repair and reuse over replacement.

NSW Parliament passes Product Lifecycle Responsibility Bill 2025

The NSW Parliament has passed the Product Lifecycle Responsibility Bill 2025. The new Act establishes a product stewardship framework for brand owners of certain products, as determined by the minister. The Act will give the ability to establish a product stewardship scheme for a particular product and provides the legislative framework to ensure that there is regulatory oversight of a product stewardship organisation when dealing with products that can cause harm. Amongst other objectives, this Bill will strengthen and expand the New South Wales legislative framework for mandatory product stewardship and be leveraged to take comprehensive action to reduce the risk of battery fires.

Full details of the Bill can be found at Product Lifecycle Responsibility Bill 2025.

Battery Stewardship Council seeks ACCC authorisation for B-cycle 2.0

The Battery Stewardship Council (BSC) has lodged a submission with the Australian Consumer and Competition Commission (ACCC) seeking authorisation under the Act to change the current scheme and to introduce an annual review process of the levy and rebate based on an eco-modulated formula. The BSC is seeking authorisation for 5 years. The ACCC has granted interim authorisation for the scheme to continue it its existing form whilst it assesses the full application.

ANZRP supports the intent of the BSC application which seeks to reduce the risks and incidences of battery-related fires, tackle the level of free-riding and is designed so as not to overlap with exiting schemes such as the National Television and Computer Recycling Scheme and MobileMuster. A full copy of the application for authorisation is available on the ACCC’s authorisations public register.

Victoria and Tasmania release reports on circular economy developments and outcomes

Victorian and Tasmanian state government agencies have recently released studies and assessments which track progress and outcomes on economic circularity within their respective jurisdictions.

Recycling Victoria has reported against circular economy measures and its latest Circular Economy Market Report shows Victoria’s achieved an overall recovery rate of 69%. Full details can be found at RV_Circular-Economy-Market-Report_FINAL.pdf.

The Tasmanian Waste and Resource recovery Board has meanwhile completed an impact assessment of the reuse sector in the state. This study found that the reuse sector saves the economy $147 million as well as providing for a range of environmental and social benefits. The study was conducted in partnership with Charitable Reuse Australia (Charitable Reuse Australia | ANZRP), a partner of ANZRP.

A copy of the assessment can be downloaded from Tasmanian Reuse Impact Study | Waste Resource Recovery.