About the Consultation

The PC is examining how Australia can accelerate a circular economy—using materials more productively, designing out waste and keeping products in use longer. The inquiry is exploring:

• priority opportunities to boost materials efficiency and innovation

• barriers created by fragmented regulation and information gaps

• ways to measure progress and support business competitiveness pc.gov.au

For GS1 members and the broader supply chain community, the inquiry has direct implications for traceability, product information, labelling and data-sharing standards that underpin circular business models and export market access.

Key Documents & Links

• Interim Report – Australia’s Circular Economy: Unlocking the Opportunities (PDF, 5 March 2025)

• Call for Submissions & Terms of Reference (PDF)

• Inquiry homepage – Productivity Commission

GS1 Australia Submission

GS1 Australia welcomed the interim report’s focus on product information, traceability and labelling as foundations for circularity. Our key messages to the Commission were:

1. Digital labelling built on open global standards
   Reform Directions 6.1, 8.2 & 9.1 will falter if each jurisdiction invents its own scheme. We urged the PC to back globally interoperable, GS1-based QR codes and Digital Product Passports, ensuring scalable, multilingual access to repairability, recyclability and sustainability data while avoiding costly bespoke solutions.

2. Traceability for recycled content
   For Reform Direction 4.1, we highlighted GS1’s work with the National Framework for Recycled Content Traceability. Standard identifiers (e.g., GTIN, GLN) and event data (EPCIS) give certainty about recycled inputs, building confidence for public-sector procurement and private investment in recycling infrastructure.

3. National harmonisation of regulations and data infrastructure
   Fragmented state rules on packaging, container deposits and single-use plastics (Reform Direction 10.1) create compliance headaches. We recommended a single, nationally coordinated approach underpinned by standardised registries such as the GS1 National Product Catalogue and aligned with WTO and ISO obligations.

4. Leveraging existing registries for sustainable procurement
   To meet Reform Direction 4.2, agencies can extend registries already used in healthcare and grocery to capture sustainability attributes (carbon footprint, recycled content). This “soft infrastructure” cuts duplication and accelerates uptake of circular products.

5. Next steps and collaboration
   GS1 offered to work with the PC, DCCEEW and industry on pilots that demonstrate digital labelling, registry interoperability and verifiable recycled-content claims, and to share forthcoming CIE economic modelling that values the productivity gains from GS1 standards.

📄 Download GS1 Australia’s full submission (PDF)