Coles has partnered with Planet Ark since 2022, working together on a range of waste reduction and recycling initiatives. During FY25, we collaborated on several initiatives, including:

• The Coles and Planet Ark Sustainable Schools Competition, where 20 schools from across Australia are recognised for their commitment to protecting the environment. Each school receives $5,000 to drive sustainability initiatives at their school – past winners have included initiatives from constructing a wheelchair accessible edible garden, to a sewing club that combats fast fashion. Winners are announced during National Recycling Week.
• A new pilot program, ‘Planet Ark and Coles School Tours’, which commenced in April 2025 across three regions in Victoria, takes students for a ‘behind the scenes’ look through a supermarket and discusses in-store sustainability initiatives.
• Coles donated five cents from the sale of Coles Own Brand FSC® certified So Soft and Strong Tissues to help Planet Ark deliver programs such as National Tree Day, which supports nature restoration and community engagement across Australia.
• In-store and online messaging to encourage behaviour change and make sustainable choices simpler for our customers.

Packaging and recycling guidance

While Planet Ark research has shown Australians are generally good recyclers and want to do the right thing, we have also found evidence that many people are confused about whether common packaging items can be recycled. The Australasian Recycling Label (ARL) guides how to recycle or dispose of various packaging components correctly and supports the National Packaging Target of 70% of plastic packaging being recycled or composted. As of June 2023, Coles has successfully added the Australasian Recycle Label (ARL) to all its Own-Brand products.

Coles and National Recycling Week

Coles is a Major Sponsor of Planet Ark’s National Recycling Week. Together with Coles, Planet Ark hopes to educate and provide guidance to encourage Australians to recycle right, reduce food waste and keep valuable resources in circulation and out of landfill.

Learn more about Coles’ sustainability ambitions and initiatives.