The marks your pack needs in Australia.

A retail barcode is really a number: a Global Trade Item Number (GTIN) that uniquely identifies one product, in one size, for every retailer and distributor that handles it. The striped symbol on pack is just that number made machine-readable. Major retailers and marketplaces (the supermarkets, and Amazon) expect barcodes issued through GS1, the global standards body, so cheap third-party numbers can cause problems at listing.

1. Join GS1 Australia. Choose a single number, a small pack of numbers, or full membership depending on how many products you have. Fees scale with your turnover and the quantity you need.
2. Get your numbers. GS1 issues your company prefix or individual GTINs once you join.
3. Assign one GTIN per variant. Every flavour, size and multipack needs its own unique number. Never reuse one across products.
4. Generate and place the symbol. Create the EAN-13 artwork, then position it with the correct size, colour contrast and quiet zones (the clear space each side).
5. Verify it scans. Have the barcode checked or test-scanned before print. A symbol that fails at the checkout is an expensive reprint.

The Australasian Recycling Label (ARL) is the on-pack guide that marks each component as Recyclable, Conditionally Recyclable (with an instruction, such as "scrunch" or "return to store"), or Not Recyclable. It is evidence-based: you cannot simply add it. Each packaging component must first be assessed through PREP, the Packaging Recyclability Evaluation Portal, which simulates how the item behaves in Australian and New Zealand kerbside systems.

1. Become an APCO member and accept the PREP and ARL terms.
2. Assess each component in PREP. You enter the shape, size, weight, material, inks and adhesives for every part: lid, body, sleeve, label.
3. Read the Recyclability Evaluation Report. PREP returns a result per component against the recyclability thresholds (population access to collection, and how much of the item can actually be recovered).
4. Apply the matching artwork. Use only the ARL artwork the report supports, following the ARL user guide for placement and size.
5. Re-assess if the pack changes. A new material, supplier or structure means a fresh PREP check before the label still applies.

The famous green-and-gold kangaroo is a registered certification trademark, not free clip art. You need a licence to use it, granted per product, and only after Australian Made Campaign Ltd (AMCL) assesses that the product meets the rules in its Code of Practice and Australian Consumer Law. There are variants for different claims: Australian Made, Australian Grown, Product of Australia, and Australian Made & Owned, each with its own eligibility test.

1. Confirm the right claim. Check which test your product passes (for "Australian Made", the last substantial transformation must happen in Australia).
2. Apply to AMCL with evidence of origin, processing and cost.
3. Wait for the licence before you commit packaging. Approval is product-specific, not company-wide.
4. Use the official artwork within the licensed variant, colours and clear-space rules.
5. Keep it current. Renew the licence and re-confirm eligibility if your sourcing or process changes.

For most food made, grown or produced in Australia, country of origin labelling is compulsory. The standard mark combines three parts: the kangaroo-in-a-triangle symbol, a short statement (for example "Grown in Australia"), and a bar chart showing the minimum percentage of Australian ingredients by weight. Note this kangaroo is the country-of-origin symbol and is a separate scheme from the Australian Made logo above, though the two are often confused.

1. Work out your food category. Priority foods carry the fullest requirements; non-priority and most imported foods carry a simpler statement.
2. Calculate the Australian content by ingoing weight, so you can state the correct percentage.
3. Build the standard mark to spec. The kangaroo and bar chart must follow the Information Standard's artwork rules.
4. Place it clearly on the label where shoppers can see it.
5. Update when sourcing shifts. A changed ingredient mix can change your percentage and your label.