Page 27 - Packaging News Magazine May-June 2019
P. 27

May-June 2019
www.packagingnews.com.au
FMCG PACKAGING
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His sentiment is echoed by Ira Laufer, CEO of brand owner JUST Goods. Commenting on the uptake of the brand in its US launch market, and subsequently in the UK, Laufer says JUST Water has garnered a lot of atten- tion globally in the face of the “depressing matter of plastic pollution”.
“What we have in JUST Water is a solution that allows 100 per cent spring water to be bottled close to or at source, in a container that is made from a combination of FSC-certified paper and plant-based materials.”
Andrew Pooch interjects to clarify the pack’s precise composition: “The paper-based carton is made from eighty-two per cent renewable resources – fifty-four per cent of the paper is made from Forest Steward- ship Council certified and/or con- trolled wood sources and twenty- eight per cent is made of plant-based materials – the cap and shoulder.
“In packaging converting terms, there is around a seventy per cent reduction in carbon emissions over the lifecycle compared to a standard plastic bottle based on US LCA studies,” Pooch says. Furthering the sustainable production argument, he adds, “And the shape of the finished pack also makes it space efficient on pallets and on shelves.”
RENEWABLE AND RECYCLABLE
Laufer adds that it was important for JUST Goods to find a packaging sup- plier that had the infrastructure to support recycling and a full life cycle approach to stewardship of the pack. JUST Goods found this in Tetra Pak in the US and UK, and now in Australia.
Commenting on the pack’s recyclability, Andrew Pooch says that Tetra Pak cartons are fully recy- clable and are increasingly being recycled in Australia.
“Australia has high access to recy- cling: over ninety per cent of house- holds can recycle cartons through kerbside recycling. Cartons are typically included into mixed paper bales before being sent for recy- cling,” Pooch says. “There are other uses also fully available in the region, such as chipboard and plastic wood, and we are working with all those options,” he adds.
In packaging converting terms, there is around a seventy per cent reduction in carbon emissions over the lifecycle compared to a standard plastic bottle based on US LCA studies.”
PACKED WITH PURPOSE
“We want to become the most promi- nent and recognised sustainable water in Australia by offering people an alternative to the default plastic packaging for water,” Laufer says. “We’ve been impressed by how receptive the market has been to the product, and by the support on the ground from Tetra Pak and Slades.”
Pooch says the company has found in co-packer Slades Beverages not only a nimble business partner prepared to take a chance on a new venture, but one that has embraced sustainability across every facet of its business, from energy use to waste management, and to the type of packaging machinery it will invest in going forward.
Despite the tangible excitement around the product, and projected volumes that could potentially exceed supply, Laufer says that he is not expecting overnight success in Australia. “There’s still a lot of consumer education needed around the fact that this is not just another bottled water. We’re getting support from the retailers on this front, and we’ll be getting behind an education drive ourselves.”
“Whichever way you look at it, mindset and behaviour change is what we need when it comes to plastic pollution. JUST is positioned as an incremental change product,” Laufer says, adding that there are other carton-based water packages available in the US.
“We welcome eco-friendly compe- tition, it drives awareness of the need for change, and grows the cate- gory,” Laufer says.
“What has worked for us is devel- oping strategic partnerships with retailers who understand the philosophy of our business – this has seen us double our business last year and we’re looking at tripling it this year.
“Expanding into Australia is a key step in our global mission to give people access to a truly ethical water brand which will play a role in re- ducing the amount of plastic in the world’s oceans,” Laufer concludes.
And who wouldn’t want to raise a carton to that? ■
“Beyond kerbside recycling, con- sumers can also recycle cartons under container deposit schemes, which sort cartons into their own stream. In Australia, deposit-refund systems to manage single-use con- tainers (including beverage cartons) have been mandated at state level.”
He adds, however, that since the China ban, there is an oversupply of mixed paper bales, less value in the market, and increasingly limited export channels for sorted bales.
“With the limited waste export channels and global over supply of recyclables, there is an urgent need to have more efficient collection systems and an onshore recycling facility,” he says.
“Tetra Pak has a number of proac- tive projects in place in Oceania to promote and increase recycling and, importantly, to develop an end-use market for the recycled material. In fact, in New Zealand, we are very close to announcing a project that will offer a fully circular solution.”
FACING PAGE, TOP RIGHT: JUST Water founder, actor and rapper Jaden Smith, visited Australia for the launch. He is pictured here with Andrew Pooch, MD of Tetra Pak Oceania.
Taking the leap: The Tan brothers, Ben, George and William, are co-directors of Victorian company Slades Beverages.


































































































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