Page 62 - Packaging News magazine November-December 2022

HEADLINE MAKERS
APCO releases national PFAS action plan
PATHWAY TO PHASE-OUT
The Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation (APCO) has published its
action plan for phasing out PFAS (per-
and poly-fluoroalkyl substances) in fibre-based food contact packaging.
The National PFAS Position Statement outlines a national, industry-led approach
to phasing out PFAS by 31 December 2023, agreed to by all Australian governments, who are committed to oversee the phase-out.
The action plan is based on the 2021 APCO- led and Planet Ark supported study, PFAS
in Fibre-based Packaging, and is designed
to support businesses to identify PFAS in fibre-based food contact packaging, and a pathway to phase it out. It
supports the the achievement
of the 2025 National Packaging Targets.
The properties of PFAS make it useful for a range of applications, including some food contact packaging. When used in compostable packaging, however, PFAS poses specific challenges
to organic waste streams.
APCO says the action plan will help ensure that the presence of PFAS does
not become a barrier to realising the potential of compostable food contact packaging to
support the greater recovery of food waste. It includes a
guide on how to test for total organic fluorine (TOF), an outline of how to report on
the PFAS present in fibre-based food contact packaging,
and considerations for selecting alternatives.
Clockwise from top:
Arnott’s to meet packaging targets early; Orora’s glass beneficiation plant now open; cardboard manufacture in Qld boosted by Visy’s investment.
advanced recycling technology to source soft plastic packaging that con- tains recycled content.
4PRO-PAC IN LOSS FOR YEAR, RIGHTS ISSUE TAKEN UP
As institutional investors gave a thumbs up to its rights issue, Pro-Pac revealed it suffered a $25.9 NPAT loss in the 2021/22 financial year, on sales that rose by 8% to $403.9m.
5ARNOTT’S TO MEET 2025 TARGETS TWO YEARS EARLY Arnott’s is on track to meet the 2025 National Packaging Targets by 2023, two years ahead of schedule, with raft of initiatives driving its sustainable pack- aging progress.
6ORORA BEGINS OPERATIONS
AT $25M GLASS
BENEFICIATION PLANT
After about a year of construction, the new Orora glass beneficiation plant
in South Australia has finally begun operations, with the $25m facility set to recycle 150,000 tonnes of post-con- sumer glass each year, which will go into the company’s glass manufactur- ing plant next door.
7
Visy’s $150m corrugated card- board box manufacturing plant in Queensland, part of the packaging and recycling giant’s $700m investment in manufacturing facilities in the state, has been approved by Brisbane City Council. The addition of the new facil- ity will boost Visy’s supply capability in the region.
84-BIN ROLL OUT BEGINS IN VICTORIA
Victoria has begun its 4-bin waste and recycling system roll-out, with the first purple bins for glass collection being delivered to households. The
VISY’S QUEENSLAND BOX
FACTORY GETS GREEN LIGHT
62 ❙ NOVEMBER – DECEMBER 2022
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