Page 8 - Packaging News magazine November-December 2022

NEWS
Sustainable packaging progress lauded
THE AUSTRALIAN BUSINESSES lead- ing the way in sustainable packaging design and innovation were celebrated at the Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation’s (APCO) Annual Awards evening in November. The Arnott’s Group took out the top industry prize, and Fonterra’s Sarah Baylis was awarded Sustainability Champion of the Year.
More than 180 guests from the packaging and recycling indus- try came together to celebrate the outstanding work of the 28 award-winning organisations over the last 12 months. The awards were given to organisations repre- senting a broad range of sectors, including agriculture and nurser- ies, electronics, healthcare and scientific, and manufacturing.
APCO says its Annual Awards “recognise businesses that have gone above and beyond to implement best practice approaches to sustain- able packaging design, demonstrate industry leadership, and a commit- ment to sustainability education”.
The finalists and winners were selected based on their perfor- mance in sustainable packaging design, recycling initiatives, and
product stewardship programs to develop sustainable supply chains. This year’s event also included several new awards dedicated to the small businesses championing
sustainable packaging.
“Each and every one of the
award winners and finalists have demonstrated excellence in, and an incredible commitment to, sustainable packaging innova- tion, design and leadership,” said Chris Foley, APCO’s CEO.
“It’s heartening to see the prog- ress that Australian industry is making, with more and more businesses choosing to lead and champion change.”
The Arnott’s Group took
home the evening’s top prize, the Sustainable Packaging Excellence Award, for establishing a sustainable packaging strategy that addresses the Sustainable Packaging Guidelines, incorpo- rating initiatives across the entire packaging value chain from design, production and use of packaging, through to disposal, recovery and the use of recycled material.
The Arnott’s Group has suc- cessfully reduced the weight of its packaging, incorporated recycled content, and has com- menced transitioning its soft plastic packaging from multi-layer films to a 100 per cent recyclable mono-layer film. The company
ANEW EDUCATION CAMPAIGN, which has received grant fund- ing from government, has been launched to raise awareness among small businesses about the bene- fits of adopting the Australasian Recycling Label (ARL) and taking action to improve the sustainability of their packaging.
The campaign will be deliv- ered by the Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation (APCO), the National Retail Association (NRA), the Australian Institute of Packaging (AIP), and the Australian Food and Grocery Council (AFGC).
The education campaign seeks to educate 20,000 small businesses about the benefits of using the ARL on-pack, and is the first part of a series of initiatives under the SME ARL Program.
Left: (l-r) APCO’s chair Sam Andersen, Alberto Peixeiro and Emmeline Yongsiri from the Arnott’s Group, and APCO’s CEO Chris Foley.
Below: APCO’s Annual Awards trophies are made from 100% post-consumer recycled content.
announced in October it will achieve the APCO 2025 targets by as early as 2023.
Other award recipients included Sarah Baylis, packaging innova- tion manager at Fonterra Brands, recognised with the coveted Sustainability Champion Award.
Baylis took home the eve- ning’s standout individual prize in recognition of her leadership of the New Zealand Australasian Recycling Label (ARL) imple- mentation programme for the New Zealand Food and Grocery Council (NZFGC) and APCO.
The full list of 2022 APCO win- ners is available at packagingnew. com.au ■
“We understand that sustain- ability is an important issue for small businesses, but with so many competing priorities, get- ting started can be difficult,” said Chris Foley, CEO of APCO.
“These organisations play an important role in the Australian business community. By helping them get the ARL on-pack and start working towards the 2025 National Packaging Targets, this campaign can provide a powerful step forward in Australia’s collective journey towards a more sustainable and cir- cular packaging future,” Foley said.
SMEs will receive access to a range of free educational tools, resources and events designed to cut through confusion and empower them to take action to improve the sustainability of their packaging, and also become ARL adopters. ■
WWW.PACKAGINGNEWS.COM.AU
New ARL campaign targets small business
Above: The new education campaign aims to assist SMEs to adopt the ARL on their packaging. 8 ❙ NOVEMBER – DECEMBER 2022