Page 50 - Packaging News Magazine Nov-Dec2020

50 DECADES IN REVIEW | PKN 60 YEARS SPECIAL
Environment to the fore
‘Reduce, reuse, recycle’ becomes the mantra of the decade as companies step up their enviro-friendly activities. The battle between different packaging materials continues apace and although plastic has strengthened its foothold, there are growing concerns over its environmental impact.
1990
◆ The Victorian government proposes a ‘green spot’ ecological labelling scheme, which causes controversy because it’s ini- tially developed without consulting the packaging industry.
◆ ACI Glass Packaging is chosen to commer- cially develop a new ultra-light glass bottle. Australia becomes the test market for the streamlined stubby.
◆ Amcor’s international buying spree con- tinues, with the purchase of 49 per cent interest in French packaging group SA-COC, producer of corrugated sheet and boxes. This follows its earlier purchase of US-based paper packaging company Sunclipse.
◆ Australia’s leading company in stretch film, Integrated Packaging, introduces its new machinery division.
◆ Aussie aluminium can recycling sets a record by operating the world’s most suc- cessful voluntary recycling scheme.
1991
◆ The use of recycled HDPE plastic in bot- tle-to-bottle programmes is predicted to be a key factor in demonstrating plastic can be an environmentally friendly material.
1993
◆ Cussons Australia removes the inner wrap of its Imperial Leather soap following consumer concerns for the environmental impact of discarded packaging.
between an inner and outer layer of virgin PET in the container wall. Coca-Cola is the first company in Australia to adopt the technology.
◆ Smorgon Plastics is on a roll. Following Coca-Cola’s announced shift away from 500ml glass and subsequent use of PET, the company will supply Coke with a new size 500ml ‘contour’ PET bottle. ◆ A further innovation in
steel design has been introduced to the Australian market by Gadsden Rheem’s Food Can Division. Referred to as the ‘necked-in’ can, the new design offers greater shelf secu- rity in a fully stackable steel can.
◆ Amcor announces plans to build its first corrugated box plant in China.
◆ Amcor’s can division Containers Packaging and Queensland’s major brewing companies join forces to aggressively market the use of aluminium cans instead of glass, spending $1.8 million on advertising and promotions aimed at the hotel industry.
1994
◆ The early ‘90s sees a decline in growth in the packaging industry, in line with a decline in consumption expenditure in the domestic market. Export markets are also shrinking as SE Asian companies increase their own packaging manufacturing capacity.
GETTING AGRO
OVER RECYCLING
Cartoon character Agro
is introduced to
promote a milk and
juice recycling program
nationwide. Carton
Manufacturers
Association executive
director Gerard Van
Rijswijk says: “Agro is
very Australian and we want families to realise they will be helping the Australian environment by participating in the recycling schemes.”
◆ Tetra Pak celebrates the 40th anniversary of a packaging concept which sparked a rev- olution in liquid food packaging around the world.
◆ Paper recycling takes another giant step
forward when Pratt Industries and the
Victorian government jointly announce
plans to build a $50 million de-inking and
recycling paper mill at Pratt’s plant in sives industry. The labels offer Coolaroo, VIC. high data accuracy, throughput ◆ ICI Plastics Australia launches ReVinyl, and productivity.
the world’s first recycled vinyl bottle. ◆ Gavin Williams takes over from ◆ ACI Petalite opens the largest plastics the long-serving Tony O’Brien as recycling plant in the southern hemisphere CEO of the Packaging Council of at Wodonga with the aim of recycling more Australia. Williams remained at than 60 million PET bottles – or 10 per cent the helm until 2015, two years national consumption – annually. before the PCA was absorbed by
1992
the PIAA (now PVCA).
◆ ACI Petalite announces a world first in PET recycling technology
◆ With65percentofAustralianhouseholds enablingtheuseofpost-consumer
now owning microwave ovens, the adoption plastics in the production of food
of shelf stable, ready-to-eat microwaveable and beverage containers. The Repete
packs is expected to escalate during the system involves a process that lami- 1990s. nates post-consumer recycled PET plastic
◆ CSIRO develops a new modified atmo- sphere packaging (MAP) film aimed at post- harvest life extension for large-scale crops exported to significant markets.
◆ Amcor continues to expand off-shore, turn- ing its attention to South East and North Asia. At home, Amcor buys flexible and folding carton specialist Leigh Mardon for $273 mil- lion, gaining an immediate 65 per cent mar- ket share of snacks and confectionery wraps.
◆ Barcode labels is the fastest growing segment of the self-adhe-
90s
Multipacks
become even bigger in the 1990s.
www.packagingnews.com.au | November–December 2020