Page 3 - Packaging News Magazine Jan-Feb 21

January-February 2021 | www.packagingnews.com.au COMMENT | MANAGING EDITOR 3 Leap into action
LIKE many of you, at the tired end of the strange and terrible year that was 2020, I was looking forward to fast tracking to 2021 and the fresh start it promised to bring. But hardly had the holiday break begun than a new set of lockdowns and border closures were announced, and the uncomfortable realisation dawned that the much-longed-for shiny new year was in fact going to be more akin to Groundhog Day. Uncertainty would be the only certainty, and staying afloat – never mind getting ahead – would take an extra-strong dose of perseverance and resolve.
Tempted as I was to apply ‘extra- strong dose’ to my summer cocktail and slip into the alluring abyss of despondency, ‘twas not to be. The cicada serenade in my backyard was interrupted by my phone ringing, not once but thrice (!), with news from packaging companies that they couldn’t wait to share and wanted PKN to be the first to know. News of bold moves, of big action.
And there it was – the heady elixir of optimism that I was looking for, delivered out of the blue and without a hangover. In my world at least, in
that moment, I felt everything was going to be okay.
It still is, dear reader. You need only flip through the pages of this issue – so strongly focused on sus- tainability, probably the biggest trend in packaging as we move into 2021 – to see that here is an industry that is backing itself, that has heard the call to action and is making the move, nay the leap, towards true circularity.
There’s a contagious, positive energy pulsing through the packag- ing supply chain, its catalyst the 2025 National Packaging Targets. It has reached end-users too, with brand owners setting ambitious tar- gets and investing in innovation in line with a sustainable, and circu- lar, future.
Starting on page 20, with a deep dive into the Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation’s recent report on the industry’s progress towards the 2025 targets, the pages are filled with story after story of audacious goals, noble achievements and investments big and small. The stuff of goosebumps.
And that’s not all. Too late to make the print pages for this issue, but noteworthy for this last-minute mis- sive, the ANZ packaging industry has once again done itself proud on the world stage, with ten companies taking home 13 WorldStar 2021 awards, and the region placing 4th in the country line-up. A special shout out to Australia’s Planet Protector Packaging who scored a hattrick, with wins in three catego- ries. And for this feisty champion of sustainable packaging, that tops off a record year of making PKN head- lines for a seemingly non-stop stream of accolades and awards.
So, as we move boldly into 2021, armed with enthusiasm and buoyed by victories large and small, the one sure thing we know is the packaging industry is compelled to move for- ward. And PKN will be right beside you, reporting on the progress as it’s made in leaps and bounds. ■
Lindy Hughson
Managing Editor & Publisher
MANAGING EDITOR
Lindy Hughson (02) 9213 8239 lindyhughson@yaffa.com.au
EDITOR
Ian Ackerman (02) 9213 8227 ianackerman@yaffa.com.au
ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Wayne Robinson waynerobinson@yaffa.com.au
JOURNALIST
Doris Prodanovic dorisprodanovic@yaffa.com.au
NATIONAL SALES MANAGER
Sharon Amos
0417 072 625 sharonamos@yaffa.com.au
ADVERTISING PRODUCTION
Luke Buckley (02) 9213 8216 lukebuckley@yaffa.com.au
SUBSCRIPTIONS WWW.GREATMAGAZINES.COM.AU CALL: 1800 807 760
EMAIL: SUBSCRIPTIONS@ YAFFA.COM.AU
SUBSCRIPTION RATES
1 year $77.00
1 year (overseas)
NZ A$90 ASIA A$105 ROW A$140
PUBLISHER
Lindy Hughson
CUSTOMER SERVICE MANAGER
Martin Phillpott
MARKETING MANAGER
Lucy Yaffa
PRODUCTION DIRECTOR
Matthew Gunn
ART DIRECTOR
Ana Maria Heraud
STUDIO MANAGER
Lauren Esdaile
DESIGNER
Lauren Esdaile
ISSN 0048-2676.
Member Circulations Audit Board.
PACKAGING NEWS
is published by Yaffa Media Pty. Ltd. ABN 54 002 699 354
17-21 Bellevue Street,
Surry Hills, NSW 2010.
Tel: (02) 9281 2333
Fax: (02) 9281 2750
All mail to:
GPO Box 606 Sydney 2001.
...here is an industry that is backing itself, that has heard the call to action and is making the move, nay the leap, towards true circularity.”