It was a night to remember for the large contingent of Australasia's packaging professionals who gathered at a gala dinner in Sydney on 16 August to witness the annual PIDA awards presentation, recognising companies and individuals who have excelled in their respective fields.

The 2024 AIP President Award of a Diploma in Packaging Technology Scholarship was presented to Camilo Serrano, packaging engineer at Don KRC.

The PIDA 2024 Packaging Technologist Gold winner is Nicholas Campbell, general manager operations & technical at Wellman Packaging, described as a "truly impressive" individual.

The PIDA 2024 Industry Packaging Professional of the Year Award winner is Bryan McKay, head of packaging, Woolworths Group, recognised for his contribution to driving sustainable change.

APCO has published its 2030 Strategic Plan, challenging the status quo with a new fee model designed to overcome economic barriers that have hindered progress towards national packaging targets.

Winners of the ABA Scholarships: Manpreet Kaur Grewal, product technologist at MSAC Solutions; and Angela Hanson, packaging technologist at Tip Top.

The PIDA 2024 Young Packaging Professional of the Year Award winner is Dr Ruby Chan, project researcher, RMIT University, recognising her research on packaging to reduce fresh produce waste.

The world’s biggest consumer goods packaging business, Amcor, saw sales revenue drop by 7 per cent in FY24, but growth returned in the final quarter, which the company expects to continue in the new year.

Pact Group achieved earnings growth in the financial year to June, with underlying EBIT up by 6.4 per cent to $154.6m, from $145.3m in the previous corresponding period.

EBIT rose by 26 per cent at Orora for FY24, in what it says was a ‘transformative’ year, on sales which were up by 9.5 per cent. However, on a like-for-like basis, revenue excluding Saverglass was down by seven per cent. The share price, meanwhile, has escalated as it fends off an ‘opportunistic’ buyer, and outlines its intention to focus on its beverage business.

A new warmfill bottling line to be installed at Coca-Cola Europacific Partners’ Moorabbin, Victoria plant marks the biggest single investment in the company’s manufacturing network.

Pact Group has appeared before the House Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Resources during a public hearing on 7 August in the Parliament of Victoria, with Pact chairman Raphael Geminder speaking out on the challenges packaging recyclers are facing and making a strong call for government to speed up the pace of legislative change.

New Zealand-based Mushroom Material, a start-up replacing Styrofoam with what it calls a world-first pelletised fungi packaging, has secured NZ$8.5 million in seed funding to build its pilot plant.

Pact Group has developed AgriG8, Australia’s first recycled plastic agricultural chemical container, which will play a key role in the new circular Drums-to-Drums initiative, driven in partnership by Pact, CropLife, and AgSafe.

An advanced mechanical recycling facility, purpose-built for processing post-consumer soft plastic, has officially opened in NSW, with capacity to process 15,000 tonnes of material annually.

PKN’s latest issue for 2024, with its striking cover showcasing advanced print finishing techniques, is hitting desks and available in digital format online, full of the latest news and in-depth features.