Successful sustainable business practices and practitioners were celebrated at the 2016 Australian Packaging Covenant Awards gala dinner in Sydney on 24 August.
These awards signal a new direction for the Australian Packaging Covenant (APC), which is working closely with governments and industry to finalise a more collaborative, targeted and relevant Covenant for 2017.
Representatives from Australia's high performing signatory companies attended in anticipation of the announcement of this year's winners across ten core categories: food & beverage; hardware & homewares; communications & electronics; clothing, footwear & fashion; retailer; shipping & transport; tobacco; quick service retail; packaging manufacturer; and pharmaceutical & personal care.
According to APC CEO Trish Hyde, signatories that perform well are those who actively seek change... "they take a positive approach – one that focuses on the material issues for the business and the environmental impacts they can influence".
Speaking at the ceremony, Hyde said, “The APC Awards are a critical part in the journey of our transformation. They are recognising not just excellence, but the best of the best among industry. The future of the APC will be to embrace collaboration across the supply chain – as demonstrated by these award winners – to support our members, while delivering real environmental benefits.”
As a new initiative, the APC introduced three new special awards this year to recognise Outstanding Achievement in Design (won by Cerebos), Outstanding Achievement in Recycling (won by Unilever) and Outstanding Achievement in Product Stewardship (won by Australia Post). And the grand winner – the 2106 APC Signatory of the Year – was healthcare company Blackmores, achieving this prestigious accolade for “its near perfect score in all areas of packaging sustainability and for demonstrating outstanding commitment to design and innovation”.
