The Save Food Packaging consortium, which includes the AIP as the project lead, RMIT as the research arm, and five packaging companies, has won the Collaboration category of the inaugural Food Waste Action Awards for its Save Food Packaging Criteria and Framework project.
Save Food Packaging is an industry-led consortium that brings together experts in the field, including SEE (formerly Sealed Air), Zipform Packaging, Multivac, Result Group and Plantic.
One of the objectives for this project was for the AIP to establish a voice for Save Food Packaging within the wider realm of sustainability and packaging design.
The AIP's objective was to start talking to the industry about getting the balance right between food waste and packaging waste when discussing environmental impacts of product and packaging.
The project, which is a part of the End Food Waste Cooperative Research Centre, has developed a world-first set of Save Food Packaging Design Criteria, which includes a resource booklet, criteria checklists, design icons, training modules, and academic papers.
The Save Food Packaging project resources provide training and education materials that will lead to better packaging design, material and format selection using appropriate portioning, sealability, resealability features, date labelling, extend shelf life, and provide the information required to assist retail, food service and consumers to minimise food waste.
The Save Food Packaging Design Criteria have been globally disseminated through workshops, industry tradeshows, sustainability events, and training modules presented by the AIP, and led by executive director Nerida Kelton.
Kelton said, "This project is just the start of the AIP continuing to be the subject matter experts in Save Food Packaging design, and raising the voice for such an important topic. The next step is for the AIP to help guide businesses into embedding the 5x Save Food Packaging Design principles into their own business."
The winner was announced at the National Food Waste Summit on 24 July.
