PKN presents Pack Chat from foodpro, proudly supported by Heat and Control, bringing you packaging innovations that caught our eye on day four of the show.
Watch the video here:
SUMMARY TRANSCRIPT: Over the past four days we've looked at new materials, smarter machinery and digital technologies. But one message has tied everything together – the best packaging innovation doesn't happen in isolation. It happens when companies, researchers and industry partners work together to solve shared challenges.
And nowhere was that more evident than in today's official launch of the new Food & Beverage SME Packaging and Machinery Solution Centre.
Created through a collaboration between industry, research and education partners, the centre has been established to help small and medium-sized food manufacturers test new packaging, processing and machinery solutions before making major investment decisions.
Through matched funding and access to a network of research laboratories around Australia, SMEs will be able to assess everything from packaging functionality and shelf life to environmental performance, giving them the information they need to make better commercial decisions.
That same spirit of collaboration was reflected in last night's Australasian Packaging Innovation & Design Awards.
One of the standout winners for me was Bonson Packaging's RePlay Returnables system.
At first glance it looks like a reusable takeaway container, but there's a lot of smart design behind it. It's injection moulded from food-grade polypropylene, features a leak-resistant lid designed to give users confidence it's properly sealed, and incorporates a durable in-mould label supplied by MCC – a technology we featured in our first Pack Chat.Every container also carries its own unique QR code, allowing it to be tracked through the borrow-and-return cycle. It's a great example of thoughtful package design supporting a circular business model.
Another award winner that really impressed me was the Milk Bottle Recycling System, developed by Popit Recycling, Martogg and Procal Dairies.
The system enables dairy processors to take back post-consumer HDPE milk bottles from their foodservice customers in the original delivery crates, recycle the material on site and put it back into productive use. That reduces handling and transport costs, improves traceability and helps keep valuable HDPE circulating in Australia's manufacturing economy instead of becoming waste.
The final PIDA winner I wanted to highlight is the Smart Circular Satchel, developed by Australia Post together with iQRenew, RollsPack and Signet.
This Australian-first project creates a fully domestic circular supply chain for household soft plastics. Recovered material is processed into recycled resin, manufactured into new satchels here in Australia and designed to be recovered and recycled again. At a time when rebuilding confidence in soft plastics recycling is such an important issue, it's a great example of collaboration delivering practical circular economy outcomes.
Looking back over four days at foodpro, the strongest innovations I've seen aren't solving just one problem. They're reducing waste, improving functionality, supporting circularity and bringing different parts of the supply chain together.
That feels like a fitting way to wrap up this year's show.
Thanks for joining me for Pack Chat from foodpro 2026.
Thanks once again to our sponsor, Heat and Control. Whatever you want to make, Heat and Control will make it happen – proudly supporting the conversations and innovation shaping the future of food processing and packaging.
