The Australian businesses leading the way in sustainable packaging design and innovation were celebrated at the Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation’s (APCO) Annual Awards evening, held last night. The Arnott's Group took out the top industry prize, and Fonterra's Sarah Baylis was awarded Sustainability Champion of the Year.
More than 180 guests from the packaging and recycling industry came together to celebrate the outstanding work of the 28 award-winning organisations over the last 12 months. The awards were presented to organisations representing a broad range of sectors, including agriculture and nurseries, electronics, healthcare and scientific, and manufacturing.
APCO says its Annual Awards "recognise businesses that have gone above and beyond to implement best practice approaches to sustainable packaging design, demonstrate industry leadership, and a commitment to sustainability education".
The finalists and winners were selected based on their performance in sustainable packaging design, recycling initiatives, and product stewardship programs to develop sustainable supply chains.
This year’s event also included several new awards dedicated to the small businesses championing sustainable packaging.
“Each and every one of the award winners and finalists have demonstrated excellence in, and an incredible commitment to, sustainable packaging innovation, design and leadership,” said Chris Foley, APCO’s CEO.
“It’s heartening to see the progress that Australian industry is making, with more and more businesses choosing to lead and champion change on this issue.”
The Arnott’s Group took home the evening’s top prize, the Sustainable Packaging Excellence Award, for establishing a sustainable packaging strategy that addresses the Sustainable Packaging Guidelines, incorporating initiatives across the entire packaging value chain from design, production and use of packaging, through to disposal, recovery and the use of recycled material.
The Arnott’s Group has successfully reduced the weight of its packaging, incorporated recycled content, and has commenced transitioning its soft plastic packaging from multi-layer films to a 100 per cent recyclable mono-layer film.
Baylis took home the evening’s standout individual prize in recognition of her leading the New Zealand Australasian Recycling Label (ARL) implementation programme for the New Zealand Food and Grocery Council (NZFGC) and APCO.
The other winners for the 2022 APCO Annual Awards include:
Outstanding Achievement Awards in:
- Recycled Content: Mars Australia
- Design and Procurement: Emeis Cosmetics
Our Packaging Future Awards in:
- Industry Education: Bunzl Limited
- Our Packaging Future Award in Consumer Education: Visy Industries Australia
- Improved Recycling Systems: Closed Loop Environmental Solutions
- End-Market: Grounded Packaging
Highest Performing Awards:
- New Member: Hilton Foods Australia
- New Members (SME): Australian Garlic Producers
Winners for the Industry Sector Awards and Industry Sector Awards (SME) were also announced during the morning of the APCO Annual Awards. For winners, click here.
