The concepts of 'collection' and 'creation' have come together in a new brand identity for fast-expanding packaging and resource recovery and recycling operation Close the Loop, which has positioned itself as a circular economy leader operating in four major global regions.
Since O F Packaging and Close the Loop merged in December of 2021, and subsequently listed on the ASX, the company has continued to innovate across the packaging and resource recovery /recycling sectors, and expanded its operations across four diverse global regions – the US, Europe, Australia, and South Africa.
The merged entity is taking another bold step forward with the launch of its new, invigorated brand. Drawing on the distinctive strengths and experiences of the 16 individual businesses and brands currently part of the overall group, it is transitioning these individual identities to operate under the Close the Loop name moving forward, including the packaging business O F Packaging itself.
CEO Joe Foster says, “This is more than just a visual upgrade; it is a commitment to uniting our teams, businesses, and offerings under a cohesive and powerful identity as one global team.”
The updated brand mark will start rolling out in the market from July. Foster says it embodies the “bold and passionate energy” that defines Close the Loop and has been designed to represent the journey of the business to this point, as well as provide an outlook to its exciting future.
Foster emphasises that Close the Loop is not just a brand, “it’s a philosophy and a strategy to streamline the group’s operations” and present a unified front to its customers, partners, investors and its dedicated team.
“For Close the Loop teams, the work they do to create better packaging products for brand owners while collecting, sorting and recycling difficult product streams may be messy and complex, but the ethos is simple – their name is their mission,” Foster says. “They look to continue the great work they are already achieving in their industries while expanding their sustainability-focused offerings to develop even greater pathways for clients towards a circular economy, a closed loop material chain.”
The loop symbol integrated in the new brand represents the two key segments in which the business operates, with one side representing collection, and the other representing creation. The group tagline will be “collecting today, creating tomorrow”.
Collect denotes the recycling and recovery businesses, while Create covers the packaging (retail and bulk handling/commercial), remanufactured products (electronics/tech), and recycled content products such as those produced by the newly installed TonerPlas line.
The colours chosen by Close the Loop reflect the history of the individual businesses, while also linking to the environment and innovation, symbolising the ongoing evolution of the business and the people that work in it.
“As we developed our new brand, we recognised that our values needed to truly reflect the spirit and ethos of our teams while showing the areas in which we operate. Our values are not prescriptive mandates handed down from above; rather, they are a representation of the qualities and principles that emerged from our teams during branding workshops,” Foster says.
Close the Loop identified the common threads that bind its diverse teams and services together and have used these innate qualities already embodied by the overall business as a foundation to their brand invigoration.
“Our values are a testament to who we are and what we stand for. They reflect our commitment to innovation, our drive for excellence, and our unwavering dedication to sustainability and community,” Foster concludes.
Close the Loop, O F Packaging, and the other businesses will all transition to the new Close the Loop brand in the coming months, however, in their day to day, it is business as usual – with a reinvigorated drive for continual evolution, innovation, and growth for themselves and their partners.
