We bring you the top 20 clicks on our website this year, as per Google Analytics.
You can read our in-depth take on the year that was here, or listen to the podcast wrap up here.
1. Pro-Pac Packaging enters VA, buyer sought
Beleagured flexibles and industrial specialty packaging company, ASX-listed Pro-Pac Packaging Group (PPG), has appointed partners from McGrathNichol Restructuring as voluntary administrators, as a buyer is sought for all or parts of the business.
The administrators for PPG's Australian entities are Keith Crawford and Rob Smith, and for New Zealand entities, Andrew Grenfell and Kare Johnston.
https://www.packagingnews.com.au/latest/pro-pac-packaging-enters-va-buyer-sought
2. APCO shifts timeline on EPR: Here’s why
In a decisive development for Australia’s packaging value chain, the Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation (APCO) has confirmed it will not introduce the proposed Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) fee model in FY27. The decision follows months of structured consultation with nearly 220 members and key stakeholders across the industry, and reflects widespread calls for more regulatory clarity, governance rigour, and sector-specific nuance.
While industry remains firmly behind the intent of EPR, APCO CEO Chris Foley said it was clear the proposed model needed more time and refinement to be fit-for-purpose. “We heard you,” Foley said in a letter to members. “As a result of your feedback, we can confirm that we will not introduce an EPR fee model in FY27. While our commitment to delivering an EPR model that works has not wavered, we appreciate that this will take more time.”
https://www.packagingnews.com.au/latest/apco-shifts-timeline-on-epr-here-s-why
3. Opal's Maryvale Mill in lockout
Opal’s Maryvale Mill is at the centre of a tense standoff between management and the CFMEU union over a deadlocked new enterprise agreement, with its 300 workers currently locked out of the facility.
Opal is seeking to redefine its enterprise agreement with staff, in light of the dramatic loss of production following the end of the log supply from VicForests a year ago, which resulted in the end of white paper manufacturing at Maryvale. Two of the five papermaking machines, M2 and M5, were decommissioned as a result of the loss of 200,000 tonnes of output, almost half its volume. Opal now only manufactures packaging grades at Maryvale.
https://www.packagingnews.com.au/latest/opal-s-maryvale-mill-in-lockout
4. PKN Women in Packaging 2025: Finalists announced
The PKN Women in Packaging Awards return for their second year, and once again, the calibre of entries has exceeded expectations. With a record number of submissions received for the 2025 programme, the depth and diversity of talent across Australia’s packaging value chain has been nothing short of extraordinary.
From sustainable packaging pioneers and manufacturing trailblazers to creative minds in design and communications, and technical experts in STEM, this year's finalists have demonstrated leadership, innovation and impact in their respective fields.
https://www.packagingnews.com.au/latest/pkn-women-in-packaging-2025-finalists-announced
5. Abbe Group acquires Oji Fibre Solutions’ Australian operations
PKN EXCLUSIVE: The Abbe Group, a privately owned corrugated cardboard packaging manufacturer, has acquired Oji Fibre Solutions’ Australian operations. The deal, for an undisclosed sum, marks a major expansion for Abbe, which has been operating as a family business for over 35 years.
Speaking to PKN, Abbe Group sales and marketing director Daniel O’Sullivan said the decision was driven by a desire to expand their operational footprint across the eastern seaboard and enhance customer service, particularly during peak demand periods. Daniel with his two brothers, Anthony (managing director) and Chris (customer experience director) started working in the business from the ground up. “Our value proposition has always been about service, quality and speed to market,” O’Sullivan said. “By adding these additional facilities, we can better meet our customers’ needs and strengthen our offering across the country.”
6. PIDA 2025: Meet the leading contenders
The judging is over and the results are in... finalists for the 2025 round of the annual Australasian Packaging Innovation & Design (PIDA) Awards have been revealed with a high number of innovative designs recognised across multiple categories – the most in Food and Sustainability.
https://www.packagingnews.com.au/latest/pida-2025-meet-the-leading-contenders
7. Great Wrap enters administration with AU$39m debt
Melbourne-based sustainable packaging company Great Wrap has entered voluntary administration with debts of about AU$39 million, following years of financial losses and shifting market conditions.
Founded in 2019 by husband-and-wife team Jordy and Julia Kay, Great Wrap developed compostable cling wrap, catering wrap and pallet wrap made from food waste and plant-based polymers. It was the only Australian manufacturer producing compostable stretch wrap for both household and commercial use.
https://www.packagingnews.com.au/latest/great-wrap-enters-administration-with-au-39m-debt
8. New partnership to “revolutionise” hard-to-recycle plastics
APR Plastics, Aster Chemicals and Energy, Taghleef Industries Group and Pro-Pac Group have begun a strategic partnership which aims at “revolutionising the recycling of hard-to-recycle soft plastics”.
This value chain collaboration is set to transform the Australian recycling landscape, leveraging advanced recycling technologies to convert multi-layer soft plastic waste back into food grade packaging film products.
https://www.packagingnews.com.au/latest/new-partnership-to-revolutionise-hard-to-recycle-plastics
9. Planet Ark enters voluntary administration
Planet Ark Environmental Foundation, a leading Australian environmental not-for-profit, has entered voluntary administration following a review of its financial position and future viability. The move opens the door for restructuring to secure the future of the organisation’s sustainability mission.
The organisation’s Board made the decision in light of ongoing funding challenges, compounded by the economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic and reduced stakeholder support. Voluntary administrators Michael Jones and Bruce Gleeson of Jones Partners Insolvency & Restructuring have been appointed to oversee the process.
https://www.packagingnews.com.au/latest/planet-ark-enters-voluntary-administration
10. XXXX cans celebrate Qld's triple sporting triumph
Lion's XXXX packaging has once again captured the spirit of Queensland’s sporting triumphs, unveiling a new series of limited-edition cans celebrating the Brisbane Broncos’ landmark premiership win and the Brisbane Lions’ consecutive AFL victory in 2025.
Designed in-house at Lion, the commemorative cans express what Damon Thompson, Lion partnerships manager, calls “pure Queensland pride and that electric feeling when our teams bring the trophy home”.
https://www.packagingnews.com.au/beverage/xxxx-cans-celebrate-qld-s-triple-sporting-triumph
11. Suntory Oceania opens smart, sustainable beverage hub
Packaging is at the heart of Suntory’s bold new chapter in Australia, marked by the opening of its $400 million beverage production facility in Swanbank, Queensland – a site purpose-built to deliver high-speed, high-efficiency bottling, canning and kegging through world-class packaging technology and sustainable design.
Unveiled alongside the official launch of Suntory Oceania – the newly formed $3 billion multi-beverage business combining Frucor Suntory and Beam Suntory – the facility represents a major leap forward in local beverage manufacturing. With cutting-edge lines from Krones and KHS, smart automation, and carbon-neutral operations powered by solar, biomass and waste heat recovery, the site is designed to set new benchmarks in packaging innovation, flexibility and circularity.
https://www.packagingnews.com.au/latest/suntory-oceania-opens-smart-sustainable-beverage-hub
12. PIDA 2025 Sustainable Packaging
The Sustainable Packaging Design Special Award is designed to recognise companies that have developed innovative packaging solutions that incorporates sustainability considerations.
Elements would include social, material, source reduction, energy and recovery. The award also considers all environmental impacts across the pack including meeting the 2025 National Packaging Targets, embedding the Australasian Recycling Label on pack, adhering to as many of the Sustainable Packaging Design Guidelines as possible, among many others.
https://www.packagingnews.com.au/sustainability/pida-2025-sustainable-packaging
13. Orora dials up innovation with direct-to-can decoration
The first cans to be printed on Orora’s new high-speed digital direct-to-can printing system, Helio, rolled off the line at the canmaker’s Dandenong facility in Victoria this week, marking a milestone not only for the company but for the region’s packaging sector. PKN was among the media contingent present.
The Helio system – built around Velox IDS-NC 500 technology – is the first of its kind to be installed in the southern hemisphere, and according to Orora, it also makes the company the first canmaker globally to integrate this type of press directly into a can manufacturing line.
https://www.packagingnews.com.au/latest/orora-dials-up-innovation-with-direct-to-can-decoration
14. Close the Loop P/E takeover deal topples
The proposed $143m takeover of zero-waste recycler Close the Loop Group by Sydney-based private equity group Adamantem Capital has been terminated.
According to Close the Loop, the Indicative Proposal “involved considerable complexity, and the parties were unable to reach alignment on the commercial terms by which a successful transaction could be agreed and executed”.
https://www.packagingnews.com.au/latest/close-the-loop-p/e-takeover-deal-topples
15. Zipform pioneers scalable, recyclable paper bottle
PKN EXCLUSIVE: In a groundbreaking development, Australian-based Zipform Packaging has launched a paper bottle made from over 95 per cent wood-based fibre, containing no plastic liner, and incorporating more than 50 per cent post-consumer recycled content.
For decades, the packaging industry has been on a quest to develop a truly sustainable alternative to plastic bottles – one that is functional, scalable, and recyclable. While many have tried, few have successfully overcome the technical and commercial challenges involved.
https://www.packagingnews.com.au/latest/zipform-pioneers-scalable-recyclable-paper-bottle
16. Pact to delist from ASX next week
Pact Group will delist from the ASX on Wednesday 16 July, the move being the culmination of executive chair and owner Raphael Geminder’s near two-year bid to take full control of the company.
Shareholders have until Monday (14 July) to sell their stock on the ASX, after which trading will be suspended until the delisting occurs. Geminder warned recalcitrant shareholders during his attempt to buy at least 90 per cent of the company’s shares that he would delist if he was unsuccessful.
https://www.packagingnews.com.au/latest/pact-to-delist-from-asx-next-week
17. iQRenew opens post-consumer soft plastic recycling plant
An advanced mechanical recycling facility, purpose-built for processing post-consumer soft plastic, has officially opened in NSW with capacity to process 15,000 tonnes of material annually, transforming the material into high-grade feedstock for multiple remanufacturing applications.
The new Soft Plastic Engineered Commodity (SPEC) plant, built and commissioned by iQRenew, is the culmination of four years of rigorous testing, trials, investment and innovation. Its official opening marks an important step forward in the Australia’s quest to find a solution to the post-consumer soft plastics recycling challenge that came into stark focus when REDcycle collapsed in November 2022.
https://www.packagingnews.com.au/latest/iqrenew-opens-post-consumer-soft-plastic-recycling-plant
18. Packaging design trends 2025: What's next for brands
Nick Seston, head of Creative Production at UK bespoke packaging design agency Think Tank, shares key packaging trends for 2025, and how brands can navigate where to invest to stay ahead this year.
https://www.packagingnews.com.au/design/packaging-design-trends-2025-what-s-next-for-brands
19. SPSA seeks green light to activate national soft plastics scheme
EXCLUSIVE: With an ACCC application now in motion, Soft Plastic Stewardship Australia is poised to unify industry efforts and build the foundation for a national soft plastics recycling system.
The long-awaited next step in solving Australia’s soft plastics crisis is underway, with Soft Plastic Stewardship Australia (SPSA) lodging an application to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) for interim and long-term authorisation to operate a national, industry-led recycling scheme.
20. ACCC backs national scheme to reboot Australia’s soft plastics recycling
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s (ACCC) Draft Determination to authorise Soft Plastics Stewardship Australia’s (SPSA) nationwide recycling scheme marks the most significant step yet in rebuilding the nation’s ability to recycle one of the hardest packaging formats in the waste stream.
For SPSA, the ACCC’s provisional green light is both a mandate and a motivator. It gives the independent, industry-led body the go-ahead to proceed with key establishment activities – from issuing a Request for Information (RFI) to potential service providers, to setting the initial levy that will fund the scheme. These measures will accelerate the shift from fragmented efforts to a coordinated, whole-of-supply-chain solution.
