Opal Packaging Plus has partnered with Australian packaging technology company Phantm to develop what the businesses describe as a future-ready packaging data asset designed to strengthen reporting and compliance through improved packaging data management.
Opal Packaging Plus is a division of Opal, one of Australia and New Zealand’s largest recycling, paper and packaging businesses. Through Phantm’s packaging intelligence platform, the company is building an enterprise-wide view of the materials, formats, mass and performance of its packaging supplies.
The move comes as Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) regulations expand globally and accountability for packaging placed on market intensifies. According to the companies, deeper data visibility will enable Opal Packaging Plus and its customers to better navigate material complexity and evolving compliance requirements.
By investing early in structured packaging data, Opal Packaging Plus is positioning itself to deliver more robust customer and regulatory reporting, respond to shifting market expectations, and identify opportunities to reduce waste and improve packaging circularity.
Elliot Costello, CEO of Phantm, said the partnership reflects the direction of the industry.
“As an Australian technology company, we’re proud to be working with Opal Packaging Plus to build a packaging data asset that reflects where the industry is heading,” he said. “This partnership shows what’s possible when leading Australian businesses invest in local technology and talent to create world-class solutions with global relevance.”
Phantm’s platform brings together diverse inputs – including PDFs, specifications and images from internal teams and suppliers – and uses artificial intelligence to validate information, improve accuracy and fill data gaps. The AI-enabled enrichment is designed to accelerate insights and create long-term data assets that can be reused and repurposed as regulatory and market expectations evolve.
Expanding on the broader market context, Costello told PKN that data maturity across Australian packaging supply chains remains uneven.
“It varies by sector, but the pattern is consistent. Many brand owners have started capturing high-level packaging data, yet they often lack confidence in its accuracy. Others have strong product data but limited visibility of how goods are shipped, packed, and presented to consumers. The biggest gap is connecting product, packaging, and ‘placed on market’ data end-to-end, and when that connection is made, it becomes a major unlock for compliance, cost, and decision-making.”
Phantm reports growing interest from SMEs seeking to capture, structure and report packaging data across increasingly complex supply chains, suggesting that demand for structured packaging intelligence is not limited to large enterprises.
Costello said smaller businesses often perceive structured packaging data systems as resource-intensive.
“The barrier to adopting structured packaging data systems is often perceived rather than real. They need technology and a practical workflow that reduces the burden,” he said. “We focus on helping businesses start with what they already have, then rapidly improve it through supplier outreach, correction and validation. People naturally prefer refining something rather than starting from zero, so we use that psychology to accelerate collection. The result is a trusted data asset that can then be scaled with automation and AI over time.”
Matthew Maude, GM of Opal Packaging Plus, said the business was “excited to partner with a forward-thinking Australian tech company and drive innovation”.
“This partnership will help support Opal Packaging Plus’ extensive packaging solutions in market by leveraging our product data to provide comprehensive information for our customers and support our regulatory reporting requirements,” Maude said, noting that regulatory frameworks played a key role in the timing of the investment. These included obligations associated with the Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation and the National Packaging Targets, as well as greenhouse gas reporting requirements, including Scope 3 emissions.
Access to more granular packaging data, he said, will strengthen Opal Packaging Plus’ ability to meet its own reporting capability while supporting customers facing similar compliance pressures.
Looking ahead, Maude said the immediate value for customers will centre on compliance support.
“The tangible benefits for customers will be assisting them to meet their reporting obligations,” he said.
Ed's note: My top takeaway: packaging data is fast becoming a strategic capability, not an administrative task. With APCO reporting, National Packaging Targets, Scope 3 emissions and broader EPR pressures tightening, the days of approximate packaging data are numbered. Brands and suppliers alike will need defensible, granular information about what they place on market and how it performs. In the next phase of circularity, competitive advantage won’t rest on materials alone, but on the quality of the data behind them.
