Labelmakers Group and Huhtamaki have teamed up for a joint recycling initiative in Victoria that will see recovered label production waste used as feedstock for Australian-made fibre-based egg cartons.
The project is on track to recover and recycle up to 300 tonnes of paper waste per year, produced in the die-cutting and finishing of sheet litho labels (otherwise known as wet-glue or cut & stack labels).
The recovered paper waste serves as primary feedstock for egg cartons manufactured at Huhtamaki's Preston facility, and distributed nationally to grocery retailers.
Damian Smyth, group manager for Environment & Sustainability at Labelmakers said,“This initiative came to life in openly sharing our environmental objectives and challenges, particularly in the areas of upcycling of manufacturing process waste, increasing recycled content in our respective products, and sourcing locally derived materials wherever possible.”
Smyth said this project is in keeping with Labelmakers' ambition to be “Australasia's most trusted and sustainable label manufacturer and printer” by demonstrating commitment to environmentally conscious label design and socially responsible work practices.
The collaboration gives Huhtamaki access to high quality paper feedstock while Labelmakers benefits from having a local partner to upcycle paper waste into a sustainable packaging solution for fibre cartons and trays.
Brad Kerle, general manager at Huhtamaki Fiber Foodservice EAO South-East Asia & Oceania, said, “Huhtamaki’s ambition is to be the first choice in sustainable packaging solutions. We have set very high sustainability ambitions, amongst them a commitment to achieving carbon neutrality in our production and having 100 per cent of the fibre we use from recycled or certified sources by 2030. This partnership contributes to reaching our ambitions.”
Labelmakers is the largest supplier of sheet litho labels in Australasia. The company says any customer buying non-wet strength cut & stack labels has the assurance that the waste created in the production of their labels will now be contributing to the recycled content used as feedstock by Australia's largest manufacturer of fibre egg cartons.
