Pouches were the dominant form of packaging, with paper-based and glass containers also popular among natural and organic brands exhibiting at Naturally Good 2023, held at the Sydney ICC in Darling Harbour. PKN took to the floor to find out what packaging solutions brands were using.
Passing the various stands (see our gallery above), it was obvious that flexible pouches are very much in vogue for the food and health products on display, however, paper boxes and glass jars were also prominent.
Sustainability was a common message many brands were wanting to get across, which makes sense for a ‘naturally’ focused trade show. Some messaging was louder than others, for instance, seen at a cleaning products exhibit, where the packaging was largely paper-based, “let’s eliminate plastic” was the slogan on display.
Compostable and biodegradable materials seemed to be a popular option for many companies. PKN spoke to some of the packaging companies present on the floor, who were all proud to showcase their solutions for meeting the challenge of plastic waste.
One example was O F Packaging’s The Pouch Shop. Lyljana Baillie, marketing, was enthusiastic to show us the range pouches the company offers, which it claims can be home composted in 10-14 weeks. “Pretty much everybody has been asking if we have a compostable packaging,” she told us, adding that many visitors are saying they want pouches. One of the main appeals of The Pouch Shop, she said, is that small companies and startups find it accessible as it can take on smaller batches, with the minimum order being 1000 pouches.
Biogone was keen to display its offerings of “landfill-biodegradable plastics”, which the company says is made by combining conventional plastic with an organic additive. Elissa Kasch, marketing and communications manager Environment & Sustainability explained, “When it’s sent to landfill, it attracts the microbes in the landfill to the plastic, who 'eat away' at the plastic. And then gradually, over time it naturally breaks down, leaving no microplastics behind.” The addition of the organic additive, Kasch said, accelerates the breakdown process around ten times as fast.
Read more about Biogone's case for adopting landfill biodegradable materials here.
The company offers a range of products, including home use items which it says can be composted, such as cling wrap, food bags and bin liners, as well as solutions for shipping, such as various tapes and wraps, mailing envelopes and pallet straps and caps.
Myerton packaging also had a range of sustainable packaging solutions on display, which of course featured pouches. Sales director, Michael Lu, showed PKN semi-rigid PE/PP pouches, which he said are suitable for the kerbside recycling by rolling them up, attaching a special sticker and then placing them in the yellow-lidded bin.
Aside from the pouches were many packages made from agro-waste paper, such as cylinders, trays and boxes. The company says the raw material for these products comes from the residue leftover from a wide range of agricultural products, including fruits, corn, coffee and nuts.
PKN's stablemate Food & Drink Business also did the rounds at Naturally Good, see what captured the team's attention here.
