Two consecutive awards evenings, hosted in Sydney and Melbourne in the last week of July by the Australian Packaging Covenant (APC), saw recognition bestowed on signatories who have not only achieved high scores on their annual reporting, but have delivered broader business benefits as a result of the sustainable packaging initiatives introduced.
PKN spoke to a number of the winners about their success and the overwhelming response was a true sense of pride in what their packaging and sustainability teams have achieved, and pleasure at having these achievements recognised by their professional peers and the industry at large.
For those who are unfamiliar with the APC, it's a sustainable packaging initiative to change the culture of businesses to design more sustainable packaging, increase recycling and reduce litter.
Speaking at the awards dinners, APC CEO Stan Moore told the industry professionals present:: “Under the current Covenant, we have seen a consistent improvement in signatory performance against our KPIs. This could not have been possible without the commitment of our high performing signatories and the contact officers that are helping to drive APC-related activities within those companies,” he said.
“Being a high performing signatory isn’t just about winning awards and receiving high scores in annual reports. Organisations that have a focus on improving the environmental performance of packaging see broader business benefits.”
Moore said the APC’s high performers are leading the way in packaging sustainability and innovation, reflecting the increasing realisation that sustainable business is simply good business practice.
“Sustainable organisations create competitive advantage through improving employee and supply chain engagement, better public perceptions, and improved business outcomes, and it is wonderful to see so many high performing signatories achieve so many great things,” he said.
Above: APC CEO Stan Moore.
He went on to note the diversity of this year’s winners. From small local brands, large multinationals, retailers and packaging suppliers through to waste management organisations, the winners represent the spread of APC signatories across the entire packaging supply chain.
The APC announced 31 winners for the 2015 reporting year:
Food and Beverage:
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Large food company: The Smith's Snackfoods Company and Sakata Rice Snacks Australia
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Small-medium food company: Chobani Pty Ltd
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Large beverage company: Coca-Cola Amatil Limited
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Large beverage company: Pernod Ricard Winemakers
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Small-medium beverage company: CA Henschke & Co
Pharmacy and personal care:
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Large pharmacy and personal care: Unilever Australiasia Ltd
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Medium pharmacy and personal care: Blackmores Ltd
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Medium pharmacy and personal care: Bristol-Myers Squibb Australia Pty Ltd
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Small pharmacy and personal care: Jurlique International Pty Ltd
Communications and electronics:
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Large communications and electronics: Dell Australia Pty Ltd
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Small-medium communications and electronics: Fuji Xerox Australia Pty Ltd
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Small-medium communications and electronics: Konica Minolta Business Solutions Australia Pty Ltd
Hardware and homewares:
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Large hardware and homewares: OfficeMax Australia Ltd
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Medium hardware and homewares: Breville Pty Ltd
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Small hardware and homewares: Richgro Garden Products
Retail, QSR and Clothing, footwear and fashion:
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Retailer: Myer Holdings Limited
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Quick service restaurant: McDonald's Australia Ltd
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Large clothing, footwear and fashion: Sussan Group
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Small clothing, footwear and fashion: OrotonGroup (Australia) Pty Ltd
Packaging manufacturers:
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Large packaging manufacturer: O-I Australia
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Small-medium packaging manufacturer: Portavin Group of Companies
Recovery and recycling:
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Suez environnement (formerly SITA Australia)
Transport, fuel and tobacco:
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Imperial Tobacco Australia Ltd
KPI high performers:
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KPI 1 - Sustainable Packaging Design: Detmold Packaging Pty Ltd
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KPI 3 - Onsite Recovery and Recycling: Mars Australia
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KPI 4 - Buy Recycled: The Smith's Snackfoods Company and Sakata Rice Snacks Australia
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KPI 6 - Supply Chain Collaboration: Devondale Murray Goulbourn Co-operative Co. Limited
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KPI 7 - Product Stewardship: Tetra Pak Marketing Pty Ltd
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KPI 8 - Litter Management: The Aird Group Pty Ltd
First time reporters:
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Kenneth Ayres (Aust) Pty Ltd
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Penrite Oil
Business clean-up day:
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Most employee participants per declared turnover: Integria Healthcare
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Most bags of litter collected per participant: Nintendo Australia
More details on these companies, and their action plans can be viewed on the APC website here.
One of the key challenges for signatories is making sure they're able to promote the good work being done to interested stakeholders. The APC, in particular through its awards nights, helps organisations highlight their packaging sustainability achievements to government, community and other supply chain partners.
