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Beverage giant Lion has created a recycled bar at the Melbourne Cup Carnival to launch its Quincy sparkling alcoholic seltzer.

Made of 98 per cent recycled plastic, and featuring furniture created from post-industrial and post-consumer plastic such as car bumpers and plastic bags, the Round II bar is an Australian first and will be used at many of the company’s key sponsorship events, says Libby Davidson, head of sustainability at Lion.

“The impact of single-use plastics on the environment is a key concern at Lion so we are always looking for new, innovative ways to repurpose this resource and promote the circular economy.

“The concept was developed by a group of our own people from different teams across the business during a lunchtime sustainability hackathon. Not only does this reinforce the power of diversity, it’s also a great example of what a company can achieve if you empower your people to share ideas and really make a difference beyond the bottom line,” she said.

The initiative is part of a celebration of Lion’s partnership with soft plastic recycling organisation REDcycle and its manufacturer Replas, announced in September. REDcycle collects and reuses soft plastics that cannot be collected at kerbside, and Replas turns it into a range of recycled plastic products such as street signage and park furniture.

Food & Drink Business

In the final chapter of court action regarding the 2020 collapse of Freedom Foods Group, the Federal Court has found former managing director and CEO, Rory Macleod, breached his duties as a director and officer, and failed to take all reasonable steps to secure the company’s compliance with its financial reporting obligations.

Australia’s food and beverage manufacturing industry is converging on Melbourne this week for foodpro 2026, the country’s leading trade event for processing, packaging and innovation. Held at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC) from 26-29 July, foodpro 2026 will be opened at 10am on Sunday 26 July by Victorian Minister for Industry and Advanced Manufacturing and Minister for Skills and TAFE, Colin Brooks.

De Bortoli Wines is restructuring its vineyard portfolio across four regions, removing underperforming blocks in the oversupplied Riverina while buying new land in the Yarra Valley and converting most of its King Valley plantings to Prosecco, Pinot Grigio and Sangiovese.