Close×

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

A coalition of global food waste organisations has called on the COP31 presidency to turn existing commitments on food loss and waste into funded policy. It’s a move with direct relevance to Australia, which holds the presidency of negotiations for this year’s climate summit.

Inghams has placed its Western Australian farms and processing operations into complete lockdown after authorities confirmed Australia’s first detection of the high pathogenicity H5 avian influenza strain that has spread globally since 2020.

The a2 Milk Company is set to return $300 million to shareholders after securing Chinese regulatory approval that finalises its acquisition of the a2 Pokeno infant formula facility in New Zealand.