Orora has hosted a visit by AIP members to its recycling plant in Botany NSW to show off its massive B9 paper line.
Switched on in 2012, B9 processes around 450,000 tonnes of used cardboard into 400,000 tonnes of recycled paper every year, which is then used by Orora fibre packaging plants to produce cardboard boxes.
Cathy Parra, customer support manager at Orora, told guests that the setup is one of the largest and most sophisticated paper production lines in Australasia.
“You will only find something similar in Europe. There’s really nothing comparable in this country or even this region,” she said.
Visitors were taken along the entire length of the 330-metre line, from pulp screening to forming, drying and winding, as well as quality control. According to Jacob Chretien, general manager technical at Orora, the visit gave the manufacturer an opportunity to better connect with its customers.
“It’s not something we usually let people come through – it’s pretty restricted, just from an IP and safety standpoint. This was an opportunity to give people an appreciation for this aspect of packaging: how it’s made, where it comes from.
“We wanted to show people what we do and how we do it,” he said, adding that it also highlighted Orora’s closed-loop sustainability credentials.
“It’s not a catch-cry. It’s integral to our business. We recycle, we make paper, we make boxes, we recycle – that’s our business model,” he said.
Joanne Cockerill, NSW central regional director at AIP, expressed her appreciation for the rare look inside Orora’s processes, saying the visit was well-received by members.
“It was a big eye-opener on how massive the plant is. Biggest machines I’ve ever seen,” she said. “Orora being one of the largest producers of recycled paper means it affects so many suppliers and packagers. Most of us come into contact with them, and we were fulfilling what our members wanted to see.
“It was a great tour – thank you, Orora,” she said.
