The Australian Institute of Packaging (AIP) is connecting with the waste industry at the Australasian Waste and Recycling Expo (AWRE) held in Sydney this year, from 26-27 July.
AIP vice president, Nerida Kelton, told PKN that the institute’s presence at the expo was about representing the packaging industry in the waste and recycling sector, and “helping it to understand that we are working hard with the brands to design out waste, so that when they get to the end of life, they are recycle ready, that they are mono-materials and that they can be picked up in material recovery facilities”.
While a large portion of the expo hall was devoted to recycling and waste processing machinery, there were several packaging brands exhibiting, showcasing a range of bioplastic and compostable packaging materials. Several recycling companies were also present, with various innovations for sorting and collecting recyclable waste.
Day one of the two-day event saw the first AIP session held, which was focused on circular and sustainable packaging design, and featured PIDA Award-winning speakers share their innovations, which were themed around wine.
One of the speakers was Lars Ljung, sustainability manager at Planet Protector Packaging, who opened his talk by explaining his company “is on a mission to rid the world of polystyrene”, and then went on to share some of the innovations the company has made using waste sheep’s wool as a substitute, under the brand name Woolpack, in particular, the PIDA award-winning Wine Protector solution.
PKN spoke to Ljung at the expo, who shared his thoughts on the difficulty of balancing more sustainable packaging and reducing food waste, which he said is “one of the most interesting dynamics that we have to bear in mind as the legislation is constantly changing”. He said that as people are becoming much more aware of the impact food waste has on us, this also needs to be taken into consideration when designing packaging solutions.
Leo Jin, senior business manager at UPM Raflatac presented the company’s wash off labels, as well as the PIDA silver winning Rafcycle label liner recycling service. As many in the recycling industry know, labels often present a challenge for recyclers, due to the adhesive used, which can leave a residue on the packaging. Jin said that Raflatac’s product can be fully washed off in the recycling process, thus helping to increase the amount of material recycled and put back into use.
Jack Glover, marketing director ANZ of Accolade wines presented the company’s Banrock Station Eco Bottle, a flat, recycled PET wine bottle, which he said he proven to lighten the load in transport, thus significantly reducing the carbon footprint. This bottle had also taken silver for recycled content in the sustainability category of the PIDA Awards earlier this year.
Day two will feature two more such sessions, the full line up can be seen here.
