Damian Smyth, Environment and Sustainability manager at Labelmakers, was named Sustainability Champion at the 2024 APCO Awards. Lindy Hughson spoke to him about the achievements that led to this recognition.
To set the context, here’s an extract from the APCO Awards citation:
“Damian’s commitment to sustainability at Labelmakers Group is truly impactful. Since his appointment as Environment and Sustainability manager in 2021 he has driven significant improvements, including a 30 per cent reduction in emission intensity by 2023, achieved two years ahead of schedule. He also launched a liner recovery and recycling program, diverting over 800 tonnes of spent release liner from landfill each year and turning it into insulation products.
His work extends internationally with trials that aim to reduce landfill waste and replace imported materials. Damian’s efforts in enhancing label structures and collaborating with recyclers have advanced recycling practices. Damian’s dedication to sustainable packaging solutions has made a substantial impact on Labelmakers Group, its customers, and the wider industry, making him an excellent candidate for the APCO Sustainability Champion Award.”
What strategies and innovations enabled you to achieve the emissions intensity reduction ahead of schedule?
The Environment & Sustainability Group developed an emission intensity metric that in 2018 targeted a five-year emissions intensity reduction of 30 per cent by 2023 that is reviewed monthly. In the next phase we are implementing science-based target setting for emissions reduction across Labelmakers’ other seven production sites committing to a 30 per cent reduction across all sites by 2030.
Labelmakers has continued to invest in energy efficient equipment across the group and has a pipeline of ideas that we are currently in feasibility stage with on the estimated Carbon/CO2 impact of each project. Our inhouse IT team has designed a BI platform, which provides live site-by-site visibility on energy consumption per square meter of printed materials.
What inspired the liner recovery and recycling initiative? How has it been received by Labelmakers’ customers and partners?
The release liner performs a critical role in the dispensing of labels. Once labels are dispensed, the liner has no further part of the labelling process and in most cases is destined for landfill. We have provided an onshore solution that doesn’t rely on the additional capital cost of removing the contaminating silicone. We have partnered with local insulation manufacturers/suppliers currently using virgin (newsprint) and imported recycled fibre to produce industrial ‘blow-in’ insulation and sound proofing. The program was launched in September 2022. The one-side silicone coated liner has a positive impact on the insulation offering moisture resistance, improved application and a reduction in energy consumption.
Why do you view industry collaboration as important?
We are working with the wider ecosystem recognising that the best outcomes will only be achieved by collaborating across the entire gamut of stakeholders – consumers, customers, raw material suppliers and recyclers alike. This allows us to measure improvements for the Labelmakers Group, its customers, recyclers, and the industry as a whole.
Can you provide more detail on your international trials to reduce landfill waste and replace imported materials?
We are collaborating with a company in Spain that has, at laboratory scale, successfully remove the silicone from the liner, which is globally unique. Once we have completed the testing in March and our offtake partner has approved the samples, Labelmakers will look to invest in the recycling equipment and offer a scalable fibre-to-fibre recycling solution. The recycling technology has the potential to be an industry-wide game changing solution to the spent glassine currently consigned to landfill.
The recycled FSC-certified white pulp is a valuable resource that can be incorporated back into products manufactured in Australia offering a fibre-to-fibre solution. The project will complement the existing insulation program that is limited based on the demand for blow-in insulation, and offer brands and Labelmakers Scope 3 emissions reductions.
What is your next priority for sustainability at Labelmakers?
Continuing to work with brands optimising sustainable label options that will increase recovery of the primary pack packaging material at scale.
This article was first published in the January-February 2025 print issue of PKN Packaging News, p38.
