NORTHWOOD PROMOTES FIBRE AT APPEX

Kellie Northwood, CEO of print industry employers’ group Visual Media Association, presented on the benefits of fibre packaging at the Appex trade show in Melbourne.

Speaking as part of the Ball & Doggett ecoporium series Northwood told guests that fibre had myriad benefits when it came to sustainability. She said “VMA is unashamedly pro-fibre, it has many benefits over plastic. It is renewable, recyclable and reusuable.”

Northwood said that of all the materials used in packaging, fibre alone has already met the 2025 sustainability targets.

She told the audience that cartonboard could be recycled up to seven times, and that resupply of virgin pulp from tree farms meant the paper companies were engaged in a process of reforestation, which is beneficial for the environment.

Northwood then used a couple of case studies to show how fibre was being used in packaging, pointing to global brands Ikea and Absolut Vodka as examples. She said Ikea’s switch to paper based pallets was saving it $83m a year and delivering significant CO2 savings. She highlighted Absolut’s use of fibre-based bottle, which delivers significant CO2 savings over glass bottles.

She ended her presentation  with a call for all in the printing industry to promote the benefits of fibre, especially to government as it moves to regulate packaging.

Moderator of the ecoporium series Zaidee Jackson from Ball & Doggett thanked Northwood for her contribution, and said there was a need for the plethora of information around sustainability to be distilled down into a form that is easily understandable for busy print business owners.