Sustainable packaging excellence: APCO Awards 2020
Sustainable packaging innovation, commitment and ingenuity were celebrated earlier this week when the Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation (APCO) hosted its Annual Awards ceremony, virtual style. Packaging raw materials supplier LyondellBasell took out the coveted top prize.
More than 20 accolades were awarded during this year’s virtual event, to organisations and individuals representing a broad range of industry sectors, including retail, electronics, manufacturing, healthcare, logistics and food and beverage.
Print21 and PKN publisher Lindy Hughson spoke to APCO industry partnership manager Meredith Epp about who won what and why:
The finalists and winners (full list below) were recognised for their best practice approach to sustainable packaging design, industry leadership and sustainability education.
LyondellBasell took home the coveted Sustainable Packaging Excellence Award at the virtual awards ceremony, recognised for a slew of impressive achievements, including its move to deliver 70 per cent of products in reusable bulk packaging formats and diverting 80 per cent of on-site waste from landfill.
This year’s ceremony also included a new category, the Our Packaging Future Awards, which highlighted leadership from Members in three areas: improved collection and recycling systems (awarded to TerraCycle Australia and New Zealand), end-market development (awarded to Coca-Cola Amatil), and sustainable packaging education for both industry (awarded to ALDI) and consumers (awarded to Unilever).
Other award recipients included Kellogg (Outstanding Achievement in Sustainable Packaging Operations), which has redesigned almost all packaging for optimised materials efficiency and weight reduction, with more than 85 per cent now recyclable through kerbside or via the REDcycle program.
Also recognised was CHEP Australia (Outstanding Achievement in Sustainable Packaging Outcomes), which has achieved its outstanding zero product-waste-to-landfill target, and Coca-Cola Amatil (Outstanding Achievement in Leadership), which has achieved the impressive feat of manufacturing 7 out of 10 of its plastic bottles from 100 per cent recycled materials.
Matthew Mills, national sales and marketing manager, Garden City Plastics, was awarded this year’s Sustainability Champion Award in recognition of his commitment to improving recycling rates for plant packaging and sustainability in the horticulture industry.
This year’s New Member Award went to KeepCup, an organisation that embraces circularity, reuse and packaging reduction at its core. KeepCup was commended for its commitment to consumer education and engagement, with the brand estimating its ‘reuse revolution’ helps to avoid more than 5 million single-use cups being used every day.
Assistant Minister for Waste Reduction and Environmental Management, Trevor Evans MP, shared his well wishes with this year’s finalists via a video played during the awards ceremony.
“While 2020 has contained many challenges and distractions, over the last 12 months Australia has continued to make huge progress when it comes to recycling, waste reduction and resource recovery. These awards showcase some fantastic stories of achievement, innovation and leadership in sustainable packaging, and I applaud all the winners and finalists for their commitment and determination to make 2020 a year of unparalleled delivery towards the 2025 National Packaging Targets”.
Brooke Donnelly, CEO, APCO commented: “On behalf of the APCO team, congratulations to all of our APCO Awards finalists and winners for 2020. The devastating impacts of COVID-19 have meant a year of deep uncertainty for our industry. Yet despite its numerous challenges, I’m proud to confirm that APCO and our Members have continued to deliver tangible, measurable and inspiring action against the 2025 National Packaging Targets. Every business shortlisted has displayed a dedication to innovative packaging design, a deep commitment to supply chain collaboration and demonstrated clear leadership among their peers and competitors”.
Mitchell Killeen, managing director, LyondellBasell Australia (winner of the Sustainable Packaging Excellence Award and the Packaging Manufacturers and Suppliers Industry Sector award) commented: “At LyondellBasell Australia we strive for excellence in everything we do, including safely and reliably delivering high quality products to our customers. In 2019, we are very proud to have delivered more than 70% of our domestic product in reusable packaging, highlighting our commitment to sustainability. It is both a great honour and motivator to receive recognition with this APCO Award.”
Lachlan Feggans, director, Sustainability, Asia-Pacific, CHEP Australia (winner of the Logistics and Warehousing Industry Sector award and the Outstanding Achievement in Sustainable Packaging Outcomes award) commented: “CHEP is honoured to be recognised at the APCO Awards. Through our share and reuse model, we are committed to making a difference and delivering sustainable supply chains solutions, that meet a growing need. I would like to thank APCO for the leadership role that they play in supporting this growth and also our customers, who are as passionate as ourselves about the value of circularity. We are proud of our zero product-waste-to-landfill achievements and look forward to continuing to support Australian businesses in the achievement of their sustainability goals.”
The full list of winning companies of the 2020 Awards were:
Industry Sector Awards
• Agriculture & Nurseries - Rivalea (Australia)
• Airline, Accommodation & Tourism - Qantas Airways Limited
• Chemicals, Hardware & Machinery - Colourtrend Paints (Aust.) Pty. Ltd.
• Electronics - Kyocera Document Solutions Australia Pty Ltd
• Food & Beverage - Chobani Pty Ltd
• General Merchandise & Apparel - 3M Australia Pty Limited
• Healthcare & Scientific - ABC Tissue Products Pty Ltd
• Large Retailer - Officeworks Ltd
• Logistics & Warehousing - CHEP Australia Pty Ltd
• Packaging Manufacturers & Suppliers - LyondellBasell Australia Pty Ltd
• Telecommunications - Optus Pty Ltd
• Tobacco - Philip Morris Limited
Outstanding Achievement Awards
• Outstanding Achievement in Sustainable Packaging Operations - Kellogg (Aust) Pty Ltd
• Outstanding Achievement in Sustainable Packaging Outcomes - CHEP Australia Pty Ltd
• Outstanding Achievement in Leadership - Coca-Cola Amatil Limited
• Highest Performing New Member - KeepCup Pty Ltd
Our Packaging Future Awards
• Our Packaging Future Award for Improved Collection and Recycling Systems - TerraCycle Australia & New Zealand, TerraCycle's Colgate Community Garden Challenge
• Our Packaging Future Award for End-Market Leadership - Coca-Cola Amatil Limited, 100 per cent recycled PET packaging
• Our Packaging Future Award for Packaging Sustainability Education – Consumer Education - Unilever ANZ, Empowering Aussies to #buybetter with post-consumer recycled plastic
• Our Packaging Future Award for Packaging Sustainability Education – Industry Education - ALDI Stores (A Limited Partnership), 25by25 Plastics and Packaging Commitments and Communication Campaign
APCO Sustainability Champion
Matthew Mills, Garden City Plastics
Sustainable Packaging Excellence Award
LyondellBasell Australia Pty Ltd