Sustainable packaging creates a win-win
Fonterra Australia is committed to supporting a new path for soft plastic packaging and is a foundation supporter of the National Plastics Recycling Scheme (NPRS).
The NPRS soft plastics project is being developed by Australia’s food and grocery manufacturing industry, with funding support from the federal government. The ultimate aim is to enable people to recycle soft plastics at home and create a new advanced recycling industry in Australia that can turn used soft plastics back into new food-grade packaging.
As well as creating greater opportunities for recycling, Fonterra Australia is also focused on ways to make packaging more sustainable.
Fonterra Australia’s Sustainability Packaging Manager, Jenny Phillips, said that the organisation had set a target of ensuring that 100 per cent of Fonterra Australia’s dairy product packaging is either reusable, recyclable or compostable by 2025.
“We have set ourselves a significant challenge in the sustainable packaging space, and we are making good progress on our goal,” Jenny said.
“We currently have 26 sustainable packaging projects underway and have significantly invested in this area. For example, we have removed the cardboard sleeve from our Mainland On The Go Lunch snacking range, which has reduced the need for 47 tonnes of paperboard per annum.
“We have also changed to a recyclable PET tray and increased the shipping efficiency of the product to reduce corrugated carton board by another 10 tonnes per annum. All up, this has resulted in significant financial savings for the business, as well as demonstrable environmental improvements. It’s a win-win,” Jenny said.
There are strong benefits in using plastic packaging, as it plays an important role in keeping our food safe and reducing food waste, which also has a considerable environmental impact. However, the move to more sustainable packaging is an important step in creating a circular economy where packaging can be recovered, reused, recycled and reprocessed back into a food-grade solution.
Further information on the NPRS is available here.