November e-newsletter
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Action Plan Workshops Held in Sydney and Melbourne

The APC held two successful workshops in October that provided contact officers with guidance on how to develop an action plan that practically applies the APC KPIs to their individual organisation. These workshops provided twenty seven signatory organisations a forum to network, problem-solve, and discover opportunities with other industry and supply chain organisations.

Attendees reported that attending the workshops helped them to understand the APCs goals and KPIs, while also providing them with capacity to develop and implement an action plan.

We would like to thank those that attended and shared their experiences on the day, and also thank PepsiCo Australia & New Zealand for hosting a successful and engaging workshop at their head office in Chatswood.

The APC facilitates capacity development workshops and networking events on a regular basis. If you would like to express interest in having the APC visit your city, please email apc@packagingcovenant.org.au.

 

MacKay Opens First Regional Optical Sorting Plant

Queensland’s MacKay Council has opened a new Materials Recovery Facility (MRF), including a regional first glass crushing and optical sorting plant.

MacKay Regional Council is located roughly 1,000 kms north of Brisbane and services a population of 120,000.

The glass crushing plant was possible thanks to a joint $600,000 grant from the Australian Packaging Covenant (APC) and the Queensland Department of Environment and Heritage Protection.

Mayor Deirdre Comerford said the new state-of-the-art MRF allowed council to recover more recyclable material. “Since the new plant commenced operating in June we have seen a 60% reduction in recyclable material going to landfill, which is a significant achievement.”

More than 2000 tonnes of glass is being diverted from landfill each year and is being turned into a product similar in texture to sand to be used as bedding material in footpaths, drains and culverts.

Council’s new MRF is capable of processing 20,000 tonnes of recyclables per year, which is 11,000 more than the previous plant.

 
 

Case Study Corner: Fuji Xerox Australia and the Business Case for Sustainability

Fuji Xerox Australia (FXA) has always considered packaging sustainability, but during a business case review, the organisation recognised there was potential to embed packaging reviews more directly into its processes, and reflect the organisation’s sustainability strategy. FXA uses a closed loop manufacturing model, where electronic parts, consumables and devices are collected from customers for remanufacture at the end of life. Because packaging is reused within this closed loop, the organisation recognised that their processes should reflect this.

FXA therefore undertook a review of current processes and potential opportunities, and recognised that a packaging review could easily be embedded into an existing business process. They also undertook a trial packaging assessment of a packaging type commonly reused when recovering product for remanufacture, and identified multiple changes that could improve its environmental performance. These included downgauging cardboard, moving from using plastic tape to folded closures to improve reusability, reducing void space, and increasing the recycled content.

You can read more about FXA’s packaging assessment and other case studies on the APC website, or contact Bridget Corcoran for more detail.