By PakTech
In 2024, after years of organic growth, we formally commenced the manufacturing and recycling of PakTech products here in Australia. And to make matters even more exciting, we marked the landmark moment with two mission critical updates.
Firstly, the Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation (APCO) assessed our range of multipak beverage can handles sold in Australia as ‘kerbside recyclable’. And secondly, we’ve successfully implemented an NIR detectable colourant within our black handles, which better allows for these to be detected and sorted throughout the recycling process.
Conscious consumerism is flourishing, and pressure from consumers around the world is forcing brands and retailers to rethink their approach to sustainable packaging. Sustainability and the circular economy is no longer a competitive differentiator, it’s an expectation.
Australia’s buying habits are very similar to ours in the US. We’ve seen significant organic growth in recent years; and we forecast that will continue in the coming years. Establishing an on-the-ground local footprint in the region is incredibly exciting; not only for PakTech, but for our customers and everyone in Australia who cares about sustainability and our impact on the environment.
Through our launch in Australia, we’re helping our customers meet not only their customer needs, but also regulatory requirements too. As ESG pressures and the need for transparency increases, many companies are setting internal sustainability goals to meet regulatory mandates or customer or shareholder demands. Rather than setting goals of 25% recycled content by 2025, PakTech enables businesses to use 100% recycled content today.
A major step in our journey is teaming up with Endeavour Group - a champion of sustainability in Australia - to trial a recycling scheme in select Dan Murphy’s stores. Through the initial trial, customers can return their beer clips to nominated stores. Clips will be transferred to a third-party waste management company for recycling.
We’re incredibly excited by the potential of not only this trial, but joining an Australian market that, like us, recognises the importance of sustainability and the circular economy. There’s work still to be done, but we’re humbled to be able to play our part.
Through our presence in Australia, we’re now able to fulfil our vision of: made in Australia, recycled in Australia, and repurposed again into new products in Australia. Our ability to do so is dependent on forging strong relationships with a local industry that understands the importance of sustainability, the circular economy and tackling single use plastics in Australia.
Over the coming weeks, months and years, we’ll bring that vision to life. Annually, we’ll have the capacity to manufacture up to 75 million recycled multipak beverage can handles within Australia. We’ll be doing so on behalf of customers that include Asahi, Bilsons and a host of craft beer, seltzer and wine manufacturers.
Our launch in Australia, comes as public demand for sustainable packaging and practices skyrockets. While there has been some progress against the seven recommendations laid out in the Government’s National Waste Policy Action Plan, a report from the Australian Circular Economy Hub found that Australia’s recycling rate has not improved since 2006/7.
Our products are manufactured with high-density polyethylene (HDPE), also known as #2 plastic. This recyclable material is used to make various milk bottles, detergent bottles, and toys. Through a recover, recycle and remanufacture process, we’re maximising the collection of used materials, which are sorted, cleaned, processed and then repurposed into new products. 100% of the HDPE plastic PakTech use comes from recycled material, closing the circular economy loop and avoiding the pitfalls of single use plastics.
All of that will now be taking place here in Australia, enabling the food, beverage, and consumer goods industries to respond to growing ESG pressures and consumer demand for 100% recycled, recyclable packaging and practices. Since our first steps in 1991, globally we have re-used the equivalent of approximately one billion milk bottles, saved almost 55,000 tonnes of plastics from landfills and oceans, and prevented the equivalent of almost 50 acres of land from becoming landfill. Those numbers will continue to grow in the coming years, and now with Australia as a key contributor.