The Smith’s Snackfood Company & Sakata Rice Snacks Australia, Pernod Ricard Winemakers and Rawbone Pet Foods (makers of 4Legs dog food) were named the winners at the Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation’s (APCO) annual awards on August 23 in Melbourne, recognised for their achievements in sustainable packaging.
Nine other businesses in the food and beverages industry were also finalists in the prestigious awards, heralding environmental sustainability in the industry.
APCO enables businesses, government and industry to design and utilise more sustainable packaging throughout the supply chain to reduce the environmental impact of packaging in Australia. APCO’s annual awards celebrate the innovative and outstanding achievements of its members in these areas.
To take out an award for the food and beverages category, The Smith’s Snackfood Company & Sakata Rice Snacks Australia improved efficiencies in waste management and achieved an impressive recycling rate of 86 percent. Reviews on Pernod Ricard Winemakers’ packaging has also resulted in the use of light weighting glass and label size reduction. Taking the final award, Rawbone Pet Foods (makers of 4Legs dog food) made extensive efforts to embed sustainability principles with suppliers and customers, resulting in packaging optimisations and reduced waste.
The Smith’s Snackfood Company & Sakata Rice Snacks Australia are to be further commended, as the company also won the APCO award for Outstanding Achievement in Design, while Nestlé Australia, a finalist in the category, took home the award for Outstanding Achievement in Recycling.
Nestlé Australia, Mars Australia, Kellogg Australia, Campbell Arnotts Australia, Chobani, LION, Snack Foods, C.A. Henschke & Company and Buderim Ginger were also named as finalists in the Awards. All finalists were selected based on their performance in sustainable packaging design, comprehensive recycling systems and product stewardship activities to develop sustainable supply chains.
“We continue to drive packaging and waste reduction and efficiency, closely monitoring our performance to achieve ongoing improvements. Being part of the Australian Packaging Covenant has helped us to contribute in a meaningful way to our global PepsiCo sustainability agenda, and packaging sustainability will remain a key focus for the business” said Janine Cannell, Australia & New Zealand Environment Manager, The Smith’s Snackfood Company & Sakata Rice Snacks Australia.
Image: Damila Mootoosamy and Olivia Ratten from Rawbone Pet Foods.