Arnott's wins top prize at the 2022 APCO awards

Friday, 11 November, 2022

The Australian businesses leading the way in sustainable packaging design and innovation were celebrated at the Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation’s (APCO) Annual Awards on the evening of Thursday, 10 November.

More than 180 guests from the packaging and recycling industry came together to celebrate the outstanding work of a total of 28 award-winning organisations over the last 12 months.

The Arnott’s Group took home the evening’s top prize, the Sustainable Packaging Excellence Award, for establishing a sustainable packaging strategy that addresses the Sustainable Packaging Guidelines, incorporating initiatives across the entire packaging value chain from design, production and use of packaging, through to disposal, recovery and the use of recycled material. The Arnott’s Group has successfully reduced the weight of its packaging, incorporated recycled content and has commenced transitioning its soft plastic packaging from multi-layer films to a 100% recyclable mono-layer film.

Other award recipients in the food manufacturing sector included: Sarah Baylis, Packaging Innovation Manager at Fonterra Brands, who won the prized Sustainability Champion Award; Mars Australia, which won the Outstanding Achievement Award for Recycled Content; Hilton Foods Australia, which received the Highest Performing New Member Award; and the Australian Garlic Producers, which won the Highest Performing New Member (SME) Award.

Chris Foley, CEO, APCO, commented: “Each and every one of the award winners and finalists have demonstrated excellence in, and an incredible commitment to, sustainable packaging innovation, design and leadership. It’s heartening to see the progress that Australian industry is making, with more and more businesses choosing to lead and champion change on this issue.”

The full list of winners are...

2022 Industry Sector Award Winners

The winners for the Industry Sector Awards and Industry Sector Awards (SME) were announced the morning of the APCO awards.

Agriculture and Nurseries - Richgro Garden Products
Chemicals, Hardware, and Machinery - Clorox Australia Pty Ltd
Electronics - Dell Australia Pty Ltd
Food & Beverage - The Arnott’s Group
General Merchandise and Apparel - Blundstone Australia Pty Ltd
Healthcare & Scientific - Emeis Cosmetics Pty Ltd
Large Retailer - Officeworks Ltd
Logistics and Warehousing - CHEP AUSTRALIA LIMITED
Packaging Manufacturer and Supplier - Disruptive Packaging Pty Ltd
Telecommunications - Telstra Corporation Limited
Tobacco - British American Tobacco Australia

2022 Highest Performing SME Industry Sector Award Winners

The Highest Performing SME Member Awards are made up of seven industry categories:

Agriculture and Nurseries - J C & A T Searle Pty Ltd
Chemicals, Hardware, and Machinery - WD-40 Company (Australia) Pty Limited
Electronics - COMSOL PTY LTD
Food & Beverage - Flavour Creations Pty Ltd
General Merchandise and Apparel - Glow Consumer Products Pty. Ltd.
Healthcare & Scientific - Thankyou Group Pty Ltd
Packaging Manufacturer and Supplier - O F Packaging Pty Ltd

Outstanding Achievement Awards:

Outstanding Achievement Award in Recycled Content - Mars Australia Pty Ltd
Outstanding Achievement Award in Design & Procurement - Emeis Cosmetics Pty Ltd

Our Packaging Futures Awards:

Our Packaging Future Award in Industry Education - Bunzl Limited
Our Packaging Future Award in Consumer Education - Visy Industries Australia Pty Ltd
Our Packaging Future Award in Improved Recycling Systems - Closed Loop Environmental Solutions
Our Packaging Future Award in End-Market Development - Grounded Packaging