Over 200 guests from the packaging, waste and recycling industries gathered to celebrate the winners of the Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation (APCO) 2023 Annual Awards. The ceremony was dedicated to honouring businesses that have shown excellence in sustainable packaging design and innovation.
Belkin Limited was awarded the highly coveted Best of Reporting Excellence Award and Industry Sector Award for Electronics.
Belkin has taken a proactive approach to assess its packaging impact in the Australian and New Zealand markets, focusing on post-consumer management. Using this data as a foundation, Belkin designed packaging that aligns with the 2025 National Packaging Targets for reducing single-use plastic, increasing recycled content, and incorporating the use of compostable materials.
Earlier this year, Belkin released its first products made from at least 72% post-consumer recycled plastics (PCR) into the Australian market, becoming the first electronics company to make these products available to consumers.
Belkin currently uses 100% Recycled PET (RPET) in its packaging wherever possible, exceeding its goal to incorporate at least 30% RPET in its packaging when plastics are used, and has introduced forest certified (FSC) paper packaging.
Belkin managing director for Australia and New Zealand, Stephanie Caulfield said, “We are honoured to be recognised for these prestigious APCO Awards. Sustainability is one of our corporate north stars, and this recognition serves as a testament to the collective commitment and lifelong journey we have made towards building a more responsible future for our planet.
“At Belkin, we are dedicated to doing better. This award is not just a symbol of our accomplishments, but a reminder sustainability is not a destination, but an ongoing journey. We will continue to push the boundaries of what is possible, to innovate and inspire others to join us on to create a legacy that future generations will be proud of. We must remain steadfast in our commitment, continuously striving for improvement, and setting new benchmarks for sustainable packaging practices in our industry.
“None of this would have been possible without the ongoing motivation and support of APCO and our partners. Their passion, expertise, and tireless efforts have been instrumental in driving our sustainability initiatives forward.”
Also recognised was Brother International Australia (BIA) winning the Sustainable Packaging Guidelines Implementation Award for its journey to pioneer sustainable packaging practices, creating packaging with a clear recovery solution in mind and incorporating recycled content into its packaging.
Brother International Australia director, Andy O’Donnell accepting the award from APCO board director, Richard Smith.
BIA’s efforts to eliminate polystyrene (EPS) and polyethylene (EPE) packaging from Brother printing products, with a commitment to remove remaining products with EPE/EPS packaging by March 2024, was a cornerstone of the win.
Brother International Australia director, Andy O’Donnell said, “This is a testament to a truly wonderful achievement for the whole Brother group, including but not limited to our designers, engineers, procurement and production teams, and to all staff directly or indirectly engaged locally and internationally. It’s been a remarkable journey, and we can take great pride in our achievements to date.”
Officeworks received the Consumer Education Award for its ‘Greener Choices’ product range, refreshing and relaunching it as the ‘People and Planet Positive’ product range. As part of the refresh, Officeworks introduced a reuse, refill and recyclable category.