“One smart change at the factory can open several export markets at once,” Whitehead said. “Packaging has shifted from an end-of-line cost to a strategic tool that can boost product sales, unlock export access and shape brand reputation.”
About half of the wine industry’s carbon footprint comes from production of glass bottles, said a spokesperson for Endeavour Group, which operates Dan Murphy’s and BWS. The company is a member of a global collective called the Sustainable Wine Roundtable, which has committed to reducing the weight of wine bottles.
Making glass bottles generates one-third of all emissions from wine production in Australia, the Endeavour Group says.Credit: Tamara Voninski
“Traditional heavy glass packaging is estimated to generate about 34 per cent of all emissions from wine production in Australia, excluding emissions from transporting these bottles,” the spokesperson said.
“Endeavour Group aims to lead the Australian wine industry by partnering with our wine suppliers to reduce the average weight of glass bottles gradually.”
Supermarket giants Woolworths and Coles have their own sustainability targets aimed at circularity, or using materials that are recyclable or have recycled content. Woolworths has a target of 60 per cent recycled content in own-brand packaging, and says it has already achieved 51 per cent, while most (87.6 per cent) of Coles and Coles Liquor own-brand packaging is recyclable.
New rules loom
Food packaging laws, waste management and single-use plastic vary across states and territories, which add extra burden to manufacturers, said Sarah Collier, director of sustainability at the Australian Food & Grocery Council.
Tomatoes on non-recyclable black trays.Credit: Abode Stock
The Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water has indicated it will conduct further industry consultation to refine its approach to national packaging reform, following consultation held in late 2024 that garnered more than 400 submissions.
The draft regulation is expected to move the industry away from voluntary targets to a mandatory system that will set a minimum percentage of recycled material in packaging and ban toxic chemicals.
Mars bars with paper wrappers are an example of how packaging is changing.Credit: Eamon Gallagher
“We are hopeful the upcoming consultation to drive the federal government’s packaging regulations will remove the need for states to respond independently,” Collier said. “Changes to regulation must reflect the complexity of the food and grocery manufacturing sector and consider the whole packaging system and life cycle as part of a circular economy.”
Manufacturers had already been investing in innovation to improve packaging before the anticipated government reform, she said.
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