Sydney’s Luna Park, well known for its famous face and slogan “Just for Fun” was a spectacular venue for the 2008 AIP National Conference, hosting over 280 delegates, exhibitors, members of the press and other interested parties for what was simply, an excellent event.
A strong suite of speakers from Australia, the UK, Finland, NZ, Singapore, China and the USA addressed our theme “A Climate of Change”, bringing clarity and many resulting questions on the magnitude of climate change on the planet and packaging sustainability.
Angela Nicholls, an Al Gore Ambassador on Climate Change moved delegates as she presented Al Gore’s “An Inconvenient Truth” in dramatic demonstration of global warmings’ undeniable impact.
Uniquely placed as a stakeholder in the packaging industry with Visy, Angela brought packaging technologists into the climate change debate, detailing the problem facing every human being on this planet.
A wide range of speakers followed including brand owners, associated industry organisations, supply chain, industry observers and consultants.
James Tupper (IGD UK) brightened the day with his illuminations on international retail developments including shelf ready packaging and distribution re-engineering.
The National Conference progressed through a greater understanding of the magnitude of the climate change problem, carbon footprint assessment including PIQET, updates on the NPC and next steps, options for sustainable materials including biopolymers.
It also covered the waste cycle and recycling, intellectual property, the new importance of design, segment specific case studies, returnable packaging, distribution channel innovation and more.
Gavin Williams and his team from the PCA gave an enlightening and welcomed address on their ‘warts and all’ analysis of the National Packaging Covenant effectiveness — a contribution the AIP Board was extremely grateful for as a measure of anticipated collaboration between our organisations in years to come.
Gerard van Rijswijk put an interesting and controversial position arguing against the impact of global warming, climate change drivers and the economic sense of changes in industry policy.
As a Senior Policy Advisor to National Association of Retail Grocers of Australia, Gerard challenged the real impact of packaging on the environment and the debate between reduction & recycling versus landfills.
Gerard was successful in stimulating debate and forcing delegates to determine where they sat on the climate change issue.
While there is a chasm between views, I think we must remember is the high level of community sentiment on climate change and that packaging is highly visible.
An educated audience knows that packaging is a small contributor of greenhouse gasses compared to other segments of a full life cycle analysis (eg, agriculture production).
However packaging is perceived as a big contributor of environmental problems — the emotional response it creates elevates it to similar standing in the eyes of the public along with power station emissions, fossil fuel consumption, water & energy shortages and the destruction of the Barrier Reef.
Consumers will demand change to packaging systems (among other climate debate agendas) based on their concern for their children’s future — whether we like it or not.
Industry engagement and initiatives (ergo, NPC) will hopefully result in logical & sustained debate and appropriate implementation targets as we seek economic pathways to marry against environmental demands.
Bottom line is that packaging has an impact — both real and perceived — and as members of the global community, we need to play our part even though the cost of this action seems disproportionately high at this point.
The unknown in this ‘climate’ debate is the cost of inaction.
All of which places the packaging industry fairly and squarely in the new “Green Economy” where leading FMCG will address consumer fears of climate change.
And in all the doom and gloom there lies unique opportunity — firstly for paradigm shifts in product design, handling & positioning with visible long term benefits both economic & environmental — but also importantly, for the recognition and future of packaging technologists.
Retailers and FMCG supply chains globally face a massive task to determine current environmental status for every product (carbon footprints etc), then set & meet environmental targets for packaging with these targets facing increasing scrutiny due to carbon trading and other economic imposts.
‘Green’ strategies will increase packaging ‘churn’ forcing pack re-designs that begin with the end in mind to achieve:
- material reductions
- material re-selections — including biocompatible and elimination of recycling nasties such as PVC
- re-engineered distribution & handling
- development of secondary product life cycles, and more
Climate change trends cannot be reversed without global cooperation and so too, environmental outcomes affecting brand owners & retailers can only be achieved by concerted action at every level in the chain — growers, converters, brand owners, distribution, retailers, consumers, recyclers.
Ultimately, innovation of product & process design at each level is the key to achieve required changes in this new ‘green era’ and its impact on packaging.
While the packaging industry covers a wide range of constantly evolving technologies, the industry has not faced a similar demand on packaging design in recent history since perhaps the advent of thermoplastics.
Packaging technologists will be pivotal in delivering the solutions required and organisations large and small that do not recognise the value of packaging to their brand investments or the importance of packaging technologists as key organisational stakeholders will struggle in this new ‘green economy’ where marketeers leverage ‘green brand value & loyalty’.
In this context of "green" branding and with overall spends on packaging raw materials, I expect that packaging technology will be re-profiled to greater prominence within company structures — delivering a bright future for existing and future technologists around the globe.
Following on, the role of the AIP has never been as important as we seek to address both the shortage in packaging technologists, as well as the lack of formal qualifications within the existing ranks of packaging departments.
The AIP exists to educate for the advancement of packaging technology and we expect corporate demand for holistic training to be strong, especially given portability of these qualifications globally.
In conclusion, I extend our congratulations to all recipients of Distinguished Service Awards, member upgrades to Fellow and life membership awarded at Conference where we took the opportunity to recognise excellence within the AIP.
Of special note was George Ganzenmuller FAIP, bestowed with the AIP Founders Award — the highest accolade we have — for his contribution toward education and his efforts restoring the AIP in the early part of this decade to the prominence it now enjoys.
My sincere thanks to our sponsors who made it possible for the AIP to stage such an excellent event — to the conference organising committee - including Nerida & Mark Kelton and Llew Stephens - for their hard work over the past 2 years — and to the delegates and media for their attendance and contributions.
The conference was a huge success in our eyes touching the most important event in packaging for many years and encouraging collaboration of packaging technologists nationally.
We look forward to conference follow ups including ‘green’ packaging workshops on PIQET, LCA and carbon foot-printing scheduled for late 2008 along with our technical forum in June at APMA’s AUSPACK 2009 — and of course, our next National Conference 2010 in Melbourne.
For more information on the AIP please contact 07 3278 4490
Craig Wellman is national president elect of the Australian Institute of Packaging
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