Colorpak’s vision is to create the most outstanding packaging in Australia with a strong focus on innovation and environmental sustainability.
It is this latter aspect that has led Colorpak to sponsor the Evolution Awards for 2009.
By sponsoring the Evolution Awards, Colorpak aims to provide all companies in Australia, no matter how big or small they may be, with the opportunity to display the progress they have made towards developing more environmentally sustainable products and processes.
Under the leadership of general manager, Alex Commins, Colorpak has been walking the walk as well as talking the talk. In the last few months the company achieved ‘Chain of Custody’ certification from the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification schemes (PEFC) and ISO14001 certification.
FSC certification means that Colorpak is committed to sourcing papers and boards from forest managers who comply with regulated forestry practices.
FSC certified papers and board have only been available in Australia since early 2006. ISO14001 is the international Environmental Management Standard (EMS) for organisations engaged in manufacturing and services.
“We saw participation in the FSC and PEFC Chain of Custody schemes as a way to encourage our customers via our certifications to source materials from sustainable sources,” Commins says.
Colorpak believes that it is the first specialist folding cartons business in Australia to achieve ISO 14001 and Alex Commins, says his company is continually seeking ways to enhance its environmental performance.
“Gaining the ISO 14001 certification was an important touchstone. We have worked on this for 12 months and we were delighted to be advised by the independent auditors, Lloyds of London, that we had met all the criteria,” he says.
Measures taken to achieve IS14001 certification include environmental initiatives such as encouraging a culture of environmental awareness amongst all employees and investing in waterless printing technologies to help conserve water, a precious resource on the driest inhabited continent on earth.
Waterless printing is a method of offset printing which is less environmentally damaging than conventional lithographicprinting.
It takes advantage of modern technology such as Computer to plate (CtP) and silicon plates to eliminate chemicals and water altogether in contrast to the high water usage that characterises traditional lithographic printing.
Many waterless printers also use Direct Ink (DI) technology and vegetable-based inks exclusively to further reduce resource use, pollution and volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions.
Waterless presses reduce paper set-up waste for each job and they do not use dampening solutions, which contain alcohols or petroleum-based solvents.
The technological challenges of meeting the customer’s requirements and expectations can be considerable and Colorpak has joined the Waterless Offset Printing Association of Australia to share its knowledge and experiences.
Colorpak, however, is finding that implementing such measures is attracting likeminded companies as customers.
“Every little bit helps,” says Commins. “To go forward in the future companies have got to take on board as many productive environmental initiatives as they can and waterless printing is just one of many."
"We’ve got customers like Telstra who have made it corporate policy to work and partner with companies who are specifically targeting how they’re going to reduce their impact on the environment.”
In concert with waterless printing, Colorpak has also begun harvesting rainwater for use in flushing toilets and introduced a comprehensive waste management and recycling program which is aimed at maximising every resource to its best end use.
“We recycle plastic wrappers, used printing plates, old pallets, and shippers. In our two main production facilities we’ve invested heavily in the automated collection of off cut carton board waste,” Mr Commins says.
Once it has been collected, Colorpak sends the carton board waste on to the manufacturers of corrugated shippers as an important input to their raw material base.
“If you’d do it at home why not do it in business?” Commins adds.
Another major initiative that forms part of ISO 14001 certification is an ongoing process of investigating opportunities for product substitution that reduces waste, increases productivity and makes the entire printing process more sustainable.
A good example of this process is Colorpak’s move away from solvent-based inks to vegetable-based alternatives wherever it is possible as part of its move towards waterless printing.
Sustainable packaging is essential to secure the future of the entire industry and its supply chain as well as the planet.
Colorpak takes this position as part of its core philosophy and the company will continue to direct more of its resources to developing more sustainable ways of producing innovative, high quality packaging.
And Colorpak provides an object lesson for any company that believes trying to be more sustainable will cost too much, that it will endanger the survival of the company.
Over the past two financial years the company has achieved double digit increases in Net Profit after Tax (NPAT). In August 2008, Colorpak announced a 23 percent increase in NPAT for the 2008 Financial Year to $6.2 million from sales of $77.8 million.
“I don’t think the cost of doing things environmentally is a huge impost,” says Mr Commins. “It’s not so much about cost as direction and focus and organising your people to be available to produce the result.”
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