The key sustainability developments at Visy in fibre board has been the use of more recycled papers in its fibre packaging, light weighting of fibre packaging, using improved paper performance and reduced box crush during carton manufacture.
“There is also a strong focus on waste, energy and water reduction in our manufacturing operations,” says Anthony Mackay, R&D Manager Paper and Board Visy Technology and Innovation Centre.
“Visy has several units operating in our pulp and paper operation to utilise biomass and waste by-products as energy sources.”
“The use of plantation sourced fibre for Visy’s Kraft packaging and the energy and water reduction programs at Visy’s Tumut operation have also given the local packaging market access to a more sustainable Kraft paper,” he tells Packaging Magazine.
“The Tumut pulp and paper mill is the world’s most water efficient operation, using only 20 per cent of the water of equivalent best practice mills.”
Visy’s approach to sustainability also extends to Preprint and Post print packaging operations aiming to minimise the dependence on petroleum based raw materials.
“The use of water based inks and reduced solvent varnishes are examples,” Mackay points out. “There is also a strong focus on systems to recycle consumable items.
"Examples of this include recycling of inks and wash water during printing job changes and recovery for recycling of materials from the printing plate development process.”
Mackay says many customers are looking for ways to improve the carbon footprint of their packaging and are working with Visy on fibre based packaging with better fibre recovery during recycling.
Despite this, he says the use of more sustainable solutions requires some changes in practice for the packing supply chain.
“A good example of this is the waxed dipped vegetable carton used in Australia,” he says. “These cartons are extremely robust and will tolerate very rough handling in the packing and supply chain but they are unrecyclable in our existing facilities.
“Other countries have developed alternatives to waxed cartons but these require change to the existing packing methods and more careful treatment in the packing and supply chain.
"Field packed product such as lettuce, for example, that was traditionally exposed to the weather, has been transitioned into packing facilities where the product was packed in a dry environment into an un-waxed carton.
“The development of more sustainable packaging does sometimes need support and a change in practice to provide a better environmental outcome,” he says.
At the same time Visy is working internally to develop stronger packaging with improved moisture resistance which in turn allows lighter packaging that still performs through the supply chain.
In Australia, there is a trend to try and re-engineer the design of packaging products for fresh produce such as vegetables, fruit, meat and seafood so as to use more recycled papers in the contents.
“The challenge is to maintain the performance of recycled packaging in the high humidity environment experienced in the supply chain of these products,” Smith explains.
“New packaging structures have been developed for the packaging to improve the high humidity performance.”
“The underlying objective is to achieve high levels of fibre recovery in the existing recycling streams throughout Australia.
"There are various solutions available that delivery high performance in high humidity conditions, but come at the expense of fibre recovery and end up in land fill.”
In terms of shelf ready packaging, Mackay says a key challenge is to balance ease of opening with protection of the contents during movement through the supply chain.
“The development of better designed boxes and improved perforation patterns and positioning has allowed for these objectives to be better realised,” he says.
Mackay maintains the development of fully recyclable microflute packaging as an alternative to traditional carrier boards with poor fibre recovery for beverage packs and the development of the Multipack for Smith’s Snackfoods are good examples of how fibre based packaging can improve packaging sustainability for food and beverage customers.
“Visy’s new High line packaging has been developed to enhance the high humidity performance of our fruit and vegetable cartons,” he says.
According to Anthony Mackay the use of biologically based polymers to replace those derived from petroleum is an important area of activity for Visy technical teams that will be carried well in to the future.
“We are working to determine how and where these polymers can be used for more sustainable packaging but at the same time maintain the high level of performance and safety demanded by our food and beverage customers,” he says.
“Our recycling teams are also working to understand and develop techniques to handle these new polymers in the recycling stream.”
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