AIP December 2015 eNewsletter

AIP National Office 34 Lawson Street Oxley QLD 4075 Australia +61 7 3278 4490 +61 7 3009 9916 [email protected] www.aipack.com.au

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DECEMBER 2015

2015 YEAR IN REVIEW

For the AIP to remain relevant the Institute needs to ensure that it is offering something for everyone and 2015 has certainly been an indication that we have delivered on this commitment. The AIP has introduced a significant amount of new initiatives and educational offerings this year including our new partnership with the IoPP in the US, the Certified Packaging Professional designation, the bite-sized modules for the Fundamentals of Packaging Technology

course, availability of international textbooks for our members and the Master of Food and Packaging Innovation course. CERTIFIED PACKAGING PROFESSIONAL DESIGNATIONThe Certified Packaging Professional designation will become the leading mark of excellence internationally and a must-have recognition of industry proficiency and achievement for packaging professionals under a new partnership announced by the Institute of Packaging Professionals (IoPP) in the U.S. and the Australian Institute of Packaging (AIP). IoPP and AIP will mutually recognise CPP as the gold standard of broad packaging proficiency under a program in which AIP members will join qualifying IoPP members as being eligible for certification. Approximately 2,000 packaging professionals have earned the CPP designation, a trademark of IoPP, since the program was launched 1972. Being able to offer the CPP credential in Australasia allows packaging professionals in our industry the opportunity to join recognised packaging experts from around the world with the industry’s leading professional designation. Attaining the CPP designation is an excellent investment in your professional development, and the credential defines the packaging professional and allows organisations to seek out and hire the right professional based on verified knowledge, skills and industry contributions. Using the CPP program to assess and evaluate one’s professional competency validates you as internationally proficient as a packaging professional, a cut above your peers.

NATIONAL TECHNICAL FORUMSWe have also continued to offer the industry national educational activities such as the 2015 National Technical Forums which were held alongside of AUSPACK in Melbourne. The 2015 National Technical Forums were developed on a new model - four days and included 40 speakers, 8 countries and 11 sessions. Over the four days there were 760 session visits to the forums, with 222 delegates averaging 2 sessions each over two days.

AIP PARTNERS

Find out how your company can become a partner of the AIP by emailing [email protected]

http://aipack.com.au/industry-links/industry-collaboration/

https://au.linkedin.com/in/australianinstituteofpackaging

AIP NEWSLETTER DECEMBER 20152

BITE-SIZED MODULES – FUNDAMENTALS OF PACKAGING TECHNOLOGYThe Institute of Packaging Professionals’ Fundamentals of Packaging Technology is now available to the packaging industry in Australasia through AIP’s partnership with IoPP—respected for decades as the trusted authority for continuing packaging education in the USA. Fundamentals of Packaging Technology on-line is set up for the convenience of busy working professionals, and the training platform is functionally intuitive. Complete your training when your time allows, and at your own pace. Wherever you are, the course goes with you! Fundamentals of Packaging Technology on-line course content is developed by IoPP in consultation with packaging subject matter experts at leading global consumer packaged goods companies who face packaging challenges just like yours. Take the complete course and learn about all the major segments of packaging—and beyond. Or customise your training by selecting from 12 lesson bundles organised by topic, or from single lessons as short as 30 minutes. Fundamentals on-line spans 42 modules and 27 hours of content that is recognised for its quality by the World Packaging Organisation. The Fundamentals of Packaging Technology on-line course is ideal training to prepare for the Certified PackagingProfessional (CPP) exam offered through the AIP and the IoPP.

MASTER IN FOOD AND PACKAGING INNOVATIONThe Master of Food and Packaging Innovation is a new inter-disciplinary degree that explores food science, entrepreneurship and innovation in product and packaging design at an advanced level. This unique course forms part of a joint University of Melbourne, Mondelēz International and the Australian Institute of Packaging initiative, with the support of the VictorianGovernment. You will learn the skills necessary to develop valuable and innovative food products that address key issues such as transportability, durability, tamper proofing and perishability issues, as well as key environmental, economic, social and ethical factor.

APPMA SCHOLARSHIPThe APPMA once again provided an annual scholarship program that enabled one person to study a Diploma in Packaging Technology to the value of $10,000. Due to the quality of submissions that were received this year the APPMA agreed to provide two scholarships to the value of $20,000. The winners of the 2015 APPMA Scholarship are Alysha Baggett, PackagingTechnologist, Frucor Beverages and Alexandra Brayshaw, Accessibility Design Researcher, Arthritis Australia. SITE VISITSThe AIP ran 8 site visits over two countries in 2015 which saw 160 people in attendance. HALF-DAY TRAINING COURSESThe Institute ran 6 Half-Day Training Courses over two countries in 2015 which saw 75 people receive additional packaging training. TECHNICAL DINNERSThe AIP ran 7 technical dinners which saw 282 in attendance. The technical dinners were in collaboration with 5 industry associations that the AIP works with each year. WOMEN MENTORING PROGRAMFor the second year the AIP have worked in collaboration with Emberin to create a 12 week program using My Mentor Courageous Woman mentoring program for women in the food, beverage, manufacturing and packaging industries. This program has been specifically designed for the packaging industry.

2015 YEAR IN REVIEW Cont’d

NEW MEMBERSThe AIP would like to welcome the following new Members...

Johan van Vuuren Member VICBelinda Hanson-Kenny Member SA

STATE

JOIN THE AIP LINKED IN GROUP TODAY

The AIP recognises the changing role of social media as an additional means of reaching our members, sponsors, and industry contacts across Australasia as an international group. The AIP has a Linked in Group and we invite you to join your peers who have already connected. Linkedin: Australian Institute of Packaging.

https://au.linkedin.com/in/australianinstituteofpackaging

AIP NEWSLETTER DECEMBER 2015 3

2015 YEAR IN REVIEW

NATIONAL TECHNICAL FORUMS

MASTER IN FOOD AND PACKAGING INNOVATION


2015 YEAR IN REVIEW

SITE VISITS

APPMA SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS


2015 YEAR IN REVIEW

TECHNICAL DINNERS

HALF-DAY TRAINING COURSES


THE SOUTHERN CROSS JUDGES RATIONALE AWARD

The AIP is pleased to advise that the 2015 Southern Cross Judges Rationale Winner is Sarah McColl, from Billy Blue College of Design, VIC with her Next Level Spice Entry. Sarah’s rationale showed that she knows her stuff! Her level of research was impressive and really paved

the way for her to reach such a sound solution. Starting with the current problems faced by consumers with spice packaging – she has designed a 3 level, concertina shaped pack that allows the consumer to stack at various levels so each variant is visible in the cupboard.

Sarah has incorporated bright colours and silver foiling to allow the pack to stand out both on the shelf and at home. The product has been carefully considered as she has chosen an opaque white plastic with no

transparent windows to protect the spice from the UV light which would impact the flavour. A UV light inhibitor has been added to the plastic for further protection.

As the sponsor of the Judges Rationale Award the AIP will be presenting Sarah with a two-day ticket to attend the 2016 AIP National Conference. Please join with the AIP Board in congratulating Sarah McColl.

AIP SPONSORS SOUTHERN CROSS AWARDS

HALF-DAY TRAINING COURSES HEADED TO NZ

In late November the AIP ran two half-day training courses for our New Zealand Members. The courses were Introduction to Plastics and Modified Atmosphere Packaging and saw 27 people in attendance over the two-days. A thank you to Sharon Humphreys at Packaging Council of NZ for hosting our training at their offices and for her on-going support of the AIP. The AIP will be taking some of the new courses to NZ in 2016.

1 & 2 JUNE2016 AIP NATIONAL CONFERENCE

PACKAGING & PROCESSING WEEKCROWN PROMENADE, SOUTHBANK, VICTORIA

THREE WAYS THAT YOU CAN BE INVOLVED IN THE BIENNIAL AIP NATIONAL CONFERENCE...

SPEAKDo you have a unique packaging and processing design or innovation that you would like to talk about? Submit a paper for consideration no later than the 22nd of January.Click here for call for paper application.

EXHIBITDoes your company have packaging or processing materials, designs, products or machinery that would be of interest to Food and Beverage manufacturers? Limited exhibition space and exclusive partnership opportunities are available for the conference.Click here for partner packages.

ATTENDDo you want to learn more about the latest packaging and processing trends and innovations? Do you want to network with like-minded packaging professionals? Then mark the 1st and 2nd of June 2016 in your calendar.

123PH: +61 7 3278 4490 [email protected] aipack.com.au

Designed for packaging designers, technologists, engineers, sales and marketing people the biennial AIP National Conference is the largest packaging and processing conference of its kind in Australia and New Zealand. Run by industry for industry the AIP National Conference has been leading the way in professional and personal development for decades and is a part of the annual Packaging & Processing Week.

http://aipack.com.au/wp-content/uploads/AIP_2016_NC_Call_For_Papers.pdf

http://aipack.com.au/wp-content/uploads/AIP_2016_NC_Partners_Kit.pdf


FINISHED PRODUCT INFORMATION OFFICER POSITION

JOB NO: 494048WORK TYPE: Fixed Term Full TimeLOCATION: Melbourne Metro

An exciting opportunity exists for an energetic and proactive person to join the Quality and Innovation team, reporting to the Quality Data Administrator for a 6 month contract. You will be responsible for the coordination and cleansing of Product Information, through collaboration with Quality and Innovation Product Developers, Commercial and Supply Chain divisions.

YOUR KEY DELIVERABLES INCLUDE, BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO:

• Timely and efficient reviews of each product category and recommending process improvements to assist with the tasks, while supporting the marketing, product development and supply chain teams to gather the required information.

• Provide feedback and recommendations to the key stakeholders on the progress and also on Finished Product Information system enhancements.

• Check product information aligns across all facets including packaging, the website, printed information and GoScan.• Develop and maintain data collation and reporting.• Provide support for Food Safety Governance.• Develop and provide support and responses (indirect and direct) for customers on quality and technical processes.• Undertake learning programs to support skills and capabilities for management of technical data and communication.

To be successful in this role, you will be a tertiary qualified Food Technologist (or related discipline) and ideally will have had extensive exposure with product development within the FMCG industry, however, recently qualified graduates in Food Technology (or related disciplines) are also encouraged to apply. You will have completed formal training and have gained practical experience in quality systems and food safety (HACCP.) You will be able to provide examples around your technical knowledge with the use of the Microsoft Suite and your exposure to Hamilton Grant is desirable. Your strong communication, can-do attitude, strong customer relations and trust building skills will ensure your success in this role. A tertiary qualification in a relevant science discipline such as Food Technology is desirable.

IF THIS SOUNDS LIKE YOU, PLEASE APPLY NOW – CLICK HERE….

No matter what you’re packaging, we offer the best packaged deal.

WWW.PACKAGINGNEWS.COM.AU

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2015

Top three trends impacting global packaging marketOrora adds logistics arm to boost fibre businessCopyright law unpacked for brand ownersPackaging industry news year in review Shelf ready packaging challenges for convertersFinalists in Australian design awards announcedP

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www.packagingnews.com.au www.foodanddrinkbusiness.com.au

Subscribe @ www.greatmagazines.com.auprint + website + enewsletter + digital magazine

05663 PKN AIP QP.indd 1 2/12/15 4:12 PM

http://aipack.com.au/careers/careers-simplot-australia-finished-product-information-officer/


POSTHARVEST PACKAGING TECHNOLOGIST POSITION

• Major manufacturer of packaging technology• Use your knowledge to drive packaging innovation• Outstanding career opportunity, excellent remuneration

OUR CLIENTOur client is a leader in manufacturing and produces a vast range of packaging products for a diverse customer base in a wide range of market sectors. The company is at the leading edge of innovative packaging solutions.

ROLERapid advancements have been made in packaging technology during the last few years to curtail postharvest losses in fresh produce and to ensure food security and safety. The position of Postharvest Packaging Technologist (PHPT) will focus mainly on the annual and perennial horticulture sectors. These are associated with the value chain starting at the retail and market sectors back to the farm gate. The PHPT will participate as a member of the team of packaging engineers, external agriculture production specialists, marketing specialists, sales specialists and business specialists who develop a system where fruits and vegetables are harvested, processed and marketed with the highest value added achieved, the postharvest losses are minimised, and products are packaged as required to achieve desired results.

DESCRIPTIONDemonstrated knowledge in the key steps in the value chain and experience in applying them in the Australian horticultural industries is required of the PHPT. The position will understand facets of horticultural products such as the design of such facilities as packing houses, market centres, cold chain design and operations, packaging and boxing for field transport, pack house processing centre transport to market, and packaging and storage in markets. The person will be skilled at advising on appropriate quality standards for each major point along the value chain, developing and promoting new value products, assisting in the development of training and extension programs in postharvest technology, developing the components of the cold chain including packing house, pre-cooler, cold storage, refrigerated transport and refrigerated stalls and chillers, and understanding the cooling protocols for each crop going into the cold chain.

REQUIREMENTSThe role has primary responsibility for providing advice and direction to the company to assist development and sales of packaging items in to the “produce” sector. The person must understand intimately the many factors that can influence the quality of fruit and vegetables, and not just the packaging elements - including growing conditions, the particular life cycle of the crop, the optimum time to harvest, cooling, gas levels, season and variety. This is a complex area that requires high-level technical skills. But as part of the sales team the person must be capable of using these skills to generate business. This will involve working closely with potential clients at every level of the value chain to understand problem areas and present innovative packaging solutions.

INTERESTED?We are a specialist agriculture, food and wine recruitment company. Are you interested and are you the one we’re looking for? Please feel free to apply for this role

Agribusiness Food manufacture & retail Wine

CLICK HERE TO APPLY

http://aipack.com.au/careers/careers-agricultural-appointments/


DON’T MISS OUT ON THE LATEST AIP ACTIVITIES FOR 2016ALL MEMBERS ARE INVITED TO ATTEND ANY EVENTS ACROSS AUSTRALIA & NEW ZEALANDTo register to attend any of the events simply email [email protected] or visit the events page on www.aipack.com.au

AIP TECHNICAL DINNERWhen: Where:

Wednesday the 10th of FebruaryBox Hill Golf Club, Box Hill, VIC 3128Understanding the Australian Recycling Label & the Packaging Recyclability Evaluation Portal (PREP) The Australia recycling rate for packaging has risen to be one of the highest in the world, but it hasn’t increased since 2010. This indicates there is a need for a new recycling revolution, but this will require some innovation, leadership and an increased level of knowledge by packaging designers. In August 2015, Planet Ark launched the Australian Recycling Label, with Officeworks being the first business to adopt the label on its products to help its consumers to do the right thing. Importantly the ARL is underpinned by evidence, which is obtained from the Packaging Recyclability Evaluation Portal, or PREP, that was developed by GreenChip and Planet Ark with the support of the APC. The dinner will include presentations from the three organisations who have lead this initiative so that packaging designers are better equipped to contribute actively to this recycling revolution. The presentations will then be followed by a panel discussion.

What:

Speakers:

VIC

* = 3 CPE's

TOOHEYS BREWERY SITE VISITMEMBERS ONLY - WAITING LIST ONLY

VISY BEVERAGE CAN + VISY BOARD SITE VISITS

JAMESTRONG PACKAGING SITE VISIT

MULTIPACK RETAIL & FOOD SITE VISITS

When: Thursday 18th of FebruaryWhere: Tooheys Brewery, LidcombeWhat:

When: Where: What:

When: Wednesday 2nd of MarchWhere: Jamestrong Packaging, KyabramWhat:

When: Wednesday 6th of AprilWhere: Site Visit 1:

Multipack RETAIL, MoorebankSite Visit 2: Multipack FOOD, Ingleburn

What:

NSW

QLD

VIC

NSW

* = 1 CPE

* = 2 CPE

* = 1 CPE

* = 2 CPE

Friday 19th of FebruaryVisy Beverage Can + Visy Board , Stapylton QldThis site visit will provide attendees the opportunity to see both the state-of the-art Beverage Can facility and the Visy Board site.

Multipack is Australia’s leading FMCG contract packager, specialising in retail and promotional packaging of consumers goods on two distinct state-of-the-art sites – FOOD at Ingleburn, and therapeutics and household products at Moorebank. Attendees will start the tour at the Multipack head office and retail site at Moorebank and then head over to the new Multipack FOOD facility. The site visits will then be followed by lunch.

Attendees will have the opportunity to visit the Kyabram Food Can Manufacturing Facility where they will see the Tinplate food can and nutrition can manufacturing process. Jamestrong Packaging has opened a 6500 square-metre warehouse in Kyabram, Victoria, adjacent to the can maker’s existing manufacturing facility. The warehouse features a positive air-flow system that prevents ingress of air and any potential contaminants. The system makes the facility a clean environment for the manufacture of food packaging.

All attendees will have the opportunity to hear from the Brewery Director about the processes and culture on-site as well as learn about the beer brewing process, the packaging of product and see first-hand the manufacturing process across the packaging hall and warehousing/dispatch hall. All attendees will be invited to finish the tour by enjoying some of the Tooheys product in the on-site Tap Room.

Anthony Peyton MAIPDirectorGreenChip

Shaun ScallanManager Business DevelopmentPlanet Ark Environmental Solutions

Lok Man-ShuNational Sustainability ManagerOfficeworks


DON’T MISS OUT ON THE LATEST AIP ACTIVITIES FOR 2016ALL MEMBERS ARE INVITED TO ATTEND ANY EVENTS ACROSS AUSTRALIA & NEW ZEALAND

To register to attend any of the events simply email [email protected] or visit the events page on www.aipack.com.au

AIP NATIONAL CONFERENCE

PROPAK ASIA FOODTECH PACKTECH

When: 11th to 13th October FoodTechPackTechWhere: Auckland, New ZealandWhat:

When: 15th to 18th JuneWhere: ThailandWhat:

When:What: Where:

What:

1 & 2 JUNE AIP National ConferenceCrown PromenadeSouthbank, Victoria

VIC

Designed for packaging designers, technologists, engineers, sales and marketing people the biennial AIP National Conference is the largest packaging and processing conference of its kind in Australia and New Zealand. Run by industry for industry the AIP National Conference has been leading the way in professional and personal development for decades and is a part of the annual Packaging & Processing Week.

ProPak Asia goes from strength to strength as Asia’s No. 1 international processing and packaging event for Asia’s rapidly expanding food, drink, pharmaceutical and FMCG markets. With a backdrop of growing consumer demand, high GDP growth rates, increasing exports, the formation of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) and a 23 year history, ProPak Asia provides the not-to-be-missed annual meeting point for the industry across Asia. ProPak Asia 2015 was the biggest and best edition so far, breaking all previous records in terms of show size and visitor numbers with a significant increase in regional visitorship.

www.propakasia.com

Foodtech Packtech (FTPT) is New Zealand’s largest food manufacturing, packaging and processing technology trade show.

Running strong for over 20 years this free to attend event brings industry professionals and decision makers together providing a forum for education, discussion and the sharing of knowledge and expertise, critical in the sustainability and growth of the industry.

www.foodtechpacktech.co.nz


EDUCATION DIRECTOR - END OF YEAR REPORT

FORMAL EDUCATION I am happy in the way that both the Certificate in Packaging and Diploma in Packaging Technology course activities are being undertaken and the good communication that our Education Administrator maintains on a regular basis between students and AIP office. We await the November exam results and certainly hoping for good outcomes with many smiling students. We have appointed George Ganzenmuller FAIP as the trainee tutor for the Certificate in Packaging course under my guidance. George will be ready on his own by mid 2016. We have in place opportunities to grow the student base in both disciplines of study starting January 2016 and look forward to the industry response.

EDUCATION COMMITTEE MEETING This committee which meets once a year on the Gold Coast, met during November, where a significant basket of ideas and discussion points all relating to some or other aspect of education were discussed. There has been an enormous amount done in education these past 12 months and I am of the opinion that we need to consolidate and see what has been achieved, what still needs to be done in the short term and establish how we will achieve what needs to be done in the new year. We also looked at longer term planning, which aspects to concentrate on, future strategies, ideas, covering all the facets of AIP Education and Training as well as financial aspects thereof.

SCHOLARSHIPS The AIP along with the Australian Packaging and Processing Machinery Association (APPMA) award Diploma as well as Certificate scholarships, and we are gearing up already for next year and have had a few encouraging enquiries. May I encourage all those keen to study but do not have the financial means, to apply for these scholarships. If you were unsuccessful before, you may well be successful in 2016.

½ DAY TRAINING I am extremely proud what the AIP achieved in this form of education and training. All is progressing well in this area of education. The AIP has 16 short courses (half day courses) that can be delivered at any time. In 2015 we launched Food Safety – Packaging Standards & Regulations, Introduction to Product Identification as well as Modified Atmosphere Packaging. Additional courses will come on stream in 2016, Accessible Design, Copyright, Contracts and the Law, Labelling- design, materials and equipment and more courses for New Zealand.

CORPORATE PARTNERING PROGRAM Our business tailored training program focuses on specific business needs and requirements and provides a learning experience for a specific group of employees or an entire work force. This is usually based on the Certificate and/or Diploma course in Packaging Technology content. In the past it has worked well as it is company specific. We currently are working with two companies for 2016.

MASTER IN FOOD AND PACKAGING INNOVATION Mondelēz International together with University of Melbourne and the AIP launched the Masters course where we saw the Packaging intensive training taking place during the mid year break from 6 - 10 July 2015. I extend my thanks and appreciation to the team of 8 lecturers who did a splendid job in the Veterinary Science department during these intensives as it all ran like clockwork.

It was a great success and the feedback from the university has been most encouraging. The UoM. Together with this, the AIP took part in an open day promoting careers in September 2015. In July 2016 we will see the AIP delivering two intensives over two weeks for the Masters course, namely the Food Packaging Design content as well as the Food Packaging Materials and Processes content.

INSTITUTE OF PACKAGING PROFESSIONALS (USA) The AIP has partnered with the Institute of Packaging Professionals (IoPP) in the United States of America to create an opportunity for our members and others to be able to study on-line the Fundamentals of Packaging in bite-size modules. This offer has just been launched and the response from industry has been most positive. For those interested I encourage you to contact the AIP office because you are now able to study at your own place in the comforts of your home.

CERTIFIED PACKAGING PROFESSIONAL Through the IoPP, AIP members can sign up to take the WPO accredited qualification as a Certified Packaging Professional. Already 8 other countries have also taken up the challenge and opportunity of gaining this global accreditation. The AIP already has two accredited CPP members and a further 22 are currently undertaking the program.

PACKAGING TEXT BOOKS The AIP has ensured that all Members have the opportunity to purchase at a discounted amount certain books that the AIP has supported. The AIP believes that these books helps you stay abreast or updates those wanting to know more through the medium of books in the bound format. Currently the following can be bought from the AIP office: Fundamentals of Packaging: IoPP, Owning It: Sharon Givoni, Better Packaging, Better World: Institute of Packaging Brazil.

WPO EDUCATION AND TRAINING IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES The AIP continues to lead from the front in assisting in training within the World Packaging Organisation (WPO). The main focus over the past few years has been to run Packaging Technology Residential Training Programs in Asian developing countries. Training in Vietnam took place in early November 2015. The good news is that Africa is back on the cards with Nigeria and Ghana on the training calendar for 2016 after a 2 year layoff from those areas due to the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) outbreak in West Africa. Kenya now also comes on stream which is really encouraging. The courses in Nigeria and Kenya will be Pharmaceutical Packaging.

The intention next year will be to offer training in Indonesia, China, Singapore and Malaysia whilst we will be breaking new ground in Italy and Iran. We continue to exploring the possibilities of training in Bolivia, Colombia and Mexico as well as Hungary, Croatia and the Czech Republic.

GENERAL Education and Training remains the cornerstone of the AIP and I will continue to focus on just that, ensuring that we remain abreast with developments here and abroad. The AIP is educating and training over a wide front, it is exciting, demanding but most fulfilling. We will continue to serve our Members in education in the way that suits them best.

Pierre Pienaar MSc, FAIP, CPPAIP Education [email protected]


AIP PACKS 1250 HAMPERS FOR FOODBANK

Over 160 members of the AIP, APPMA, SCLAA and QSCLC, spent their annual Christmas party for the sixth consecutive year with a twist. The members spent the day packing a record 1250 hampers, for Foodbank to distribute to those in need at Christmas; many of whom are without employment, families with young children and living on the poverty line.

The 1250 Foodbank Hampers project is a culmination of twelve months of work, over $140,000 worth of goods raised to go inside the hampers and generous support from many companies across the country who assisted with the goods collection. The 2015 hampers were worth over $120 each and were made up of food and personal hygiene products. This year we added an addditional 350 x packs for ladies and 100 x packs for nominated charities, with an additional value of $44,000..

In six years the AIP, in conjunction with the SCLAA, the APPMA and the QSCLC, have packed 4300 hampers to the value of over $541,000. We would like to acknowledge Blackmores, Collins Food Group, Kimberly Clark, Colgate, OfficeMax, Sizzlers, the APPMA, BDO, Stanwell Corporation, TAE, All Purpose Transport, Linde, Department of Public Housing & Works for going above and beyond this year to help provide goods and funds for the hampers. Without the industry supporting this project it would not be as successful year-on-year.


AIP SALARY SURVEY

0% 10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

2%

2%

13%

42%

11%

27%

3%Pharmaceutical

Food

Beverage

Health and Beauty

Packaging

Confectionary

Other

In which industry are you employed in?

42% of the total respondents indicated that they work in the packaging industry, followed by 27% working in the food industry.

42% of the total respondents indicated that they work in a packaging technology and development function within their business. This was followed by 18% in Sales & Marketing and 12% in Packaging Design & Innovation.

0% 10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

2%

6%

9%

42%

10%

11%

13%

3%

5%

18%

2%

4%

Packaging Technology and Development

Sales & Marketing

Packaging Design and Innovation

Research & Development

Packaging Engineering

Business Development

Operations

Management- CEO, MD

Purchasing

Sustainability

Industry Consultancy

Other

Please select the function that primarily best describes what you do?

In 2015 the AIP launched the first Australasian Packaging & Processing Industry Salary Survey which is designed to identify important information about the industry we serve. Here are some of the key results from the survey. The AIP will run this survey again in 2016.


AIP SALARY SURVEY Cont’d

22% of the total respondents currently hold the title/position of Senior Packaging Technologist and 15% are a Packaging Manager.

31% of the total respondents indicated that they earn more than $120,000 AUD per annum. This was followed by 17% earning between $91,000 and $100,000.

0% 5% 10%

15%

20%

25%

3%

3%

3%

3%

6%

5%

5%

1%

2%

2%

22%

14%

15%

4%

4%

8%

Packaging Engineer

Packaging Technologist – Junior

Packaging Technologist- Senior

Packaging Coordinator

Packaging Manager

Packaging Development Manager

Research & Development Manager

Account Manager

Sales & Marketing Manager

Marketing Manager

Innovation Manager

Business Development Manager

Purchasing Manager

Operations Manager

Industry Consultant

Other

Please select the title/position that you hold?

What is your Annual Salary – Australian & NZ income only

0% 5% 10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

31%

4%

1%

1%

1%

17%

2%

10%

9%

14%

10%

21K - 30K

41K - 50K

51K - 60K

61K - 70K

71K - 80K

81K - 90K

91K - 100K

101K - 110K

111K - 120K

120K and above

Paid in other currency



66% of the total respondents indicated that they received nil to 3% increase in their last salary review. 26% of the total respondents did receive a 3% to 5% increase.

22% of the total respondents indicated that they hold a Postgraduate Degree as their highest qualification, followed by 15% with a Masters Degree. 40% of the total respondents indicated that their highest qualification is an Undergraduate Degree.

Nil to 3% 66%

3% to 5% 26%

5% to 8% 3%More than 8% 5%

In your last review, by approximately what percentage did your salary to increase?

Postgraduate Degree 22%

Masters 15%

Doctorate - Phd 1% Other 4%

No Tertiary qualification 18%

Undergraduate Degree 40%

What is the level of the highest qualification that you have completed?



41% of the total respondents indicated that the most difficult area to recruit in has been Packaging Technology & Development. Followed by 24% in Packaging Design & Innovation and 20% in Packaging Engineering.

Packaging Technology and Development

Packaging Design and Innovation

Packaging Engineering

Sales & Marketing

Operations

Research & Development

Food Science

Other - please specify

Business Development

Graphic Design and Artwork

Purchasing

Academia

Sustainability

What are the areas within the industry that have been difficult to recruit in?

0% 10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

2%

6%

6%

41%

24%

8%

9%

17%

4%

1%

20%

3%

5%

KEY EXTERNAL FACTORS IMPACTING YOUR BUSINESS

1. Interest Rates51% of total respondents indicated that Interest rates have No Impact on their business.

2. Australian Dollar Exchange Rates53% of the total respondents indicated that Australian Dollar exchange Rates have a Negative Impact on their business.

3. Consolidation of manufacturing plants in Australia and NZ47% of the total respondents indicated that consolidation of manufacturing plants in ANZ have No Impact on their business.

4. Manufacturing being moved offshore49% of the total respondents indicated that they believe that Manufacturing being moved offshore has a Negative Impact on their business.

5. Capital Investment54% of the total respondents indicated that Capital Investment has a Positive Impact on their business.

6. Competition from China, India and other parts of Asia58% of the total respondents indicated that they believe that Competition from China, India and other parts of Asia have a Negative Impact on their business.


The 14th annual Cormack Innovation Awards night was held on 5 November 2015. Tom Gleeson, Comedian, gave the audience lots to laugh about. The crowd roared from the many, very honest, accounts he gave. Don’t ask him to take your photo twice!

Tom Gleeson Designs on display

The First Place design winner, Jose Navarro from the University of Technology Sydney, was selected for the award because of his innovative concept ‘Tug and Serve’, a measured dose dispenser to suit both dry dog food and rice products. The 2015 Design Brief ‘Packaging for Dual Markets’ asked students to submit one packaging design concept that could be used in two different market sectors. Jose’s enthusiasm on receiving the award ended the formalities of the evening on a high. Jose was awarded $2,500 in prize money together with a 2 month paid internship at Cormack Packaging. His exuberance and energy will make for a great Internship program for the young designer.

Tug & Serve Design Jose Navarro and Mathew Cormack

UTS where therefore awarded the Perpetual Trophy for the 8th time in 14 years. A magnificent achievement. Special mention must be made of the course lecturers Anton Nemme, Gonzalo Portas and Paul Bingham for their support and dedication to the Cormack program. All lecturers gave great feedback on the added value a commercial brief and experiences such as these give to their students and greatly assist their development as designers.

2015 CORMACK INNOVATION AWARDS


2015 CORMACK INNOVATION AWARDS Cont’d

This years’ judging panel consisted of Satyen Desai from Selleys, Todd Beck from Colgate and Brent du Preez from the Australian Institute of Packaging. The panel spent a fully day scoring each design before unanimously deciding on the winners.

Brent du Preez, Satyen Desai, Todd Beck, Virginia Hughes, Howard Glinn

Second Place was awarded to William Tang from the University of Technology Sydney, with his ‘Mezuri Lid System’ design and Third Place was awarded Adrian Apalakis from Western Sydney University, with his ‘Clever Cap’ design. Highly Commended Awards were also presented to Alexander Ghent from the University of New South Wales for his ‘Multi-Measure Cap’ design, Jacob Baxter from the University of Technology Sydney for his ‘Echopak’ design, and Matthew Doyle from the University of Western Sydney for his ‘Grippy All Round’ design.

Alexander Ghent, Adrian Apalakis, William Tang, Jose Navarro, Mathew Cormack, Jacob Baxter, Matthew Doyle

Matthew Doyle was also the recipient of the Australian Packaging Covenant’s Sustainability Award presented by their General Manager, Vanio Calgaro.

The night was a great success and enjoyed by all who attended. Representatives from many major organisations including Coke-a-Cola, Parmalat, Johnson & Johnson, Blackmores, Colgate, Selleys and many more who attend year on year are testament to what a fabulous program this is.

For more information go to www.cormackia.com.au

Vanio Calgaro & Matthew Doyle


[email protected] OR PH: +61 7 3278 4490

ON-LINE FUNDAMENTALS OF PACKAGING TECHNOLOGY BITE-SIZED MODULES

NOW AVAILABLE IN AUSTRALASIA THROUGH THE AIP.

NEEDING TO FILL KNOWLEDGE GAPS? NEED A BROAD INTRODUCTION TO PACKAGING?

TECH SPEAK www.packagingnews.com.au November-December 2015 November-December 2015 www.packagingnews.com.au TECH SPEAK 11

IMAGINE the following scenarios:

■ You create a logo for a food product in-spired by one you saw overseas. This is okay, right? After all, you ask yourself, what are the chances that the overseas company will ever find out?

■ You fall in love with the look and feel of the design of a cereal box on the market. You figure that if you create your own version and change it by 10% you should be okay. Is that how the law really works, though? What are the limits?

■ You commission a graphic designer to create a nice pattern to use on your pack-aging and are thrilled with the results. You think that because you paid for it, you “own it”, but are surprised and dis-

mayed to discover this very same pattern being used all over the designer’s web-site and a similar version of it on another business’s products. What can you do and do you have any legal comeback?This article explores the answers to

some of these questions and unpacks some copyright basics too.

WHAT IS COPYRIGHT?Copyright is an incentive system that en-courages people to create and innovate by rewarding the author of a work with cer-tain exclusive rights in relation to that work for a certain period of time (generally, copyright lasts for the life of the author plus 70 years).

Copyright protection arises automatical-ly as soon as a work is created and reduced to some sort of tangible form. In other words, in Australia, you are not required to register your work, nor do you have to use the “©” symbol to be protected.

Copyright protects a wide range of works including written words, logo designs, pat-terns, moulds, drawings, photographs and graphic designs. In short, anything that forms part of your packaging design may be subject to copyright protection.

COPYRIGHT IN ACTIONA fundamental rule of copyright law is that it does not protect thoughts, concepts or ideas. Copyright protects works that are expressed in a material form and brought into being by a human author.

So, once you create your drawing of a boy with a balloon, you will own copyright in that specific drawing (the expression of the idea). However, you will not own the idea of a drawing of a boy holding a balloon.

This makes sense. After all, no one individual can have a

monopoly over the idea of a picture of a boy holding a balloon. This has been said to be one of the trickiest parts of copy-right law and is known as the idea/ex-pression dichotomy.

In other words, there can be a fine line between whether an idea or the actual ex-pression of that idea has been copied.

NUMBERS, NUMBERS … Whether or not a work has been copied is not a numbers game or an exact science. There is no such rule that if you change a work by 10%, you will avoid copyright infringement. Rather, the court looks at the quality of what has been copied over quantity.

Copyright law doesn’t just prevent oth-ers from making exact copies, but also stops others from making substantial re-productions of your work.

Although this can be difficult to navi-gate, the important message is that you do not have to copy all of someone’s work to be liable for copyright infringement – it could just be the main feature or essential part and again what this means varies on a case by case basis.

COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENTCopyright infringement can happen in a number of ways and can extend well be-yond pulling out some tracing paper or snapping a photo.

■ Direct infringement – Essentially, if you reproduce someone else’s work – in any

form and without their permis-sion – you may be liable for copy-right infringement. Always make sure you are authorised to use or reproduce any content on packag-ing – from the images on the pack right down to the words.

■ Authorising infringement – You also can’t tell someone else its okay to copy. That in itself can be a problem, legally speaking.

■ Unconscious copying – You may be lia-ble for copyright infringement even if you had no intention of copying. If your stroke of creative genius turns out to re-ally be a copy of something that you pre-viously had access to and have probably seen before, a court could infer that your moment of creativity was not so innova-tive after all. So, just because you create a design from memory does not get you off the hook. A copy is a copy.

THE INTERNET ‘Ok, well this all doesn’t really apply to me anyway because I only use images from the internet that don’t have the “©” symbol dis-played on them, so I’m allowed to use them… right?’

Some people fall into the trap of think-ing that just because works are on the In-ternet or they cannot find the owner or cre-ator of the image, they are free to pin it, share it, tweet it, print it, photocopy it, etc. Not so. Many images are protected under copyright law even if they are online. If in doubt, ignorance is not an excuse. The same applies to packaging. As a general rule, you cannot use images from the internet or adapt them for your own design without permission. As with most things in the law there are some exceptions (eg works out of copyright) but still: Be careful.

WHO OWNS THE COPYRIGHT?Most likely you will need to commission de-signers to design your product packaging.

Whether you have full-time staff or em-ploy contractors, you need to have an ac-

tive role in ensuring that the designs your staff come up with are original. You can do this by encouraging your staff to provide you with early sketches and other evidence of the creative process. Keep them.

This will put your mind at ease that they haven’t just copied somebody else, and can also be used as proof of independent cre-ation, should anyone accuse your business of copying down the track.

As a starting point, if someone creates a design for you in the course of their em-ployment, you will usually own the copy-right to the work. However, an employee will usually own copyright in anything they create outside of the scope of their em-ployment agreement.

That said, these starting points are al-ways subject to agreements to the contrary and can be altered by employment or li-censing contracts. In the business of pack-aging, this means being astute when hiring or contracting designers.

SHAPING UPIs the overall shape of my packaging protected under copyright law? This is a fairly complex area, and takes us into the domain of design registration.

Without getting too far off topic, you can register and, generally, certify a design for packaging so long as it is both “new” and “distinctive”, granting you exclusive rights to exploit the design commercially. Fur-ther, it must not have been publicly used or displayed on the internet.

The law doesn’t like an overlap of protec-

If someone copied the famous red and yellow Vegemite logo on their own product label, but was to use a completely different name, they could still be infringing the copyright in the logo or packaging design.

As an intellectual property lawyer who works extensively in the area of packaging, Sharon Givoni is often consulted on questions of copyright. Here she unpacks some copyright basics.

10

1. Copyright does not protect ideas but it can protect the expression of ideas. For example, the idea of a red and white rectangular logo cannot be protected, but the particular expression of that idea, such as Kraft’s Vegemite label, is protected.

2. Copyright protects works if they are original (that is, the product of indepen-dent effort, skill, labour and judgement) and expressed in some material form. Sometimes the only way to know for sure if a design for packaging is truly original is to come up with it yourself!

3. There needs to be an “author”. So, an automatically generated database, such as a telephone directory, would not be protected.

4. Just because you paid someone to create a copyright work will not necessarily mean you own it.

5. There is a common myth that you can avoid copyright infringement by changing someone else’s work by 10% or more. In fact, the test is all about the quality of what you take, not the quantity or how you use it. If you copy a substantial part of an existing design and incorporate it into your own packaging design, even if what you copied barely features in your overall design, you may still be guilty in the eyes of the law.

KEY POINTS ABOUT COPYRIGHT LAW:

Unpacking copyright law

tions, so there are measures in place to avoid the possibility of “dual protection”. This is called the “copyright/design overlap”, and is certainly a topic for another day! ■

Sharon Givoni (www.sharongivoni.com.au) is a Melbourne-based intellectual property law-yer advising in areas such as copyright, trade marks, commercial agreements and disputes.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER: This article is of a general na-

ture only and must not be relied upon as a substitute for tai-

lored legal advice from a qualified professional. Sharon Gi-

voni owns copyright in this article.

There can be a fine line between whether an idea or the actual expression of that

idea has been copied.”

Dick Smith avoided copyright infringement when releasing “Dick’s Vapour Rub”. While the name is an obvious play on the well-established brand “Vicks”, the differences in the packaging design were clear enough.

THIS ARTICLE WAS REPRODUCED WITH PERMISSION FROM PKN PACKAGING NEWS






TECH SPEAK www.packagingnews.com.au November-December 2015 November-December 2015 www.packagingnews.com.au TECH SPEAK 11

IMAGINE the following scenarios:

■ You create a logo for a food product in-spired by one you saw overseas. This is okay, right? After all, you ask yourself, what are the chances that the overseas company will ever find out?

■ You fall in love with the look and feel of the design of a cereal box on the market. You figure that if you create your own version and change it by 10% you should be okay. Is that how the law really works, though? What are the limits?

■ You commission a graphic designer to create a nice pattern to use on your pack-aging and are thrilled with the results. You think that because you paid for it, you “own it”, but are surprised and dis-

mayed to discover this very same pattern being used all over the designer’s web-site and a similar version of it on another business’s products. What can you do and do you have any legal comeback?This article explores the answers to

some of these questions and unpacks some copyright basics too.

WHAT IS COPYRIGHT?Copyright is an incentive system that en-courages people to create and innovate by rewarding the author of a work with cer-tain exclusive rights in relation to that work for a certain period of time (generally, copyright lasts for the life of the author plus 70 years).

Copyright protection arises automatical-ly as soon as a work is created and reduced to some sort of tangible form. In other words, in Australia, you are not required to register your work, nor do you have to use the “©” symbol to be protected.

Copyright protects a wide range of works including written words, logo designs, pat-terns, moulds, drawings, photographs and graphic designs. In short, anything that forms part of your packaging design may be subject to copyright protection.

COPYRIGHT IN ACTIONA fundamental rule of copyright law is that it does not protect thoughts, concepts or ideas. Copyright protects works that are expressed in a material form and brought into being by a human author.

So, once you create your drawing of a boy with a balloon, you will own copyright in that specific drawing (the expression of the idea). However, you will not own the idea of a drawing of a boy holding a balloon.

This makes sense. After all, no one individual can have a

monopoly over the idea of a picture of a boy holding a balloon. This has been said to be one of the trickiest parts of copy-right law and is known as the idea/ex-pression dichotomy.

In other words, there can be a fine line between whether an idea or the actual ex-pression of that idea has been copied.

NUMBERS, NUMBERS … Whether or not a work has been copied is not a numbers game or an exact science. There is no such rule that if you change a work by 10%, you will avoid copyright infringement. Rather, the court looks at the quality of what has been copied over quantity.

Copyright law doesn’t just prevent oth-ers from making exact copies, but also stops others from making substantial re-productions of your work.

Although this can be difficult to navi-gate, the important message is that you do not have to copy all of someone’s work to be liable for copyright infringement – it could just be the main feature or essential part and again what this means varies on a case by case basis.

COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENTCopyright infringement can happen in a number of ways and can extend well be-yond pulling out some tracing paper or snapping a photo.

■ Direct infringement – Essentially, if you reproduce someone else’s work – in any

form and without their permis-sion – you may be liable for copy-right infringement. Always make sure you are authorised to use or reproduce any content on packag-ing – from the images on the pack right down to the words.

■ Authorising infringement – You also can’t tell someone else its okay to copy. That in itself can be a problem, legally speaking.

■ Unconscious copying – You may be lia-ble for copyright infringement even if you had no intention of copying. If your stroke of creative genius turns out to re-ally be a copy of something that you pre-viously had access to and have probably seen before, a court could infer that your moment of creativity was not so innova-tive after all. So, just because you create a design from memory does not get you off the hook. A copy is a copy.

THE INTERNET ‘Ok, well this all doesn’t really apply to me anyway because I only use images from the internet that don’t have the “©” symbol dis-played on them, so I’m allowed to use them… right?’

Some people fall into the trap of think-ing that just because works are on the In-ternet or they cannot find the owner or cre-ator of the image, they are free to pin it, share it, tweet it, print it, photocopy it, etc. Not so. Many images are protected under copyright law even if they are online. If in doubt, ignorance is not an excuse. The same applies to packaging. As a general rule, you cannot use images from the internet or adapt them for your own design without permission. As with most things in the law there are some exceptions (eg works out of copyright) but still: Be careful.

WHO OWNS THE COPYRIGHT?Most likely you will need to commission de-signers to design your product packaging.

Whether you have full-time staff or em-ploy contractors, you need to have an ac-

tive role in ensuring that the designs your staff come up with are original. You can do this by encouraging your staff to provide you with early sketches and other evidence of the creative process. Keep them.

This will put your mind at ease that they haven’t just copied somebody else, and can also be used as proof of independent cre-ation, should anyone accuse your business of copying down the track.

As a starting point, if someone creates a design for you in the course of their em-ployment, you will usually own the copy-right to the work. However, an employee will usually own copyright in anything they create outside of the scope of their em-ployment agreement.

That said, these starting points are al-ways subject to agreements to the contrary and can be altered by employment or li-censing contracts. In the business of pack-aging, this means being astute when hiring or contracting designers.

SHAPING UPIs the overall shape of my packaging protected under copyright law? This is a fairly complex area, and takes us into the domain of design registration.

Without getting too far off topic, you can register and, generally, certify a design for packaging so long as it is both “new” and “distinctive”, granting you exclusive rights to exploit the design commercially. Fur-ther, it must not have been publicly used or displayed on the internet.

The law doesn’t like an overlap of protec-

If someone copied the famous red and yellow Vegemite logo on their own product label, but was to use a completely different name, they could still be infringing the copyright in the logo or packaging design.

As an intellectual property lawyer who works extensively in the area of packaging, Sharon Givoni is often consulted on questions of copyright. Here she unpacks some copyright basics.

10

1. Copyright does not protect ideas but it can protect the expression of ideas. For example, the idea of a red and white rectangular logo cannot be protected, but the particular expression of that idea, such as Kraft’s Vegemite label, is protected.

2. Copyright protects works if they are original (that is, the product of indepen-dent effort, skill, labour and judgement) and expressed in some material form. Sometimes the only way to know for sure if a design for packaging is truly original is to come up with it yourself!

3. There needs to be an “author”. So, an automatically generated database, such as a telephone directory, would not be protected.

4. Just because you paid someone to create a copyright work will not necessarily mean you own it.

5. There is a common myth that you can avoid copyright infringement by changing someone else’s work by 10% or more. In fact, the test is all about the quality of what you take, not the quantity or how you use it. If you copy a substantial part of an existing design and incorporate it into your own packaging design, even if what you copied barely features in your overall design, you may still be guilty in the eyes of the law.

KEY POINTS ABOUT COPYRIGHT LAW:

Unpacking copyright law

tions, so there are measures in place to avoid the possibility of “dual protection”. This is called the “copyright/design overlap”, and is certainly a topic for another day! ■

Sharon Givoni (www.sharongivoni.com.au) is a Melbourne-based intellectual property law-yer advising in areas such as copyright, trade marks, commercial agreements and disputes.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER: This article is of a general na-

ture only and must not be relied upon as a substitute for tai-

lored legal advice from a qualified professional. Sharon Gi-

voni owns copyright in this article.

There can be a fine line between whether an idea or the actual expression of that

idea has been copied.”

Dick Smith avoided copyright infringement when releasing “Dick’s Vapour Rub”. While the name is an obvious play on the well-established brand “Vicks”, the differences in the packaging design were clear enough.



Disappearing act: Why not to use ‘degradable’ polyethylene





TECH SPEAK www.packagingnews.com.au September-October 2015 September-October 2015 www.packagingnews.com.au TECH SPEAK 17

POLYETHYLENE is a marvellous plastic. Du-rable, strong, with excellent physical properties and chemical resistance, it is relatively low cost and is converted into many everyday and useful products: fuel containers, water tanks, pressure pipe, film and bags, wire and cable in-sulation, flexible packaging, milk and

other bottles, dinghies and canoes. Life would be very different without polyethylene.

Polyethylene has good durability, but it is susceptible to environmental attack which causes ultimate fragmentation into tiny pieces. To extend the life of the product, ad-ditives are used (antioxidants, UV stabilis-ers). Without these, a polyethylene product left outdoors will deteriorate, embrittle and eventually disintegrate into small particles, persisting in the environment for many years, decades, perhaps hundreds of years.

Technologies have been developed to ac-

celerate the disintegration of polyethylene. Generally known as prodegradants, when added to polyethylene the finished prod-ucts are sometimes called oxodegradable or oxobiodegradable polyethylene.

The additives cause polyethylene to frag-ment more rapidly, speed up what would happen anyway. Visually, the product may have almost disappeared, but it has not dis-appeared, it has simply changed form to millions of particles that will persist in the

environment for an indeterminate time. The particles will not biodegrade, and

will not be used as a food source by micro-organisms as happens with a biodegradable substance. Rather, they accumulate in the soil, rivers and oceans, entering the food chain for terrestrial and marine creatures. Examples of the disastrous effect the parti-cles have on wildlife are abundant as an in-ternet search will demonstrate. As the par-ticles move up the food chain, they are consumed by larger creatures including us. What will be the effect on the human body? No-one knows, but there is evidence from the past that it should be avoided.

Degradable polyethylene is promoted into applications that will directly cause an increase in particles on the land, in the rivers and creeks and in the seas and oceans of the world. These include plastic bags, packaging and agricultural film products. Under some conditions, the de-gradable polyethylene will disintegrate and appear to solve litter or disposal prob-lems, but at what cost? The cost is accumula-tion of plastic particles in the environment.

Degradable polyethelene, used in plastic bags, packaging and agricultural films, is promoted as good for the environment. It's not. Rowan Williams, president of the Australian Bioplastics Association, tells us why.

16

BIODEGRADABLE EXAMINED

If buried in landfill, nothing is gained.Where biodegradability or compostabil-

ity of a plastic product is desirable, prod-ucts are available that are certified to be compostable and biodegradable. Particles will not accumulate in the environment for years. The products will disintegrate and biodegrade to CO2, water and carbon biomass within a short period and have been tested and certified to that effect.

Almost certainly the initial dollar cost will be greater than for degradable polyethyl-ene, but the total cost of degradable polyeth-ylene, including long term irreversible envi-ronmental damage, is many times greater. In modern life we make many choices between a cheap but damaging product and a more expensive but useful and benign one. The choice between certified compostable and biodegradable plastics and so called degrad-able polyethylene is one of these. ■

Further information is available at: www.bioplastics.org.auwww.europeanbioplastics.comwww.bpi.com

As particles move up the food chain, they

are consumed by larger creatures including us.”

In the global market today there are many plastics which are claimed to be biodegradable, compostable, oxo-degradable or oxo-biodegradable.

What do these terms mean in reality? Professor Ramani Narayan of Michigan State University Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science in the United States, a world renowned expert in the field of bioplastics and plastics generally, explains:

“Biodegradation is a measure of the ability of microorganisms to utilise a carbon substrate. Basic biology forms the basis for all the ASTM, ISO, Australian (AS) and European standards (EN) for measuring biodegradability (irrespective of what the initial degradation is – oxo, hydro, chemo or abiotic).

Under aerobic conditions, the carbon is biologically oxidised inside the cell to carbon dioxide (CO2). Under anaerobic conditions, CO2 + methane (CH4) (biogas) are produced.

Terms such as ‘oxo’, ‘hydro’, ‘chemo’ and ‘photo’ describe potential abiotic (nonbiological process) mechanisms of degradation. They do not constitute or represent ‘biodegradability’ .

One must clearly identify the ‘disposal environment’ when discussing or reporting the biodegradability of a product.

Reporting the time to complete biodegra-dation or more specifically the time required for the complete microbial assimilation of the plastic is an essential requirement. Stating that a plastic will eventually biodegrade based on data showing an initial 10−20% biodegradability is not acceptable and misleading. The percent biodegradation reaches a plateau after the initial rate and level of biodegradation − extrapolation from the initial rate and value to 100% biodegra-dation is scientifically untenable.

Specification standards with specific pass/fail criteria exist for biodegradability

in composting conditions − com-postable plastics. There are standard test methods for conducting, measuring and reporting biodegradability; however, they do not have pass/fail criteria. A claim of biodegradability using a standard test method is misleading unless the biodegradabil-ity claim is qualified by the rate and extent of biodeg-radation in the test environment, and validated by an independent third-party labora-tory using interna-tionally adopted standard test methods.

Claims of degradable, partially biodegrad-able or eventually biodegradable are not acceptable. It has been shown that these degraded fragments absorb toxins present in the environment, concentrating them and transporting them up the food chain.

Therefore, verifiable scientifically valid evidence from an approved third-party laboratory is needed to document complete biodegradability in a defined disposal system, in a short time period using the specified international standards”.

Claims of degradable, partially degradable

or eventually biodegradable are not acceptable.”


PH: +61 7 3278 4490 [email protected] aipack.com.au

MAKE 2016 THE YEAR YOU INVEST IN YOUR CAREER

BUILD YOUR PACKAGING CAREER ON FIRM FOUNDATIONS WITH THE AIP.The Australian Institute of Packaging (AIP) is at the forefront of packaging training and education in Australasia; helping to shape the careers of generations of packaging professionals - from packaging technologists to international packaging business leaders along with a host of people in associated disciplines - sales and marketing, purchasing, production and environment.

CERTIFICATE IN PACKAGINGThe Certificate in Packaging is an internationally recognised Level 3 qualification designed to meet the training needs of a wide variety of personnel in packaging, from the new entrant looking for a great start, to design, production, management, sales, marketing or purchasing staff looking to deepen their packaging knowledge.

WHAT’S IN IT FOR ME?The Certificate in Packaging provides a level of insight and understanding of the packaging industry that adds real and measurable value to careers and businesses. Packaging is a fundamental part of modern business, and the Certificate in Packaging provides you with the ‘detailed overview’ of packaging processes that broadens your knowledge, adds value to your business and helps you to prove your worth.

DIPLOMA IN PACKAGING TECHNOLOGYThe Diploma in Packaging Technology is an internationally recognised Level 5 foundation qualification that prepares students to take responsibility for packaging operations at any level through the supply chain and can also lead to higher level study.

WHAT’S IN IT FOR ME?Completion of the Diploma in Packaging Technology demonstrates your commitment to your career and to the industry. Delegates who successfully complete the Diploma are equipping themselves for senior positions within the packaging industry. Networking opportunities abound, providing the chance to draw on the experience and knowledge of others.

MASTER OF FOOD AND PACKAGING INNOVATIONThe Master of Food and Packaging Innovation is a new inter-disciplinary degree that explores food science, entrepreneurship and innovation in product and packaging design at an advanced level. This unique course forms part of a joint University of Melbourne, Mondelēz International and the Australian Institute of Packaging initiative, with the support of the Victorian Government. WHAT’S IN IT FOR ME?You will learn the skills necessary to develop valuable and innovative food products that address key issues such as transportability, durability, tamper proofing and perishability issues, as well as key environmental, economic, social and ethical factors.

CERTIFIED PACKAGING PROFESSIONALThe Certified Packaging Professional designation is the leading mark of excellence internationally and a must-have recognition of industry proficiency and achievement for packaging professionals under a new partnership announced by the Institute of Packaging Professionals (IoPP) in the U.S. and the Australian Institute of Packaging (AIP).

WHAT’S IN IT FOR ME?Attaining the CPP designation is an excellent investment in your professional development, and the credential defines the packaging professional and allows organisations to seek out and hire the right professional based on verified knowledge, skills and industry contributions. Using the CPP program to assess and evaluate one’s professional competency validates you as internationally proficient as a packaging professional, a cut above your peers.

AIP December 2015 eNewsletter

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Transcript of AIP December 2015 eNewsletter