Packaging: fit for the future

The 2020 AIP Australasian Packaging Conference is designed to deliver a two-day educational program that will cover a broad range of topics relating to the theme: Packaging: fit for the future.

Being held from 1–2 April 2020 at the Crown Promenade, Melbourne, the biennial conference will attract delegates from all facets of food, beverage, pharmaceutical, manufacturing and packaging industries, including packaging technologists, designers and engineers, sustainability managers, marketing, sales, production, design agencies to equipment suppliers, raw material providers, users of packaging, retailers and consumers, environmental managers, procurement, quality teams, government and council, and waste and recycling companies.

The packaging industry is facing many challenges at the moment with global plastic pollution and recycling issues and transformational changes to value and supply chain models, resulting in negative government and consumer perceptions. These challenges are requiring packaging companies, manufacturers and retailers to re-think their approaches and undertake strategic changes to address the challenges of meeting global and domestic Sustainable Packaging, National Packaging Targets, transform supply chains; all the while having clear parameters for driving the 4Rs. The packaging industry globally is looking towards true circular value chains and ensuring that recyclability of packaging, recycled content, reducing packaging wherever possible, replacing problematic materials, designing with new materials, looking at how packaging can be re-used and developing closed looped programs, are the new normal for packaging design.

The additional challenge of ‘halving food waste going to landfill by 2030’ is also another target that food manufacturers need to recognise, and designing ‘save food’ packaging is a challenge that packaging technologists and designers need to start incorporating into all product development.

Packaging design is also changing with new intuitive and innovative packaging being introduced every day. Now more than ever is the time to collaborate, share ideas and success stories, discuss the challenges and journeys the industry is facing openly and what we can do collectively to work towards the same targets.

Run by industry for industry, the AIP conference has been leading the way in professional and personal development for over two decades. There will be over 55 speakers covering a broad range of topics under the theme Packaging: Fit for the Future, and all of industry is invited to attend the 2020 AIP Australasian Packaging Conference.

To register, visit: aipack.com.au/event-registration/?ee=248

2020 Packaging Innovation & Design Awards

As a part of the 2020 AIP Australasian Packaging Conference the Australian Institute of Packaging (AIP) will be announcing the winners of the 2020 Packaging Innovation & Design Awards (PIDA). The PIDA Awards are designed to recognise companies and individuals who are making a significant difference in their field in Australia and New Zealand.

The Design Innovation of the Year company awards will recognise organisations that have designed innovative packaging materials within each of these five manufacturing categories:

• Food
• Beverage
• Health, Beauty & Wellness
• Domestic & Household
• Labelling & Decoration

There will be three special awards available:

• Sustainable Packaging Design Special Award
• Save Food Packaging Design Special Award
• Accessible Packaging Design Special Award

In addition, there are three awards designed for people who have made specific contributions to the packaging industry.

These individual awards will include:

• Young Packaging Professional of the Year.
• Industry Packaging Professional of the Year.
• Packaging New Zealand Scholarship (This annual scholarship will offer one person from New Zealand the opportunity to enrol in the Diploma in Packaging Technology course, which is an internationally recognised and accredited course.)

The 2020 PIDA Awards will be held on the evening of 1 April and all of industry is invited to attend.

To register, visit: aipack.com.au/event-registration/?ee=251.