Coordinated by the Australian Institute of Packaging (AIP), the 2022 Australasian Packaging Innovation & Design (PIDA) Awards are designed to recognise companies and individuals who are making a significant difference in their field in Australia and New Zealand. The Sustainable Packaging Design of the Year award recognises companies that have developed innovative packaging or processing solutions that incorporate sustainability considerations.
BioPak wins in the Sustainable Packaging – Compostable category
BioPak reigned supreme in the Compostable sub-category, where it picked up a silver for its FSC Paper Spoon Straws and two gold awards.
The first gold was for Sugarcane Pulp Hot & Cold Cup Lids, created to match and fit the BioPak eco-friendly hot and cold paper cups already available.
The innovation ensures the lids hold onto cups firmly with a distinctive snap feel when applied to cups. The lids are certified home and industrially compostable to Australian standards (AS4738/AS5810) and made from plant-based, renewable resources and are PFAS free.
Switching from single-use plastic packaging derived from finite fossil resources to sugarcane packaging makes a big difference. If a large QSR swapped out 10 million conventional plastic lids to sugarcane pulp BioCane alternatives they could avoid 37,400 kgs of fossil-fuel plastics, offset 83,478 kgs of carbon emissions and if all were composted at home, the organic waste would create 25,900 kgs of nutrient-rich soil which in return sequesters even more carbon from the atmosphere, reversing climate change.
Gold Awards
Sugarcane Pulp Hot & Cold Cup Lids
The first gold was for Sugarcane Pulp Hot & Cold Cup Lids, created to match and fit the BioPak eco-friendly hot and cold paper cups already available.
The innovation ensures the lids hold onto cups firmly with a distinctive snap feel when applied to cups. The lids are certified home and industrially compostable to Australian standards (AS4738/AS5810) and made from plant-based, renewable resources and are PFAS free.
Switching from single-use plastic packaging derived from finite fossil resources to sugarcane packaging makes a big difference. If a large QSR swapped out 10 million conventional plastic lids to sugarcane pulp BioCane alternatives they could avoid 37,400 kgs of fossil-fuel plastics, offset 83,478 kgs of carbon emissions and if all were composted at home, the organic waste would create 25,900 kgs of nutrient-rich soil which in return sequesters even more carbon from the atmosphere, reversing climate change.
FSC Rectangle Paper Containers
The second gold was presented for the BioPak FSC Rectangle Paper Containers.
Many people are not aware that plastic takeaway containers that are contaminated with food (think greasy curry, pasta and other oily foods) cannot be recycled and putting them in the recycling bin can jeopardise the entire bin of recycling.
The new FSC certified rectangular paper containers have been designed to replace plastic take-away containers. They are PLA bioplastic-lined to allow them to carry hot, greasy foods without spoiling or breaking. The PLA bioplastic lining is made from rapidly renewable materials. The footprint of these renewable materials is smaller than that of traditional plastics derived from fossil resources – Ingeo bioplastic for instance, has a footprint up to 80% lower.
Until now, using bioboard, BioPak have only been able to manufacture round paper bowls. However, with new machinery and tooling, they have been able to achieve the rectangular shape with the performance of a round paper bowl.
An average cafe using these containers will be able to avoid 455 kg of plastic a year using these alternative BioPak FSC paper containers and lids. Industrially compostable to Australian AS4736 standards they are independently tested and verified to completely biodegrade within 120 days in a commercial compost facility, the end product is a non-toxic, nutrient-rich compost. BioPak have also created a new brand-agnostic network called Compost Connect that connects foodservice businesses to industrial composters to help compost all certified compostable packaging and food scraps. So far, Compost Connect has diverted over 1500 tonnes of waste from landfill, equivalent to taking 1,100 cars off the 975 cars off the road.
Silver Award
FSC™ Paper Spoon Straw
BioPak was ecstatic to pick up a silver award for our FSC™ Mix certified paper spoon straws.
BioPak was initially approached by McDonald’s to find a solution that worked as well as their plastic straws for their coldest ice drinks.
Rising to the challenge, our team created the perfect scoop straw that doesn’t crumble and disintegrate before the drink is consumed.
Our paper straws are made with paper that is cut into long strips that are then rolled and glued into the shape of the straw and cut into the desired lengths. The spoon cutout is a post-formation process to achieve the spoon shape. A punching die was used to create the spoon part of the formed straw. Initial prototypes resembled regular straws; however, because the spoon straw required a bit more strength to be able to scoop up any ice/slush, we needed to increase the strength of the straw. Also, the punched portion of the spoon created a more raw edge of the straw which was able to absorb liquid and reduce the straw's structural integrity. To help all of this, we increased the thickness of the straw to a unique 4-ply which helped.
Our individually wrapped spoon straws are made from paper sourced from managed plantations to ensure responsible forestry. They are also certified home (AS5810) and industrially (AS4736) compostable to Australian standards. The Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (FSC™) is an international, non-profit, non-governmental organisation that promotes sustainable forest management through independent third-party certification. It is considered the certification system of choice for small forest owners.
More information:
Others winners include:
- Reuse/Refill- GOLD- Koh Kerbside Recyclable Spout Pouch Refill pack
- Recycle/Recover- SILVER- Detpak Recycle Me Noodle Cup/ Huhtamaki for Maggie Recipe base
- Recycle/Recover- GOLD- MaCher Australia for the Royal Australian Mint Coin Packaging, Nestle for Smarties Range Paperisation
- Renewables- GOLD- Brownes Dairy- Australia’s Most Sustainable Milk Cartons
- Industrial- SILVER- Opal & JBS Dunnage Solution
- Recycled Content- GOLD- Etch and Ethos bottles
- Closed Loop Collection- GOLD- Nestle Australia for the KitKat prototype recycled content wrapper
- Read more about the 2022 PIDA Awards Winners
