Recycled beverage carton walls for Aussie buildings

Australian builders will soon be able to replace plywood, particle board, and plaster board with
low carbon, environmentally sustainable construction boards made from packaging waste such as used beverage cartons and coffee cups.

saveBOARD Australia has received a $1.74 million grant from the Federal and New South Wales Government towards setting up a $5 million facility that will turn packaging waste into high performance building material. The project is funded by the Australian Government’s Recycling Modernisation Fund and the NSW Government’s Waste Less, Recycle More initiative.

The Australian and NSW Governments and the companies behind the project expect the facility will create confidence in a new market for recycled construction materials, similar to roads made from recycled glass, and enable more packaging to become 100 per cent recyclable, in line with national packaging targets.

The Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation (APCO) says this is a fantastic step forward for beverage cartons and for the brands and consumers that use this important type of packaging. “It is great to see this level of collaboration across the entire supply chain, addressing post-consumer materials by putting in place effective local end-market solutions,” says Brooke Donnelly, APCO CEO.

“This is a prime example of the collective impact model in practice which will help establish a manufacturing capacity in Australia. Led by industry with the support of government, APCO will continue to support this type of collaboration as we work to transition to a circular economy for packaging and meet the 2025 National Packaging Targets.”

The project is the first collaboration between Tetra Pak and SIG Combibloc in Australia under the umbrella of the Global Recycling Alliance for Beverage Cartons and the Environment (GRACE) and is a joint initiative with saveBOARD and its supporters Freightways and Closed Loop.

saveBOARD co-founder and Chief Executive Officer Paul Charteris says making highperformance low-carbon building materials using 100% recycled materials from everyday waste is a game-changer that will transform the construction industry in Australia. “It will enhance the construction industry’s drive towards more sustainable construction practices.”

The first Australian saveBOARD plant will reprocess liquid paperboard beverage containers, including both aluminium-lined aseptic packages and non aluminium-lined containers collected through the container deposit scheme and coffee cups collected through the ‘Simply Cups’ recycling program. It will also source material from secure destruction and recycling company, Shred-X. Together with supplementary material from industrial processes, these items will be used to manufacture high-performance low-carbon building products to substitute plaster board, particle board, and oriented strand board (OSB) that can be used for interior and exterior applications.

The saveBOARD process uses heat and compression to bond materials, eliminating the need for glues or other chemical additives, to produce a clean product with zero volatile organic compounds (VOCs), suitable for use in homes and commercial buildings.

Tetra Pak Oceania Managing Director Andrew Pooch says the solution demonstrates Tetra Pak’s commitment and contribution to a low carbon economy. “It is more than just an investment for us. It is the right thing to do – to help limit waste to landfill and support a technology that improves local waste collection and recycling infrastructure. Cartons are the most sustainable packaging option for beverages in Australia. With a bespoke whole carton recycling solution, we are excited to contribute to a robust circular economy in Australia.”

SIG Combibloc Australia & New Zealand General Manager Adam Lipscomb says SIG is delighted to support this first full recycling solution for beverage cartons on Australian soil. “Cartons are the premier sustainable choice for food and beverage packaging in Australia, and today’s announcement further strengthens our leadership position. This project is a key milestone towards achieving full circularity for beverage cartons in Australia, and we look forward to seeing it come to fruition.”

Freightways, Chief Executive Officer Mark Troughear says its investment in saveBOARD allows the logistics company to grow its waste renewal division through a commitment to circular waste solutions with minimal carbon kilometres, all while providing a new strategic growth category. “saveBOARD completes an end-product solution for Freightways, where waste can be regenerated and reused into world class products while utilising our core capabilities in pick-up, process and delivery channels,” says Mr Troughear.

Closed Loop Managing Director Rob Pascoe says saveBOARD products will be the lowest carbon footprint interior and exterior board products on the market. “saveBOARD promises a better, greener, more affordable solution that can lead us towards a more sustainable future. It’s the perfect example of the circular economy in action,” says Mr Pascoe.

About saveBOARD

saveBOARD (SB) was founded with the sole purpose of solving the growing packaging waste problem in Australasia and find sustainable solutions. By implementing proven, scalable upcycling technologies that turn locally collected waste into locally distributed, high performance, low carbon building materials. saveBOARD is committed to being an industry leader and putting an end to waste pollution. The saveBOARD product is a healthy board, made with zero water, zero glues, zero chemicals and zero VOC emissions or formaldehydes. The product’s green credentials meet all obligations under 14G of the Building Act, reducing waste from the environment and up to 90 per cent reduction in carbon. It is also possible to recover the offcuts and end of life boards to be remanufactured into new board products, providing a zero waste to landfill solution.

More information about saveBOARD is available at saveboard.nz

About Freightways

Freightways Limited (NZE: FRE) has varied business operations in New Zealand and Australia split into three core portfolios, Express Package, Business Mail and Information Management. Listing on the NZX in September 2003, today its portfolio of brands includes New Zealand Couriers, Post Haste Couriers, Dataprint, DX Mail, SUB60, Stuck, Now Couriers, Kiwi Express Couriers, Castle Parcels, Security Express, Pass The Parcel, Lit Support, Shred-X, Med-X, TIMG, Freightways Information Services, Fieldair Holdings Limited and Parceline.

About Tetra Pak

Tetra Pak is a world leading food processing and packaging solutions company. Working closely with our customers and suppliers, we provide safe, innovative and environmentally sound products that each day meet the needs of hundreds of millions of people in more than 160 countries. With more than 25,000 employees around the world, we believe in responsible industry leadership and a sustainable approach to business. Our promise, “PROTECTS WHAT’S GOOD™,” reflects our vision to commit to making food safe and available, everywhere.

More information about Tetra Pak is available at tetrapak.com

About SIG Combibloc

SIG is a leading systems and solutions provider for aseptic carton packaging. We work in partnership with our customers to bring food and beverage products to consumers around the world in a safe, sustainable and affordable way. Our unique technology and outstanding innovation capacity enable us to provide our customers with end-to-end solutions for differentiated products, smarter factories and connected packs, all to address the ever-changing needs of consumers. Sustainability is integral to our business and we are going Way Beyond Good to create a net positive food packaging system.

Founded in 1853, SIG is headquartered in Neuhausen, Switzerland. The skills and experience of our approximately 5,900 employees worldwide enable us to respond quickly and effectively to the needs of our customers in over 60 countries. In 2020, SIG produced 38 billion carton packs and generated €1.8 billion in revenue. SIG has an AA ESG rating by MSCI, an 18.8 (low risk) score by Sustainalytics and a Platinum CSR rating by EcoVadis. For more information, visit sig.biz

About Closed Loop

Closed Loop Environment Solutions are innovators in Waste Upcycling, and are changing how people collect, treat and reuse waste. Closed Loop is committed to building a circular economy by helping our partners keep waste out of landfill, and turning waste back into products that re-enter the local supply chain, eliminating future landfill.

More information about Closed Loop is available at https://closedloop.com.au/

MEDIA CONTACTS

Tim Marshall
Wright Communications
Ph: +64 21 902 850
Email:

Baris Altay
SIG Combibloc
Email:

Flavia Vaz
Tetra Pak
Email:

Rob Pascoe
Closed Loop
Email:

 

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