Positive Packaging The Prevent & Save Newsletter: Spring 2013
Review of Repak Awards 2012 Arvato Win Best Prevention Initiative Award
In This Issue Cost Reductions Through Packaging Optimisation Packaging Optimisation Surveys Waste Management Training Course
2 If you have topics or issues you wish to share with Repak and the wider community please send them to:
Positive Packaging, Repak Limited, Red Cow Interchange Estate, 1, Ballymount Road, Clondalkin, Dublin 22. Telephone: 01 467 0190 Email: info@repak.ie Repak would be delighted to hear of new packaging ideas that reduce waste and saves cost. We are also keen to promote examples of good packaging systems through this newsletter and through other media. Printed copy or e-mail version? Repak would love to hear your views on how we should publish this newsletter in future. Positive Packaging is produced and compiled by: Colm Munnelly, John Coleman and Niamh MacKenzie; Membership Services Department of Repak Ltd. Design: Baseline CS Printed on Freelife Symbol
WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU
Dear Repak Member This is the first general member communication for 2013, and contains information on a number of Repak activities – both from last year, and from our current programme. We hope that these are helpful to you - in your business and in your dealings with Repak. To strengthen our communications programme, we would like to hear from you – in relation to any issue pertaining to your Repak membership, or to any other activities where you think Repak’s knowledge may be of value to you. Please get in touch with the Repak Membership Services team at 01-4670190 or email any of the team - contact details can be found on the back page of this publication. We look forward to working with you during 2013.
Current News
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The Packaging Optimisation Newsletter
Packaging Optimisation on The Pat Kenny Show Packaging optimisation was featured on the Pat Kenny radio show last October when Repak Marketing manager Darrell Crowe was interviewed in relation to what was being done by Repak members to reduce waste packaging. Among the topics featured was an interview with Paul Wickham (General Manager - Planning, Purchasing & Inventory) of Irish Distillers Pernod Ricard. In the interview Paul outlines steps taken by IDPR to reduce the amount of glass in their Jameson whiskey bottles and their reusable packaging systems. If you would like to hear the 20 minute feature then please click here.
Waste Management Training Course The ‘Waste Management Training Programme’ has been developed by Environmental Training Solutions and is designed to meet the training and certification needs of Local Authority and private sector staff involved at all levels of waste management. The course provides a broad range of skills training on waste from legislation through to technology and management techniques in a menu-based programme consisting of 6 modules each of 2 days duration taken over three months. It is recognised by the Chartered Institution of Wastes Management for Continuing Professional Development(CPD). For more information visit: www.environmentaltraining.ie
BIM Packaging Workshop Over twenty seafood companies attended BIM’s workshop on ‘Innovative Packaging and Equipment’ in the Seafood Development Centre (SDC) in Clonakilty, Co. Cork on the 12th October. The event offered attending seafood processors the opportunity to see at first hand the packaging technology currently available on the market and how using innovative packaging techniques can reduce overheads and increase sales. A wide range of packaging companies delivered presentations and demonstrations of their products on the day including Alert Packaging, Foxpak, Sealed Air, Mecapack, RH Packaging, Multivac, Asgaard, Sirane, Quality Labels, Marchmont and Dollard. Susan Steele, BIM’s Innovation Coordinator explained how the workshop was designed to assist seafood processors in particular – ‘We have worked with a wide variety of seafood companies through the SDC in the last few years and key areas including packaging technology are a constant focus. Like all technology, there are new developments on a regular basis and it is important that the sector keeps up with this changing environment. With this in mind, we were delighted to be able to organise this event to introduce such a variety of packaging companies to the attendees to enable them to decide what packaging will best suit their products and offer the best return on their investment’ Bord Iascaigh Mhara will be running more workshops during 2013. For more information please contact your regional BIM officer or the SDC office in Clonakilty on +353 1 2144151 or by email to sdc@bim.ie
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Packaging Optimisation The Packaging Optimisation Newsletter
Repak Annual Conference & Recycling Awa Repak Members Conference
Dr. Pat McCloughan – MD, PMCA Economic Consulting Packaging Prevention and Minimisation – The Value of Savings by Repak Members Click here for presentation Pat presented on the study he conducted for Repak entitled “Packaging Prevention and minimisation the quantity and value savings by Repak members” and more details ar available on page 7. Karen Mahon, Alupro Ireland Every Can Counts Click here for presentation
The 2012 Repak Members Conference was held on October 4th last in the Croke Park convention centre. Repak outlined its performance in 2011 representing the key performance indicators which in summary included: • • • •
Repak tonnes recovered were up 4.1% to 652,000. Overall Repak income at €25.2 million was down 4% (versus a high of €29 million in 2008). Total costs in 2011 were €26.1 million meaning Repak ran a deficit of €891k for the year. However some good news was the overall cost per recovered tonne decreased from €45/T in 2010 to €40/T due to reductions in subsidies in Autumn 2011.
The full presentation can be found here. William Vermier, Managing Director of Fost Plus - the Belgian packaging compliance scheme - outlined his views of Extended Producer Responsibility and the origins of the PRI model in Europe. He commented on the emergence of multiple compliance schemes, a move that has opened the door to greater diversity and lesser efficiency coupled with a shift away from the “not-for-profit” principle towards a return on investment model. William’s presentation can be found here. Other speakers on the day included: Chris Culleton, Ferrycarrig Hotel who spoke about Waste Awareness and Management: The Benefits for the Hotel Sector Click here for presentation
Karen spoke about Alupro Ireland, with the support of Repak, launching Every Can Counts, a new programme for used drinks cans promoting more sustainable habits at work, on campus and ‘on the go.’ Dr. Conor McDonald, Microsoft Operations Ireland Limited also spoke about a number of exciting innovations which Microsoft have implemented to reduce the level of plastics and corrugated board in packaging by hundreds of tons, and reducing greenhouse gases.
Repak Announces New Board Elections Repak Chairman, Adrian Goodrich announced that given the Repak re-approval is at an advanced stage he could confirm that this would allow Repak to initiate the process of board elections for the member’s representative positions, while simultaneously appointing three independent trustees and directors. These positions were agreed to be held over until the future of Repak and its re-approval was confirmed. Another key announcement of interest to members was the fact that Repak would again hold fees steady for the financial year 2013. This will be the 5th year Repak has held members fees steady despite an increase in the tonnes recovered and an overall decrease in Repak income (down from a high of €29 million in 2008).
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rds 2012 Review Repak Recycling Awards The Repak Recycling Awards were held in the Croke Park Convention Centre on Thursday October 4th, 2012, after the Member’s Conference. Arvato Hightech beat tough competition to scoop the overall Best Member Award. Arvato was recognised for its commitment to reducing packaging waste through its pioneering ‘Project Icarus’ initiative which aimed to reduce packaging by 20%.
Best Member Award 2012 Winner Arvato Hightech EMEA Finalists McDonald’s Restaurants of Ireland The Health Store Best Packaging Prevention Initiative 2012 Winner Eircom Group
Hosting the awards presentation was Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government Phil Hogan TD. The ceremony was attended by over 220 companies and stakeholders to acknowledge and recognise best practice in packaging prevention and recycling, as well as in Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment recycling. Repak members have played a key role in preventing packaging going on the market and such programs are making a significant impact on their bottom line. This year’s Repak Recycling Awards highlight the increasing innovation and efficiency of Irish business when it comes to preventing packaging waste, and in driving packaging and WEEE recycling rates ever higher. Packaging prevention not only makes environmental sense but also economic and business sense. Overall the awards are a recognition of the small steps that individual companies and Local Authorities are examplars in the area of packaging prevention, Waste Electrical and Packaging recycling.
Finalists Odlums Microsoft EMEA Operations Best Practice Award 2012 - Hospitality Sector Winner The River Lee Hotel, Cork Finalists The Maritime Hotel (Triban Ltd), Cork. The Twelve Hotel, Barna Best Practice Award 2012 - Independent Retailer Winner Ryans Supervalu, Glanmire, Co. Cork Finalists O’ Learys Centra, Blarney, Co. Cork McInerneys Supervalu, Loughrea, Co. Galway
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Case Study The Packaging Optimisation Newsletter
Packaging Optimisation Surveys With the current challenging economic times many companies are looking for a competitive advantage by reducing their cost base. One approach to this is to reduce the costs associated with packaging, especially reducing the amount of waste packaging they use. Repak’s free ‘Prevent & Save’ service can help in this regard.
On-Site Vist The ‘Prevent & Save’ service is designed to help Repak member companies reduce the amount of packaging they use by analysing existing practices and making recommendations on possible improvements and efficiency increases. This usually leads to: • Reduced materials procurement bill, through less packaging being required. • Savings in producer responsibility fees, by reducing the amount of packaging being placed on the market.
Waste prevention methods help create less waste in the first place. These methods include prevention (removal or avoidance of certain packaging) and minimisation (lightweighting of packaging). This “stop waste before it happens” strategy is an integral part of how industry now approaches packaging decisions avoiding overpackaged, disposable, and nonreusable or nonrecyclable products where possible. The challenge now facing business is to achieve a balance between reducing the volume of packaging used while still serving customers needs. There are already economic incentives to reduce excess packaging. Businesses are constantly looking to reduce their product costs while Repak’s “pay by weight” fee structure is designed to discourage companies from producing excess packaging. Less packaging is not necessarily more environmentally friendly though. Products need to be protected at various stages of the production supply chain, particularly during storage and shipping. The shelf life of perishable products is also highly important as many products have a limited shelf life. If poor packaging results in a product becoming unusable, the overall impact on the environment can be much more negative.
Confidential Summary Report The service itself consists of a site-visit lasting 1-2 hours followed up by a detailed confidential report outlining the steps required to realise a reduction in packaging costs. Typical recommendations include: • Removal of non-essential packaging. • Lightweighting of material. • Introduction of closed-loop packaging returns systems. • Pallet layout redesign to maximise load efficiencies. To avail of this free service simply contact either John (01 4619 229, john.coleman@repak.ie) or Colm (01 4619 237, colm.munnelly@repak.ie) for more information.
Packaging Developments The Packaging Optimisation Newsletter
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Substantial Savings in Packaging Cost Reduction The 2012 Repak Member’s Conference saw the launch of an in-depth report by Dr. Pat McCloughan (pictured right) of PMCA Economic Consulting which estimates, for the first time in Ireland, the monetary savings resulting from the packaging prevention activities of Repak’s member firms.
• The estimated supply chain savings from the packaging prevention activities of Repak members have grown from €4.8m in 2006 to €16.5m in 2011 or by €68m cumulatively during the period;
Making use of data from Repak, the Central Statistics Office, the Environmental Protection Agency and other sources, the main findings of the study are as follows: • Cumulatively during 2005-2011, almost €211 million has been saved and 350,000 tonnes of packaging have been prevented including an estimated 86,000 tonnes of packaging prevented in 2011 alone;
• In 2011, the €52m in combined procurement and supply chain savings associated with the packaging prevention activities of Repak members equate to an average of approximately €22,400 in packaging savings per member. Prevention is not only beneficial for the environment but is also good for the economy because it means lower costs for businesses, thereby improving their operating performance (other things being equal) and in turn helping to sustain and create employment – the number one public policy priority at present.
• Repak members are able to achieve appreciable cost savings by not having to purchase packaging materials (procurement savings) and supply chain savings • The estimated procurement savings made by Repak members have risen from €9.4m in 2006 to €35m in 2011 or amount to a cumulative total of almost €143m over this time;
The analysis presented suggests that Repak’s members are responsible for significant monetary savings arising from their packaging prevention activities. Members’ activities have been supported by packaging prevention and minimisation initiatives developed by Repak, including the Prevent and Save website and the employment of two packaging technologists dedicated to working with Repak members in optimising the volume of packaging placed on the market in Ireland.
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Contacts
Repak’s Packaging Technology Service
Prevent & Save Website
Repak provide services to their members to help them improve their packaging. These include:
Repak have a website dedicated to packaging optimisation and packaging waste prevention. On it you can find breaking news related to packaging, case studies and toolkits, previous editions of this newsletter and guidance on packaging waste regulation through the ‘SelfAudit’ tool.
Packaging Optimisation Surveys - where a Packaging Technologist will visit a company and produces a report detailing where packaging can be optimised and savings can be made. Case-Studies, Reports and Tools which are aimed at helping Repak member companies optimise their packaging. The prevention web-site www.preventandsave.ie where these resources can be accessed. By telephone where advice and direction can be given in relation to packaging design, choices of packaging materials, or how current and future packaging legislation can affect you.
Keep browsing www.preventandsave.ie for further details
To avail of any of these services please contact our Packaging Technologists Colm or John at: Colm Munnelly Telephone: 01 461 9237 Email: colm.munnelly@repak.ie John Coleman Telephone: 01 461 9229 Email: john.coleman@repak.ie For enquiries or submissions to Positive Packaging please contact our editor Niamh at: Niamh MacKenzie Telephone: 01 461 9217 Email: niamh.mackenzie@repak.ie
Repak Limited Red Cow Interchange Estate 1 Ballymount Road Clondalkin Dublin 22
www.preventandsave.ie Tel: 00 353 1 467 0190 Fax: 00 353 1 467 0197