What’s your view on the role of packaging in society? Is its demonization fair?
Packaging plays a crucial role in delivering food, medicine, and other products safely and efficiently from manufacturers to consumers worldwide. It reduces food waste, prevents damage, and supports high-volume manufacturing and distribution, making a wide variety of products available to consumers. Despite these benefits, packaging is often demonized because consumers are left with the packaging waste after using the products, and many places lack responsible recycling or reuse systems.
The demonization stems from the visible plastic waste in the environment and the insufficient systems to manage it. At Amcor, our focus is on ensuring every package has a responsible end-of-life. We work to develop recyclable or compostable packaging solutions and to improve waste management and recycling infrastructure to keep packaging within the economy and out of the environment.
What recent advancements has Amcor made to drive sustainability across the packaging value chain?
Amcor is committed to making all our packaging recyclable, reusable, or compostable by 2025. We work closely with suppliers to develop new materials that improve recyclability and with our customers on solutions that are more sustainable and increasingly efficient to minimize their carbon footprint We're also increasing the use of recycled materials in our packaging. In FY24, we included more than 10% recycled plastics in our packaging solutions. Many of our sites worldwide are certified to produce packaging from recycled content.
In addition to product design and material selection, we collaborate with over 75 partners to improve collection and recycling systems. This ensures that more packaging can be recycled and used for the production of new products. These efforts are part of our broader strategy to support a circular economy by integrating upstream and downstream processes to enhance sustainability across the entire packaging value chain.
Why are collaborations key to solving the sustainability and circular economy challenges in packaging?
Collaboration across the entire supply chain is essential for achieving a circular economy. Packaging systems only work if all stakeholders—from manufacturers to recyclers—are aligned and working together. Initiatives like the Consumer Goods Forum's golden design rules help ensure that more companies design packaging with recyclability in mind, improving the quality and economics of recycling processes.
Amcor participates in various collaborations to drive these changes. We work with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation on global commitments and design standards, and with the Consumer Goods Forum to align on recycling-friendly packaging designs. In addition, we support the development of technology and infrastructure to collect, sort and recycle plastic waste with over 60 membersacross more than 70 projects within the Alliance to End Plastic Waste. These collaborations are crucial for establishing effective, circular systems for packaging.
Are we doing enough to address consumer confusion about recycling?
Consumer confusion about recycling is a significant issue, and no, we are collectively not doing enough yet. Many brands’ packages are still not designed for recyclability, and recycling systems in many parts of the world are inadequate. This creates a chicken-and-egg problem, where brands hesitate to produce recyclable packaging due to the lack of recycling infrastructure, and vice versa.
Amcor is addressing this by encouraging brands to adopt recyclable packaging and working with governments and organizations to improve recycling systems. We participate in initiatives like the Alliance to End Plastic Waste to enhance waste management and recycling globally and in the Business Coalition for a Global Plastics Treaty to support a legally binding UN treaty to set high global standards that drive the circular economy.. Our consumer research shows increasing concern about climate and sustainability issues, indicating an opportunity for businesses and governments to better meet consumer needs.
Do you think plastics are criticized too much, despite their benefits?
While we understand and share concerns about plastics in the environment, it's essential to recognize the benefits they provide. Plastics offer unparalleled convenience, product safety, freshness, and availability. However, consumers often only see the environmental downside and not these benefits.
The solution isn't to trade off benefits for waste. Instead, we need to show consumers that they can have both—benefits and solutions to plastic waste. We need to demonstrate that we can manage plastic waste responsibly while maintaining the advantages plastics offer.
Do you see a viable alternative to plastic that matches its efficiency and cost?
For most packaging applications, no other material matches the efficiency, cost, and versatility of plastics . Plastics are lightweight, strong, and can be shaped into various forms. Alternatives like metals, glass, and paper often have higher carbon footprints or lack the same barrier properties and durability.
Our goal is not to replace plastics, but to solve the end-of-life problem while using the best material for each packaging application. By developing better recycling and waste management systems, we can retain the benefits of plastics while addressing environmental concerns.
We are also expanding our use of metals and paper where appropriate, but plastics remain irreplaceable for many packaging needs due to their unique properties.
What is your vision for the packaging industry and Amcor in the next 10 years?
In the next 10 years, I envision all of Amcor's packaging being recyclable, reusable, or compostable. We will use more recycled content and have closer engagement with waste management systems to ensure packages are properly recycled. This will involve clearer guidance for consumers on how to dispose of packaging and building confidence that their actions keep packaging out of the environment.
We see Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) regulations and initiatives like the Plastic and Plastic Waste Regulation (PPWR) in Europe driving these changes. The future will involve much more integrated collaboration between packaging companies, brands, and waste management to create a truly circular economy. This vision will help consumers feel good about their purchases, knowing the packaging is part of a more sustainable cycle.
What excites you most about working in the packaging industry?
What excites me most is working with products that people use every day and ensuring these products are delivered in a way that consumers can feel good about. It's rewarding to help people have access to food, medicine and other necessities that would otherwise be impossible if not for packaging.
Working with Amcor’s 41,000 colleagues and impacting billions of products globally is incredibly fulfilling. Sharing a vision for a more sustainable future and preparing the company and our customers for that future is what drives me. It's an exciting time in the packaging industry, and I'm passionate about contributing to a more sustainable and efficient packaging ecosystem.
