As consumer expectations and regulatory targets reshape food and beverage packaging, businesses need solutions that deliver sustainability, durability, and strong branding.
For Opal, one of Australasia’s largest paper and packaging companies, this is both a challenge and an opportunity. It designs recyclable cardboard packaging compatible with Australia and New Zealand’s recovery infrastructure.
Through its integrated value chain, from design to manufacturing, collection, and recycling, Opal supports a circular economy. Each year, more than 600,000 tonnes of paper and cardboard are reprocessed at its Botany and Maryvale mills, feeding directly into new packaging products.
Opal collects used cardboard from supermarkets and retailers, reprocessing it into new paper and packaging. Products like ChillFresh insulated boxes and SureFresh barrier paper extend shelf life and moisture resistance for perishables while remaining recyclable, further reducing environmental impact.
In fresh produce, manufactured locally from recycled paper, Opal’s punnet is lightweight yet strong. It uses a transparent wood-pulp film that allows resealing for food safety, waste reduction, and visibility on-shelf, balancing consumer appeal with supply-chain strength.
For meat packaging, Opal recently worked with John Dee, one of Australia’s leading beef processors, to improve sustainability without compromising logistics. Recycled content in chilled meat boxes rose from 48 percent to 73 percent, bases from 35 percent to 66 percent, and lids from 37 percent to 69 percent.
These results were achieved using Opal’s Dura-Flute Mediums, specifically engineered for high-humidity and long-haul supply chains, in combination with new Premium Recycled and High-Performance Kraft Liners.
Opal has also invested heavily in advanced technology, including an AUD 140 million corrugated cardboard packaging facility in Wodonga and high-speed printing in Christchurch. These developments improve efficiency, quality, and customisation for customers across FMCG, fresh produce, meat, and beverages.
From berries to beef, Opal is demonstrating that sustainable packaging can deliver both performance and circular economy value, setting a benchmark for the future of food and beverage (F&B) packaging across Australasia.
