RMIT and End Food Waste Australia CRC (EFW CRC) have established a packaging and machinery solution centre designed to assist SMEs in transitioning to sustainable food packaging while preserving product shelf life and food safety.
The initiative also brings together key industry and academic bodies, including the Australasian Institute of Packaging (AIP), the Australian Packaging and Processing Machinery Association (APPMA), and Tetra Pak, alongside regional research institutions like the Queensland University of Technology and the University of Queensland.
As businesses face regulatory and consumer pressure to phase out single-use plastics, many struggle to find alternative materials that perform as effectively.
Some sustainable packaging alternatives cannot compromise product quality, leading to premature spoilage and increased food waste.
The new centre aims to address this issue by providing SMEs with independent, evidence-based research to test and validate new packaging designs.
“It will support businesses to make evidence-based decisions rather than relying solely on supplier or informal advice, so they can have informed conversations with key partners such as large retailers,” said Professor Simon Lockrey at End Food Waste CRC.
With technical expertise, SMEs can ensure reliable modifications, such as transitioning to mono-materials, incorporating recycled content, or reducing total packaging volume, without affecting food safety or product integrity.
For food manufacturers, packaging must perform multiple technical functions beyond containment, such as maintaining barriers against oxygen and moisture. The centre will help businesses assess their products’ criteria by increasing shelf life, integrating machinery solutions, and implementing circular design.
With co-funded project opportunities available on a matched-funding basis, Australian-based SMEs can access the centre’s resources and technical consultants through a rolling expression of interest process managed by End Food Waste Australia,
“Packaging and processing machinery is a critical enabler of sustainable manufacturing, particularly for SMEs navigating new materials and formats,” said Michael Moran, CEO of the Australian Packaging and Processing Machinery Association.
This year, RMIT researchers used ultrasound to extract protein from cauliflower leaf waste and turned coffee waste into lower-carbon concrete.
