Can you talk about you or your company’s efforts relating to renewability, sustainability or other environmentally- friendly activities?
Amcor has taken great strides to cement itself as a leader in renewability, sustainability and other environmentally-friendly activities. For example:
- In 2018, Amcor was the first packaging company (in fact, one of the first company’s globally) which pledged to develop all of its packaging to be recyclable, reusable or compostable by 2025. We’ve been on a journey to achieve our pledge, and to create and produce more responsible packaging ever since, through innovation, strategic collaborations, and information / education.
- In 2022, we pushed ourselves further by introducing a new recycled content target of 30% (which is three times our previous target of 10%), committed to net zero emissions by 2050, and launched a product rebrand (including Amcor’s new EcoGuard brand) to make it easier for customers to choose from a number of more sustainable solutions. The latter includes products which reduce the carbon footprint of packaging, which are designed to be recycled, and which use recycled content or biomaterials.
- Operationally, we have implemented water management plans. Further, every site which uses plastic pellets, granules or flakes, has implemented “Operation Clean Sweep” methodology to prevent plastic pellet loss.
- More locally, our Bangkok site received the Amcor CEO’s Outperformance Award in the Environmental category for its energy consumption monitoring and production “Power Meter” Project. As part of this project, energy consumption for each major piece of equipment at our Bangkok site was monitored, and after an in-depth analysis our engineering team was able to use the data to identify opportunities to reduce electricity usage. Our Bangkok site reduced its carbon footprint by 2,700 metric tone of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2 e) in FY22 as a result.
- In December 2022, we announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Australian-based technology pioneers, Licella Holdings, to invest in one of Australia’s first plastic advanced recycling facilities. The intended end result will be the creation of a local circular economy for soft plastics in Australia. This collaborative relationship will also help to advance achievement of Amcor’s target of 30% recycled content across its portfolio by 2030.
Why are in-house lawyers well-placed to drive change in their organisations?
In-house lawyers are uniquely placed to drive change in their organisations due to the multi-faceted, birds-eye view, which they often hold. They can help to identify synergies and opportunities, highlight real and potential risks (and ways in which they can be mitigated), and fulfil the role as collaborator by connecting the dots between multiple businesses, functions and stakeholders. They are in an ideal position to influence change by communicating legal and regulatory changes and trends, and by providing recommendations which can and do ultimately guide the taking of decisions and the development of strategy which sets organisational priorities.
It can be difficult to truly measure a company’s track record and accomplishments in terms of their environmentally friendly behaviour. What do you think has, until now, been mostly missed when discussing how green a company is?
This is a great question. One thing which I believe warrants more public disclosure is how companies practically reward and incentivise environmentally friendly behaviour which can really move the needle and affect industry change. For example, how many companies include as part of their incentive structure a percentage target of “green” or “sustainability” initiatives, such as on-boarding of carbon neutral or green certified suppliers, installation of energy saving instruments, sales of green, sustainable or environmentally certified products or services? How are they motivating their co-workers to take ownership within their own homes and communities when it comes to preservation of ecosystems, climate and environment? How have they really embedded environmentally friendly behaviour as part of their culture?
