TASSAL has joined with packaging giant Visy for a more sustainable summer, with new locally made cardboard boxes for their delicious prawns.
Visy is Australia’s largest integrated manufacturing and recycling business.
Tassal’s sustainable packaging goals see them on track to remove more than 55,000 prawn polystyrene boxes, with the launch of the fully recyclable 4kg prawn carton and now, this season, the 10kg carton.
The move has earned the company – which operates a prawn farm north of Proserpine – recognition from the Aquaculture Stewardship Council and Australasian Packaging Innovation and Design Awards, for sustainability efforts.
Tassal general manager marketing and innovation Libby Williams said Tassal prawns were a much-loved part of Aussie summers.
“Our new 10kg cardboard prawn box is a win for the industry and the environment,” she said.
“By partnering with Visy, we’re able to utilise recyclable cardboard, while maintaining freshness and quality, so consumers can be assured that their favourite prawns this summer are in a sustainable package versus the Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) boxes previously used.”
Tassal senior manager ESG Heidi Smith said Tassal’s Responsible Business Roadmap guides the integration of environment, sustainability and governance (ESG) regarding how the business behaves, thinks and measures its success in driving sustainable change.
“We are committed to achieving 100 per cent reusable, recyclable or compostable packaging by December 31, 2025,” Ms Smith said.
“At Tassal, we are dedicated to delivering ongoing innovations in packaging, so we can continue to sustainably feed tomorrow!
“As demand grows for our seafood, so does the need to find more sustainable packaging options.”
The new boxes, made from up to 74 per cent recycled content, replace hard-to-recycle Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) containers.
The boxes are being made at Visy’s Carole Park site, in Ipswich, Queensland, before being packed with fresh prawns at Tassal’s Proserpine Prawn Farm.
Sustainability and food safety go hand in hand, said Visy’s executive general manager for fibre packaging, Adrian Dalgleish.
“By working closely with Tassal, we have created a purpose-built box, which we can recycle back into new packaging after use, ensuring Australians get fresh prawns without the polystyrene waste,” Mr Dalgleish said.
“By manufacturing cardboard recyclable boxes locally, we’re keeping manufacturing jobs in Australia.
“Having the most extensive network of corrugated box plants in Australia ensures we are close to customers and can respond to their needs quickly.”
Visy has worked closely with the team at Tassal to produce the new cardboard box for prawns.
Together, they have run market trials to ensure the box meets rigorous quality standards now and into the future.
