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The PCA is the peak national association for companies in the packaging supply chain. Our office is located in South Melbourne, Victoria. Our staff are focused on the national and international issues of direct interest and concern to our members.
There are numerous, important issues facing companies in the packaging supply chain – environmental (recycling, litter, producer responsibility etc.), sustainability (greenhouse, energy and water usage etc.), supply chain, retailers, standards - to mention just a few. It is essential that the views of packaging companies be clearly and explicitly stated in the formation of government policy and in the public debate on these and other relevant issues.
Following are the benefits of membership:
Publications
Our regular member publications are:
- Media Glance: is e‐mailed weekly to the nominated recipient(s) of PCA member companies. It provides details of articles on packaging and packaging related matters that have appeared in the previous week's Australian mainstream newspapers and major weekly magazines. Copies of the full articles can be faxed to members or e-mailed on request.
- Packaging News: is an electronic media monitoring service. It comprises a concise daily overview of any packaging related information gained from international and Australian newspapers, websites and other sources. There is no cost to members for access to Meltwater News electronic media articles.
- Note from the CEO: is e-mailed regularly to members and keeps them informed on major issues facing the packaging supply chain and the PCA.
Events
The PCA conducts regular dinner meetings in Sydney and Melbourne and have commenced quarterly meetings in Brisbane. Members and their guests receive a significantly discounted rate to attend the dinner meetings.
These dinners provide members and their guests with the opportunity to hear from speakers addressing topical issues of interest to the packaging supply chains. They also provide useful networking opportunities. The speakers at these functions continue to provide interesting and controversial perspectives.
The presentations given by speakers can only be viewed by members on the PCA website. PCA members are also given the opportunity to participate in discussing industry‐wide matters by joining one of the divisional committees (VIC, NSW & QLD).
Awards Programs
In order to broaden the public's understanding of packaging and to encourage excellence and innovation, the PCA conducts a series of Awards which are run annually.
These include:
- National Schools Packaging Design Challenge (senior primary & secondary students);
- Southern Cross Package Design Awards (tertiary students);
- Australian Packaging Awards (industry)
These Awards are conducted throughout the year, with winners announced at a Presentation Dinner held in Melbourne in October. This night is a highlight of the packaging industry calendar and the event is a sell‐out. Attendance is limited to members and their guests and the Award winners. Winners and photos from the
Industry Directory
The Australian Packaging Industry Directory, available on the PCA website, is a widely accessed resource that was produced by the PCA. The Directory is updated regularly and is proving to be very popular, both by users and those companies featured.
The PCA website attracts over 15,000 new visitors each month, with over 10,000 of these new visitors viewing the Directory on a monthly basis. New features include a “search for keywords” facility as well as additional sub‐categories. To view the Directory
There is no cost to PCA members to be included in the Directory. The cost to non-members is an annual fee of $330 (including GST).
Educational Activities
- The Pack pack® ‐ Packaging Unwrapped (a primary school resource guide for teachers) has become a huge success in educating students and teachers about the roles, functions, benefits and future possibilities of packaging. In schools, packaging is often perceived as purely a waste issue. The Pack pack®, produced with member contributions, combats this limited understanding. The Pack pack® was published in Victoria in July 2006 and was launched nationally in February 2007. Over 600 schools are already working with The Pack pack®.
- Text Books for Secondary Schools;
- Packaging and Marketing Case Studies for Schools: 2.6 seconds to beat your competition – Published in late 2007 in conjunction with PKN magazine, this text provides 18 case studies with activities aimed at educating senior secondary business and design students on the importance of packaging in company marketing strategies.
- Packaging Unwrapped is a series of four titles for the following secondary school disciplines: Geography, Art, Design & Technology, English as a Second Language and Values Education. These titles cover all the tricky issues in packaging such as labelling, marketing, laws, consumerism, food miles, societal needs and wants and the changing demographics of Australia.
- National Schools Packaging Design Challenge (senior primary & secondary students); This National Challenge encourages young people to research and respond in writing to issues relating to packaging in our modern world. They must then use this knowledge to produce innovative and creative packaging designs. Entries are received from schools in every Australian State and Territory each year.
Sponsorship of all educational activities is restricted to PCA members.
Environmental Issues
Environmental issues, in particular, sustainability and the National Packaging Covenant are a major focus of our activities. It is important to ensure that the Covenant produces real environmental benefits. Failure will likely result in greater government regulation and cost. Whether it is recycling and recovery, litter or the concepts of product stewardship and “extended producer responsibilities”, these are issues which have the capacity to directly affect the affairs of companies in the packaging supply chain. That is why the PCA took so much time, and made such an effort, to ensure another five‐year Covenant was endorsed by Governments in 2005. The present Covenant expires in 2010.
- Australian Packaging – Real Examples of Change and Innovation – This booklet, produced by the PCA, promotes environmentally conscious packaging designs and processes. Targeting Ministers, media and the general public, this booklet helps to communicate the positive role companies in the packaging supply chain are playing to minimise their environmental footprint. The fourth edition was published early in 2010. A fifth edition is proposed for 2011.
- Sustainable Packaging – In 2008, the PCA Board released a report on “The Status of Sustainable Packaging in Australia”. This Report, prepared by independent consultants based in Australia and the United Kingdom, is a landmark document. It benchmarks the performance of Australian packaging on sustainability, documents the progress made, and makes recommendations for future action.
Committees
The PCA is represented on a number of organisations of importance to the packaging industry, including GS1 Australia Limited (formally EAN Australia), as well as various Committees of Standards Australia which consider issues such as biodegradability, tamper evidence, recyclability, dangerous goods and metal containers.
