Pact Packaging New Zealand has been named on the NEXT List for the 2025 Sustainable Business Awards, acknowledged in the Transformative Leadership category for its role in advancing recycled packaging and circular economy solutions.
Executive General Manager Deanne Holdsworth said the recognition represents the company’s collective effort to redesign packaging systems around recyclability and efficiency.
“Our inclusion on the NEXT List reflects the vision and commitment of our entire team,” Holdsworth said. “We are working to eliminate packaging waste, introduce innovative recycled products, and support industry-wide change. Our goals are ambitious, but we know real progress comes from collaboration and continuous improvement.”
Pact’s shift toward circular packaging began in 2015, focused on developing tray-to-tray recycling for PET thermoformed trays.
The company partnered with Foodstuffs in 2016 to introduce PET Moisturelock trays, a move that has diverted more than 100 million expanded polystyrene trays and soaker pads from landfill each year.
Pact began supplying trays containing 50% recycled PET, aligning with the national phase-out of certain single-use plastics by 2021.
The brand’s continued innovation led to the rollout of mono PET trays and welded films, achieving 100% recyclability under APCO standards by 2022. The company produced 200 million new trays incorporating recycled content in 2024.