In July 2026, The Food and Beverage Small and Medium Enterprise Packaging and Machinery Solution Centre was launched by RMIT and End Food Waste Australia CRC (EFW CRC) to support SMEs transitioning to reusable, recyclable, and compostable packaging and processing solutions.
Led by RMIT and the EFW CRC, the Food and Beverage Small and Medium Enterprise Packaging and Machinery Solution Centre is assigned to provide independent, research-based support to SMEs transitioning to reusable, recyclable, and compostable packaging and processing solutions while maintaining product quality and shelf life.
The newly launched centre reflects the collaboration between RMIT University, End Food Waste Australia, the Australasian Institute of Packaging (AIP), the Australian Packaging and Processing Machinery Association (APPMA), and Tetra Pak. It is assigned the responsibility of delivering co-funded applied research and technical expertise to help SMEs assess packaging innovations and processing changes aligned with Australia’s circular economy and sustainable packaging goals.
Today, businesses are preferring to avoid single-use plastic packaging and shift to sustainable options. Many companies find this shift problematic and expensive as well, but various cost-effective, sustainable, and eco-friendly options have helped such companies to adopt sustainability and contribute towards a healthier environment.
Senior lecturer of industrial design at RMIT University, Dr Caroline Francis, said the centre was established to help businesses transition to sustainable packaging without compromising food safety, product integrity, or waste reduction efforts.
“Packaging innovation is essential to achieving Australia’s sustainability goals, but it must be grounded in research,” Francis said.
“This Centre enables SMEs to test and validate real-world packaging and processing changes, ensuring that improvements in recyclability and circularity do not come at the expense of product quality or increased food waste.”
End Food Waste CRC REDUCE program team leader, Professor Simon Lockrey, said the centre would provide SMEs with independent information to support packaging and processing decisions.
“The Centre will operate as a national ‘source of truth’ for SMEs seeking guidance on packaging, processing, and machinery solutions,” Lockrey said.
“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.”
Executive director at the Australasian Institute of Packaging, Nerida Kelton, said the centre would help SMEs better understand changing packaging requirements.
The shifting landscape of packaging regulations, both domestically and globally, is changing the way companies need to design. Key areas of change include becoming recycle-ready, moving to mono materials, building in recycled content, and looking at ways to reduce the amount of packaging wherever possible,” Kelton said.
31 July 2026
30 July 2026
30 July 2026
30 July 2026