Hamilton-based sustainable construction board manufacturer saveBOARD, in collaboration with its partner Tetra Pak, has won two awards: The 2023 Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation (APCO) Improved Recycling Systems Award and The Swedish Australian Chamber of Commerce’s award for Excellence in Partnership and Collaboration for 2023.

These awards are a testament to saveBOARD and Tetra Pak’s commitment to minimising environmental impact by creating a circular economy starting with local communities.

The APCO award shows the importance of collaboration throughout a products lifecycle, with the SACC award recognising the saveBOARD and Tetra Pak’s partnership as an example of an outstanding innovation contributing to positive change in society and the circular economy.

saveBOARD CEO Paul Charteris says the achievement shows the company’s contribution to recycling and sustainability on an international scale.  

“We have a lot more to learn and trial as we continue to develop the product and its possibilities with existing and new clients, but we are very happy to receive this award and we hope it’s the first of many marks on the road to success.”

saveBOARD currently has two plants; one in Hamilton New Zealand and one in Western Sydney, Australia where they manufacture healthy, affordable, high-performance building materials, making a circular economy an everyday reality. Two more Australian plants are planned, one for Queensland and one for Victoria.

In New Zealand Tetra Pak, a Switzerland-based multinational who makes liquid-paperboard cartons for products such as plant-based milks, long-life milks and juice, has worked with local communities to set up a network of carton collection points around the country. These drop-off services are expanding weekly to make it easier for locals to recycle their Tetra Pak containers and get shipped to saveBOARD in Hamilton.

The largely volunteer-run community collection sites all share a passion for diverting waste to landfill one milk carton at a time as an interim measure, in the lead up to the launch of the Government’s Container Return Scheme which was postponed last year.  

The Tetra Pak containers are collected by Freightways and delivered to saveBOARD, where it is turned into construction boards - making the circular economy a reality.

Charteris says using 100 per cent recycled materials from everyday waste is a game-changer that can transform both the construction and waste management industries in New Zealand. Each saveBOARD sold results in 10kg less carbon emissions.  

saveBOARD and Tetra Pak are looking forward to the launch of the Government’s Container Return Scheme that will add many more collection points such as supermarkets and jump start Aotearoa’s transition to a low carbon circular economy. Similar schemes around the world have achieved return rates of over 85%.  

This industry recognition lifts saveBOARD’s international profile, showing the positive impact the initiative has. Both saveBOARD and Tetra Pak are leaders in the field, showcasing an innovative way of improving recycling systems and reducing waste in Australia and New Zealand.

Charteris says the partnership between saveBOARD and Tetra Pak shows the strength of working with like-minded businesses to make a positive difference and tackle climate change, one oat milk container at a time.