Opal's Botany paper mill in Sydney is the beating heart of our cardboard recycling operations. Each year its state-of-the-art B9 paper machine processes 450,000 tonnes of used cardboard into 100% recycled brown packaging paper. Most of this paper is then converted by our fibre packaging divisions in Australia and New Zealand into 100% recycled corrugated cardboard for making boxes and cartons. The Maryvale paper mill in regional Victoria is responsible for recycling close to 60,000 tonnes of white wastepaper each year, which is converted into new products including our iconic Reflex 100% recycled copy paper. An additional 20,000 tonnes annually of brown paper are recycled and used to create high quality linerboard for box manufacturing.

Opal Packaging Plus is committed to replacing single-use plastic products with solutions made from other materials, as well as finding ways to reduce total plastic consumption when non-plastic alternatives are not available. We stock a range of sustainable packaging options, such as our 100% paper padded mailers and paper-based void fill systems. In product categories where plastic still needs to be used, such as pallet wrap, we have found ways to deliver the same quality outcomes using solutions that dramatically reduce total plastic usage. For example, our True Film stretch film can deliver total plastic reductions of over 50% by utilising a much thinner film that matches the strength and performance of existing thicker pallet wrap.

Opal is partnering with the private sector as well as state and federal governments to pursue exciting sustainability projects. Chief among these is an energy from waste (EfW) facility planned for the Maryvale site, which converts landfill into energy that will reduce reliance on natural gas. Slated to become operational in 2025, the facility will process 325,000 tonnes of residual waste, recovering valuable energy that would otherwise be lost to landfill. It will reduce net greenhouse gas emissions in Victoria by an estimated 270,000 tonnes annually and provide a sustainable efficient waste management solution aligned to the circular economy. Also planned for the Maryvale site is a $125 million aquaculture project involving sustainable barramundi farming.