Over 50 finalists in the 2015 Banksia Sustainability Awards

The Banksia Foundation would like to congratulate all entrants in the 2015 Banksia Sustainability Awards — especially the 57 award finalists selected across 14 different categories.

According to the foundation, the entrants indicate that Australia is providing a plethora of innovative approaches and practices in how we work, play, enjoy and maintain our country for future generations. The 2015 entrants also demonstrated the importance of having viable financial initiatives but not at the cost of social or environmental health.

Among the finalists is a new packaging recycling evaluation tool, developed by the Planet Ark Environmental Foundation and GreenChip and nominated in the Innovator of the Year category. The Packaging Recyclability Evaluation Portal (PREP) is an assessment tool that uses an innovative, straightforward approach to help packaging designers determine whether or not their products can be deemed ‘recyclable’ in Australian kerbside bins and ultimately reduce consumer confusion.

At the heart of the PREP’s innovation is software that is claimed to yield a more accurate packaging recyclability assessment than any assessment tool previously offered in Australia. This assessment process takes into account the design considerations of a packaging item, such as size, shape and materials, and allows designers to test different packaging configurations to increase the likelihood that they will be recycled at the kerbside.

PREP’s creators and other finalists will be featured at Sustainable Development 2015 (SD2015) on 13 November at the Hotel Sofitel, Sydney. SD2015, held in conjunction with Sustainable Business Australia, will provide all finalists with a platform to tell their sustainability success stories before proceeding to the gala cocktail party, where the 2015 Banksia Sustainability Awards winners will be announced.

For more information about the event, click here. To view all the finalists, click here.