IN Brief:
- Fonterra says the transition targets around 270 tonnes of PVDC-based film removed annually in Australia.
- Amcor’s AmPrima mono-material polyethylene film is designed to keep barrier performance and line speed for shredded cheese.
- Packs carry the Australasian Recycling Label “Check Locally” mark for disposal guidance.
Fonterra Oceania has transitioned shredded cheese packaging in Australia to a mono-material polyethylene format supplied by Amcor, as part of a wider move to increase the share of packaging it classifies as “recycle-ready”.
On its sustainability reporting, Fonterra says it is “transitioning approximately 270 tonnes of PVDC-based films used at our Tullamarine site in Australia to recycle-ready packaging”, with commercial rollout beginning in July 2025 and full implementation across applicable products expected by early 2026. The same update states that the new packaging will carry the Australasian Recycling Label (ARL) “Check Locally” mark.
The change addresses one of flexible packaging’s harder problem cases. Shredded cheese requires high oxygen and moisture barrier performance, reliable seal integrity, and compatibility with high-speed packing equipment, which has historically driven the use of multi-layer structures incorporating materials such as PET or PVDC.
In Australia, the recycle-ready format is being used for Fonterra’s Perfect Italiano shredded cheese packs and is intended to maintain product protection and shelf appeal while moving away from conventional multi-material laminates. Fonterra Oceania sustainability general manager Rosie Cotter said the company is “helping to ensure more of our packaging can be recycled after use” by transitioning the shredded cheese range to Amcor’s AmPrima recycle-ready packaging.
Amcor describes AmPrima, in this application, as a mono-material polyethylene film engineered to deliver the barrier and sealing performance required for shredded cheese while maintaining pack integrity on high-speed lines. Phil Van Houts, R&D director ANZ at Amcor Flexibles Asia Pacific, describes the objective as simplifying the structure without compromising performance, and positioning the film as a “recycle-ready solution” intended to work without changes to how customers operate.
Fonterra’s broader packaging update puts the shredded cheese move inside a wider set of packaging and quality-control initiatives. The company estimates that around 90% of its packaging is “recycle-ready” on a total-tonnage basis, while noting that its previous target to reach 100% recycle-ready packaging by 31 December 2025 is being retired at the end of that year.
