Cleanliness Conscious Criterion Honoured

10 September 2007

Cleanliness Conscious Criterion Honoured At The 2007 Environmental Packaging Awards

Reducing the amount of polystyrene in its packaging has not only produced greater efficiency for Criterion, it also resulted in being recognised at a national level for its environmental focus.

New Zealand’s largest furniture manufacturer, Criterion Group, won two awards for excellence in environmentally acceptable packaging at the Packaging Council of New Zealand’s 2007 Environmental Packaging Awards on Friday, August 31.

Criterion won the ‘Keep New Zealand Beautiful’ Packaging Systems Award and also received high commendation in the ‘Reduced Environmental Impact’ category, for their project conducted last year on reducing the polystyrene content in their product packaging.

Executive Director of the Packaging Council Paul Curtis says, “When the Awards started in 1999, being environmentally aware was regarded as ‘green stuff’, but now it has very much become a central part of business in the packaged goods industry.”

“Criterion particularly impressed the judges at this year’s awards with their commitment to improving transport efficiency and reducing waste throughout the entire packaging – shipping process,” he says.

Criterion Business Improvement Manager, Mehdi Shahbazpour says, “Through collaboration with Auckland University, we have managed to reduce our polystyrene by up to 15%, which results in significant reduction of polystyrene dumped into land fills.”

“Minimising the size of our polystyrene packs has also enabled us to pack and export our mainly flat panel products more efficiently, decreasing transportation and, ultimately, expelling less carbon emissions into the environment,” he says.

Criterion CEO Brian Smaill says, “We are very proud of this achievement and see this as a significant step towards meeting our environmental responsibilities. While as a manufacturing company it’s impossible to have zero impact on the environment – we are making an effort to lessen that affect.” The 5th Environmental Packaging Awards presentation saw 10 category winners presented with awards for excellence selected from around 60 entries.

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