Fonterra adopts Amcor’s recycle-ready film for cheese packaging

NEW ZEALAND – Fonterra has introduced Amcor’s AmPrima recycle-ready film across its shredded cheese portfolio in Oceania, marking a significant shift toward mono-material flexible packaging in the dairy sector.

The new packaging, now in market across both retail and foodservice channels, is being rolled out on leading brands including Perfect Italiano.

Developed through collaboration between Amcor’s Asia Pacific and North American teams, the solution complies with soft plastics recycling requirements in Australasia.

According to Fonterra Oceania sustainability general manager Rosie Cotter, the move is expected to remove an estimated 270 tonnes of non-recyclable material from the Australian market annually.

“By transitioning our shredded cheese range to Amcor’s AmPrima recycle-ready packaging, we’re helping to ensure more of our packaging can be recycled after use, while maintaining the high product quality our customers expect,” she said.

The new packs carry the “Check Locally” logo under the Australasian Recycling Label (ARL) programme, providing clearer disposal guidance to consumers in Australia.

The ARL has become a central tool in driving on-pack recycling transparency, particularly as soft plastics collection systems are re-established and expanded in the region.

Technically, shredded cheese packaging presents significant design challenges. It requires strong pack integrity, high oxygen and moisture barriers, reliable sealing, and compatibility with high-speed production lines.

Traditionally, these demands have led to multi-material laminates incorporating PET or PVDC layers, structures that are difficult to recycle.

AmPrima replaces these complex laminates with a single-material polyethylene film engineered to deliver comparable barrier performance and sealing strength.

Phil Van Houts, R&D director for Amcor Flexibles Asia Pacific and ANZ, noted that the development enables dairy processors to transition to recycle-ready formats without major equipment modifications.

“It’s a step forward that helps our customers make the transition without changing how they operate, while maintaining pack performance, appearance and food-grade standards,” he said.

The launch aligns with Fonterra’s broader packaging sustainability commitments and mirrors a wider industry shift toward design-for-recycling in high-volume food categories.

Global dairy producers and FMCG brands are increasingly trialling mono-material films as part of 2025 and 2030 recyclability targets.

In related developments, Amcor was recently selected to supply bottles and flexible tubes for Fragrances of Ireland’s Inis the Energy of the Sea haircare range, further underscoring the company’s push into recyclable and circular packaging solutions across both food and personal care markets.

As regulatory pressure and retailer sustainability requirements intensify, partnerships such as Fonterra and Amcor’s signal that technically demanding dairy applications are no longer exempt from the circular economy transition.

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