With Ireland surpassing its EU recycling and recovery targets for the past 25 years, the efforts of individuals and organisations responsible for the impressive feat deserve to be recognised. A nationwide desire to reduce Ireland's environmental impact rests on the shoulders of every citizen and company that produces waste, and their unfaltering commitment to the cause requires consistency and dedication year after year.
The Pakman awards are Ireland's leading National Environmental Awards. They recognise excellence in recycling and waste management among businesses, organisations, community groups and individuals in Ireland. Organisations that have implemented above-and-beyond sustainability and environmental efforts can now submit their application for the 2023 Pakman Awards, and it’s completely free to enter.
Categories in this year’s competition include Battery and WEEE Champion, Business Recycling Champion, Community Recycling Initiative, Plastic Pledge Award, Environmental Education & Awareness Initiative, Circol ELT's Tyre Champion and others, along with the Overall Pakman Award for excellence, which every entry is automatically in contention for.
Last year’s winners include Currys, who deservedly won the Battery and WEEE Champion award. The company is on a mission to become Ireland’s greenest and most responsible tech retailer, particularly through its innovative recycling initiatives aimed at giving tech a longer lifespan. As part of these initiatives, in a first for Irish tech retail, Currys launched 'Cash For Trash’ in 2022, which promotes the recycling of small electrical waste. Shoppers could exchange any old, broken or unwanted electronic items at a Currys store for a €5 voucher in return, targeting the 71% of Irish people that admit to having at least three unused electronic devices in their homes.
In addition, Currys has extended its recycling service to also take small electricals along with large appliances during the delivery process, and has implemented a circular economy approach for all WEEE.
Another 2022 Pakman award-winner was Rebox, who won recognition in the Innovation In Waste Resource Products Or Service category. Rebox primarily focuses on reuse rather than recycling, with a view to creating local supply chains that keep resources and economic value in the Irish economy. This eliminates the common practice of exporting of resources which can often happen with recycling methods.
Rebox promotes packaging reuse by providing small and medium-sized enterprises with cardboard that larger entities no longer require. This reduces costs, environmental waste and keeps the processes local. Rebox also became a member of Circulaéire - an innovation network dedicated to accelerating the net-zero carbon circular economy in Ireland - in 2021. It aims to keep products in use in the economy for as long as possible, optimising the lifecycle of products from the initial point of extraction to encouraging multiple uses after. Having generated over €1.9m to the Irish economy, Rebox is a worthy winner of the award.
Relove Paint was the recipient of the Community Recycling Initiative award in 2022. Its collaboration between Cork City Council, Cork County Council and others sees unwanted paint - up to 190 tonnes each year - collected from civic amenity sites by social enterprises who filter, remix and recolour the paint to produce a high-quality but low-cost paint that’s then redistributed within the community.
Since October 2021, Relove Paint has saved over five tonnes of paint from incineration and made it available for reuse, and 2,200 litres of their paint has been sold back into the community. Similar to Rebox’s cardboard redistribution, Relove Paint is a perfect example of a circular-economy initiative that extends the lifecycle of reusable materials for as long as possible.
To enter your organisation in the 2023 Pakman Awards, head to www.pakmanawards.repak.ie to download the entry template. The closing date is 31st August, and successful applicants will be notified shortly after. The event takes place at The Shelbourne Hotel in Dublin on 26th October, where the worthy winners will be crowned. Good luck!.
