Caspak
Using solar to look after future generations.
Anton Torres
10 March 2023
A core value for Caspak is sustainability, not just from an energy and product point of view but also in terms of minimising food waste and
reducing carbon emissions.
Caspak’s solar panels power their whole facility and have spare capacity to power over 15 homes.
Caspak is a food packaging company, leading the industry in supplying a range of food safe packaging for meat, seafood, ready-made meals and an array of other supermarket food products.
The company was founded in Auckland in 1990 and shortly after commenced operations in Australia. However it wasn’t until 2009 when Caspak purchased its own facility in Braeside that the company was able to invest in a 22kw solar system and install a 28,000 Lt rainwater tank. This marked the start of a journey to make Caspak’s internal operations as sustainable as possible.
Bryce’s wife is from Sweden and she brought with her that Scandinavian view that the environment had to be protected and sustainability was key in trying to achieve that. Over time, Bryce integrated that thinking into how the company should operate.
For the past 3 – 4 years Caspak has been a thought leader in developing a product range that has far better environmental outcomes than the current market offering. Following thorough R&D investment, Caspak was one of the first packaging companies in the world to develop high barrier fibre trays made from bamboo. Philosophically, Bryce believes that having a highly sustainable range of products must be matched with a high degree of sustainability within the inner workings of the business.
Three years ago, Caspak moved into its new, custom-built facility in Braeside, VIC which has a 200kw solar roof top power station generating over and above its own power requirements, sufficient electricity to power 15 average Australian homes. Its fleet of 6 forklifts and ride-on sweepers are all electric and the company’s first EV car was purchased in 2019 with all company cars to be EVs by 2025. Naturally the building was constructed to the highest environmental standards and where possible recycled materials were used. In addition Caspak has offered its staff one free charge per week for their electric vehicle which would essentially mean zero cost motoring for those that want to take up this offer.
Bryce wants other Australian businesses to follow his lead, however he sees many roadblocks to broader adoption of rooftop solar such as unnecessary limitations on the amount of power that can be returned to the grid, as well as a major discrepancy between the price retailers are prepared to pay for rooftop solar generated green power and the price they charge for their own green energy. And this does not help the economics of rooftop solar installation. But it’s Bryce’s firm view that if an SME can afford rooftop solar then there is almost a moral obligation for them to do so.
Another problem that Bryce acknowledged is that many businesses are on short term leases so choosing to invest in solar power is not as attractive as it may be for SMEs that own their own facility and can take a longer term view of such an investment.
Essentially Bryce’s take home message is “Don’t wait, do it now and start paying it forward for future generations.” If you want to learn more about how you can become part of the clean energy transformation, he encourages you to get in touch with Caspak and they will be more than happy to invite you to their facility and talk about how you too can go 100% renewable.
Check out Caspak and their work here: https://caspak.com.au
