At Convex we have always believed in the huge value that is gained for the whole team when we invest in apprenticeship training, and over the years we have had at least 33 apprentices gain their flexographic printing qualifications in our printing department. The high caliber of both the apprentices and their mentors has been recognised over the years with 12 Apprentice of the Year wins or finals placements, and entries into the Australian Flexographic Technical Association (AFTA) Hall of Fame and Australia & New Zealand Flexographic Technical Association (ANZFTA) Hall of Fame respectively for two of our printing trainers.

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Convex Account Manager, Mark Hughes, worked closely with Solomons Gold Director, Glenn Yeatman, to develop a unique custom variant of Convex’s Econic home compostable packaging which ran smoothly and met the tight specifications of the Solomons Gold flow wrapper machine.

The successful transition of the Dark Mylk and Classic Dark 55g chocolate bar ranges to Econic home compostable wrappers at the end of 2024 was followed by the launch of a new product, Swirls, packed in EconicClassic home compostable pouches, at the beginning of 2025.

Econic home compostable packaging is made by Convex from certified home compostable films derived from sustainably-produced wood-pulp and GM-free corn sources, and is designed to break down in a composting environment containing heat, water, oxygen, soil and micro-organisms. Finding a local supplier for their packaging, and decreasing their carbon footprint was important to Solomons Gold, as they are a social enterprise. Their Solomon Island based company, C-Corp, works on the ground with over 100 local cocoa growers and landowners, providing plantation infrastructure, fair wages and a commitment to improve the communities’ standard of living. All of the cacao that is exported to make their award-winning chocolate is naturally organic, premium grade, and single origin, and made in Solomons Gold’s New Zealand factory from ‘Bean to Bar’.

Solomons Gold chocolate bars and Swirls are available to purchase at select stores across New Zealand, Australia, United Kingdom, Singapore and Hong Kong or can be ordered direct from their website: https://solomonsgold.co.nz/collections/all-chocolate

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DEC Pharmaceutical has used Convex packaging since 2007 to pack products they manufacture for a US-based multi-national animal health company with stringent quality standards. The products are exported to over 50 countries.

DEC Pharmaceutical QA Manager, Jenny La Roche says, “Over the past 12 months our audits have shown continuous quality improvements at Convex. We audit all our suppliers against ISO9001 and Convex’s current overall score is one of the highest of all our suppliers.”

Because they are a pharmaceutical company, everything DEC makes has to be registered in every individual international market their products are sold to. The registration includes the exact packaging film structure specifications, which have to be precisely met each time, with no deviations. Even the artwork for each market has to be precise.

DEC carries out a comprehensive on-site audit at Convex each year as part of their ongoing quality assurance for each of their suppliers. They also audit every production and print run with the help of the Convex laboratory team.

Jenny says, “Even though the standard we need to meet is very, very high, we’ve never had to reject anything from Convex. Convex always demonstrates a high level of care and is very reliable and responsive. They are a great supplier.”

To ensure they consistently meet DEC’s exacting quality standards, Convex has assigned a dedicated team of highly trained staff members to carefully manage each step of their packaging production and printing. A Certificate of Analysis (COA) is provided for every delivery that leaves the factory and the Convex team works closely with the DEC team to make sure they have what they need. 

Convex Managing Director Owen Embling says, “Working with DEC has helped spearhead a whole new level of quality at Convex, which we can now offer to other customers. What DEC and the pharmaceutical industry would consider a defect would be almost undetectable to most customers, so we’ve had to really lift our game.”

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These rigorous three-yearly independent audits play an important role in validating Convex’s commitment to ethical trade and employment practices. The four-pillar audits scrutinise labour standards, health and safety, environmental impact, and business ethics to ensure the company being audited is operating in a responsible and ethical manner.

Convex Managing Director, Owen Embling says, “Our consistent success in the SMETA audit reflects our genuine dedication to ethical values and assures everyone working with us that we are a responsible and ethical business.”

The Convex values audited by SMETA include the company’s commitment to fair labour practices, equal opportunities for all employees, safe working conditions, and environmental stewardship.

“Owen says, “We believe that ethical business is not just a responsibility but a cornerstone of success in today’s marketplace. That’s why we continually strive to reduce our carbon footprint, minimise waste, and produce sustainable products like recyclable pouches and home compostable Econic and Greensack.”

“As a sustainable packaging company, we are proud to lead the way in responsible manufacturing, labour practices and trading.”

You learn more about the SMETA audit here: https://www.sgs.com/en-nz/services/sedex-members-ethical-trade-audit-smeta

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The new GC Tester verifies that any retained printing solvents in film are within regulated safe levels for food packaging.

The recent addition of a new Gas Chromatograph (GC) machine and a QUV tester has expanded the technical support provided by Convex to ensure packaging durability and food safety compliance.

The new GC has enabled the Convex technical team to provide 24-hour VOC testing to verify that any retained printing solvents in film are within regulated safe levels for food packaging. It includes an auto-sampler for maximum consistency, and the capability to overlay multiple tests for quicker and easier analysis.

Along with using GC testing as part of the company’s HACCP food safety programme, Convex also uses the equipment to provide a VOC testing service for companies that import packaging.

Convex Technical Manager, Andrew Sheerin says, “It’s really important to carry out routine VOC testing on packaging manufactured in countries where manufacturing and environmental standards are not as strict as ours. Some solvents banned in New Zealand are still used in overseas, and these can transfer to packaged food and impact the health of consumers. Our VOC testing service allows companies to check that the packaging they import complies with industry safety standards, and is therefore safe to pack food.”

The Convex technical team is also in final stages of commissioning a new QUV tester that will help ensure that packaging ink, adhesive and film performs well with prolonged exposure to sun light and weather. Designed by global US company Q-Lab to verify the weatherability of packaging, the new QUV tester will be particularly beneficial for companies marketing growing media and landscape supplies through outdoor businesses like garden centres.

Andrew says, “The QUV weatherability testing will help us optimise the shelf presentation of product stored in open-air displays by ensuring it looks as good as possible, for as long as possible.”

 The QUV tester is currently being commissioned and is expected to be available by August 2017.

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Convex’s 40 Years of innovation, and significant printing achievements, were profiled in the November 2016 issue of FLEXO Magazine.

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Convex compostable Greensack film has been officially recognised by the Australian Bioplastics Association (ABA) as a worm-friendly compostable film.

The ABA issued Convex a certificate of conformance to the AS4736 `Seedling Logo’ Compostable Bioplastics Standard in January. Along with verifying that Greensack will break down in a composting environment containing heat, water, oxygen, soil and micro-organisms – the new ABA certification also confirms that Greensack is safe for worms.

Convex Technical Manager, Andrew Sheerin says, “The ABA certification is a milestone recognition for Convex. While the raw materials we use to make Greensack are all approved to European compostable standard EN13432, the ABA certification takes our goal to be environmentally responsible to the next level by ensuring our finished film is not toxic to worms.”

Made from cornstarch produced from GM-free sustainably-managed corn plantations, Greensack is available as retail carry bags, singlet bags, indoor bin liners, and wheelie bin liners for food and organic waste collection.

In 2011, Convex won the New Zealand Packaging Council’s Environmental Packaging award for the key role Greensack bin liners play in turning food waste into commercial compost.

The new ABA certification allows Greensack customers to put the ABA Seedling logo on their packaging to help highlight the film’s compostability.

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