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 building was completed in early June and is located on the Kahikatea Drive side of the Convex complex in Hamilton.

Its functional design has consolidated the company’s administrative offices, laboratory, and warehouse into a more efficient streamlined working environment. The warehouse has also been extended to enable approximately 500 additional pallets to be stored on-site.

The new building has replaced the company’s former administrative building on the other side of the Convex complex in Latham Court. The Latham Court building required extensive recladding to remediate escalating problems caused by its leaky building construction. After investigating several options to address the issue, a new build was deemed the most sensible and fiscally responsible solution.

Convex Managing Director, Owen Embling says, “Our team is really enjoying working in a brand new, much more appealing environment. The building has been purpose-built to enable most of our team to work in the same area, instead of being spread across multiple buildings, and that has already improved our workflow efficiencies and teamwork.”

The new Convex administration offices and main entrance is now located at 251 Kahikatea Drive, Frankton, Hamilton.

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Made from 80% recycled material, the Convex film is providing the vital outer covering for the low carbon construction boards made by saveBOARD from recycled beverage cartons and other packaging waste.

saveBOARD construction boards provide an environmentally sustainable alternative to plywood, particle board and plaster board and are industry-certified for interior and exterior applications in homes and commercial buildings.

With saveBOARD aiming to make its building materials as recyclable as possible, Convex endeavoured to include as much recycled content as possible in its covering film while ensuring a consistent bonding to the board material.

Convex Managing Director, Owen Embling says, “Our film holds the core of the board to the facing materials, so it’s important that it provides good adhesion. The recycled content of the film we supply saveBOARD is made from plastic waste created in our Hamilton plant, so we are very pleased to see it being upcycled into a product that adds value to the building sector and helps to reduce significant landfill waste. It’s very exciting being part of such an innovative closed loop recycling initiative, which is well-aligned with our company ethic to be able to reuse, recycle or compost all the packaging we make.”

saveBOARD’S Hamilton factory started producing saleable product in November 2021 and now diverts up to 4,000 tonnes of waste from landfill annually. Each construction board made by saveBOARD diverts 500 used beverage cartons from landfill and provides up to a 90% reduction in carbon emissions compared with other construction boards.

In September 2021, saveBOARD received a AUD$1.74 million grant from the Australian and New South Wales Governments towards setting up a AUD$5 million facility in New South Wales. In October 2022 the Victoria State Government made a grant of AUD$1 million towards the cost of opening a saveBOARD facility in Victoria in 2024. The Queensland State Government is also supporting the development of a saveBOARD facility in Queensland.

saveBOARD co-founder and Chief Executive, Paul Charteris says, “Convex worked with us to develop a primary film for our product that complements our company commitment to recycling. As we have gone into Australia it’s been great to know that Convex is set up there and can assist us in that market as well. It’s been an easy transition to use Convex as our key supplier in Australia.”

“Our New South Wales plant received its first delivery of Convex film in mid-November and will be fully operational by Christmas.”

You can learn more about saveBOARD here: saveboard.nz

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The Auckland-based coffee roasters are long-standing sustainable packaging pioneers. Along with being certified Fairtrade, organic, and climate neutral; they won the NZI National Sustainable Business Network award, Small Business Trailblazer in 2012, and have been using Econic packaging for their Kōkako-branded drinking chocolate and coffee beans for over seven years.

Everybird was launched in March 2022 in the first customised EconicSnow stand-up pouch made by Convex, with sticker valves automatically inserted during production to vent the gasses emitted from the fresh beans. The packs are made from three certified home compostable films derived from sustainably-produced wood pulp and GM-free corn sources and are designed to break down in a composting environment containing heat, water, oxygen, soil and micro-organisms.

Everybird Brand Manager, Sam Taylor says after 20 years focusing on the hospitality industry, Kōkako decided to expand into the grocery sector in an effort to bring ethically sourced coffee to more people around Aotearoa.

Sam says, “Everything has changed in the last few years, the way we work, the way we socialise, the way we shop. Retail is fast changing too; and we think this is the right time to deliver something new and exciting to the coffee aisle.”

Everybird is available in two blends: Everyday and Half-Caf. Both blends have been carefully crafted with super approachable flavour profiles and are available as whole beans, plunger grind and espresso grind.

Sam describes the Everyday Blend as `an outright crowd-pleaser’. It’s bold, a bit chocolatey, a bit biscuity, suited to all brew methods and just as delicious black as it is with milk or milk alternatives.

Everybird Half-Caf is ideal for people who want all the flavour, but only half the caffeine. It’s made with 50% full strength Everyday Blend, and 50% Swiss Water^® Decaf (decaffeinated in Canada using only time, temperature and water).

Sam says, “We’re particularly excited about Half-Caf as it creates more opportunity for consumers to enjoy coffee throughout the day and follows similar trends in the craft beer sector where moderation has seen low and zero alcohol beer sales soar. We expect Half-Caf to be a real category driver and appeal to a wider cross section of consumers.”

Everybird can be purchased online and from a growing number of grocery stores throughout New Zealand.

To find a store near you, or read more about Everybird specialty coffee, visit: www.everybird.co.nz

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A recycling solution organised by Convex has allowed NZQA to make their nation-wide exams more sustainable by diverting approximately two tonnes of plastic waste from landfill each year. Since November 2019, discarded exam paper wrappers have been collected from each exam centre, recycled, and then sent to Convex to be reused in other packaging products, including new exam paper wrappers.

A key consideration in selecting a more sustainable packaging option was the high level of tamper-proof security required for the packaged exams. This also included the packaging having to be clear enough to enable the Exam Centre Managers to undertake their own required checks on the exam packs and easily identify the correct set of personalised exam papers for each candidate.

Using flow wrap made from a combination of virgin and recycled plastic was deemed the best option, and Convex worked with their recycling partner, Astron Sustainability, to set up a workable process for all parties.  

NZQA Deputy Chief Executive Assessments, Andrea Gray says, “Finding an eco-friendly packaging solution for our exam paper wrappers was very important to us. It was clear from student feedback that they wanted us to move away from single-use plastics as well. The challenge was to find a solution that provided the security and visibility we needed. Convex recommended recycling as the best available solution, and they organised the whole process for us.”

Convex has been developing sustainable packaging for over 25 years and are one of New Zealand’s leading manufacturers of recyclable, recycled and home compostable packaging. They have been actively investigating sustainable packaging materials and processes since 1996 when they registered their recycling logo and launched their first home compostable bag.

Andrea Gray says “Convex’s assistance in getting this initiative underway was really valuable. Their in-depth understanding of sustainable packaging options allowed them to recommend a solution that met our specifications really well. We were not aware that was an option and are really pleased that Convex not only recommended it, but also took the lead in organising all the logistics with the recycling company and our contracted Print and Distribution provider. We are very happy with the result.”

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In 1996, Convex launched their first home compostable pack into the market and registered their recycling logo. Convex’s first compostable offering was a car tidy liner for the Waitakere District Council, made from Greensack film. Greensack is still used today – and won an Environmental Packaging award from the Packaging Council of New Zealand (Inc) in 2011 for the key role it plays in helping to reduce the amount of food waste going to landfill.

Convex’s first compostable pack was this car tidy liner, produced in 1996.

The ongoing enhancement of Greensack and extensive trialling of other compostable materials led to the development of the Econic home compostable packaging range in 2010. Convex is continuing to develop sustainable packaging options, including a growing range of recyclable options.

Convex Managing Director, Owen Embling says, “Our sustainability journey hasn’t always been smooth, especially in the early years when developing compostable packaging made zero commercial sense. Back then, the raw materials were hugely expensive and really challenging to work with, and there was almost no demand for eco-friendly alternatives.  We persevered because we’ve always known that sustainable packaging is critical for our future. After 25 years investigating hundreds of sustainable materials, and actively trialling countless dozens, we’ve gained a huge amount of expertise running these types of films and making them functional.”

The original Convex recycling logo from 1996

Where compostable packaging is not currently possible or economically viable for a particular packaging application, Convex offers a growing range of packaging options that can be returned, recycled and reused.

Owen says, “We make sure all our packaging is fit for purpose and back that up with robust technical support to make sure important things like barrier properties, seal strength and food safety are all properly tested and validated. It is important to us that packaging is functional as well as sustainable. Our team makes sure that our sustainable films deliver the function needed and run well on our customers machines.”

Convex has recently developed a new plastic #4 recyclable pouch to provide a more eco-friendly alternative for the many goods that are currently packed in non-recyclable bags. This is an ideal option for products like pet kibble and a wide variety of dry food stuffs. Where requested, Convex also helps customers’ put processes in place to have their used bags collected, recycled and returned to the Convex plant for reuse. In some instances, where the packaging is not required to pack food, Convex incorporates recycled material from a customer’s old packaging into their own new films.

Owen says, “Our ultimate goal is to facilitate a planet-friendly chain of custody for every pack we make and provide workable solutions for our customers to minimise single-use packaging.”

“We are committed to continue pioneering functional planet-friendly packaging and working with forward thinking customers who want to demonstrate their commitment to help protect our environment.”

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The new Convex bags have allowed Raglan’s previous imported rubbish bags made from virgin plastic to be replaced with more sustainable New Zealand-made bags, made from recycled waste. The new bags were launched in late November, with the only noticeable change to Raglan residents being the new green colour.

The change was driven by the Raglan community enterprise, Xtreme Zero Waste. Along with running the Raglan Resource Recovery Centre, Xtreme Zero Waste is contracted by the Waikato District Council to carry out Raglan’s weekly kerbside waste collection. Their diligent efforts to eliminate landfill waste has enabled Raglan to divert nearly 80% of their total solid waste stream, and won Xtreme Zero Waste the national 2020 Energy Globe Award.

Turning Raglan’s waste into reusable resources is also a big focus of Xtreme Zero Waste. Convex is helping them achieve that by incorporating resin made from discarded Raglan plastic in their new recycled rubbish bags.

Xtreme Zero Waste Innovation Manager, Rick Thorpe says, “Raglan has a history of leading the way in sustainability and we want to continue that. Our community worked with the Raglan Chamber of Commerce, Community Board and Whaingaroa Environment Centre to ban the use of single-use plastic in our local businesses about two years before the national ban, so it was important for us to find a more sustainable option for our kerbside rubbish bags. Convex worked with us to find a viable solution, which has helped us take a major step towards our goal of establishing a circular economy and supporting local processors and manufacturers.”

Raglan’s discarded plastic is sent to Auckland where it is processed into recycled resin pellets at Convex’s recycling partner, Astron Sustainability. The pellets are then sent to Convex in Hamilton to be incorporated into the manufacturing process for Raglan’s recycled rubbish bags.

Convex Managing Director, Owen Embling says, “Our work with Xtreme Zero Waste is very exciting. One of our driving goals is to provide workable solutions for our customers to minimise single-use packaging, and in this case we’ve been able to do that for a whole community. Raglan and Xtreme Zero Waste are a great example of what can happen when a community works together to eliminate single-use plastic and we look forward to seeing many other communities learning from them and following their lead.”

You can learn more at: xtremezerowaste.org.nz

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