Microsoft Ireland Wins Repak Recycling Award

At the 7th Repak Recycling Awards last week, Microsoft Ireland won the Best Prevention Initiative Award for the re-design of the Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac packaging. The Awards serve to recognise and commend both businesses and schools that are exemplars in packaging minimisation, prevention and recycling and that are actively seeking to make a difference to recycling and to the environment in Ireland.

The award, which was presented by Minister for the Environment John Gormley, recognised the project to re-design the packaging for Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac which resulted in the use of less material and the reduction in the weight of the packaging by 70% and the volume by 69%. 

The production of these units led to a reduction of 210 tonnes of packaging in 2007, a 320% increase in pallet utilization, resulting in 30% less trucks being needed to deliver the same product.

Other winners at the awards were:

  • Symantec Ireland who won Repak Member of the Year 2008, Sponsored by Arthur Cox
  • Glenisk Organic Dairies who won Repak Best Practice Award sponsored by the EPA
  • Musgrave Group won the Repak Excellence Award 2008,
  • Glenlo Abbey Hotel who won the Repak Best practice Award 2008 – Hospitality Sector, sponsored by Rehab Recycling
  • Thornton’s Recycling, 2008 Recovery Operator of the Year Award – Large, sponsored by Tetra Pak
  • Clean Ireland Recycling, 2008 Recovery Operator of the Year Award Small to Medium Company, Sponsored by Manvik
  • Fingal County Council won 2008 Local Authority of the Year Award, Sponsored by REHAB Recycling                   
  • Murphy’s SuperValu Supermarket, Castletownbere, Co. Cork who won Best Practice – Independent Retailer Sector 2008
  • Tashinny National School, Ballymahon, Co. Longford, Repak in association with An Taisce, Recycling School of the Year
  • Tashinny National School also had one particular interesting reuse initiative in their school when they put old election posters to good use by creating a hen run out of the posters.