ATLANTIC MARGIN CORING PROJECT (AMCOR)

According to Australia's 2020 ASX index, consumer

packaging manufacturer Amcor is the 16th largest
business in its exchange-develops, amongst other things,
flexible packaging, rigid containers, specialty cartons, and
closures and services.

HISTORY
The company’s history can go back to the 1860s when a
Yorkshireman by the name of Samuel Ramsden arrived in Australia,
going on to establish the state of Victoria’s first paper mill company
in Melbourne. By 1896, the business had grown and owned
combined mills in Melbourne, Broadford and Geelong, with it called
the Australian Paper Mills Company.

In the 1910s and 1920s, Australian Paper Mills entered a

period of expansion – doubling in size within the first 30 years of
that century.

In 1920, the business amalgamated with Sydney Paper Mills

to form the Australian Paper and Pulp Company – with an
amalgamation with the Australasian Paper Pulp Company in 1926
creating the Australian Paper Manufacturers (APM). The pulp and
papermaking arm of Amcor continues to operate under this name to
the present day.

In the 1970s and 1980s, the firm added a range of packaging

interests to its papermaking activities – with partnerships and
strategic acquisitions, expanding and diversifying its activities. In
1993, Amcor made a move to consolidate its rapidly expanding
holdings into its three main divisions – Container Packaging, Amcor
Fibre Packaging, and the Amcor Paper Group.
 The business adopted its current Amcor name – which was
designed to reflect its “much broader range of interests” – in May
1986. A few years later, it bought Twinpack, the largest plastics
container producer in Canada – with the acquisition accounting for a
significant proportion of the 32% increase in containers packaging
sales in the 1989-1990 financial year.

In 1993, Amcor made a move to consolidate its rapidly expanding

holdings into its three main divisions. These were its Container
Packaging division – mainly responsible for the production of plastic
and metal containers – Amcor Fibre Packaging, and the Amcor
Paper Group.

In 2010 the business unveiled its new global brand to reflect

the birth of “new Amcor”, with a green and blue colour change to its
branding signifying its commitment to sustainable practices.

Nine years later, Amcor acquired flexible packaging firm the Bemis

Company for $6.8bn – with the combination creating one of the
worlds’ biggest consumer packaging businesses.

PRODUCTS: Amcor develops and produces packaging for use with

snacks and confectionery, cheese and yoghurt, fresh produce,
beverage and pet food products, and rigid-plastic containers for
brands in the food, beverage, pharmaceutical, and personal and
home-care segments. Moreover, Amcor is a global leader in
developing and producing responsible packaging for food, beverage,
pharma, medical, home- and personal-care, and other products.
Amcor works with leading companies around the world to protect
their products and the people who rely on them, differentiate
brands, and improve supply chains through a range of flexible and
rigid packaging, specialty cartons, closures, and services. The
company is focused on making packaging that is increasingly light-
weighted, recyclable and reusable, and made using an increasing
amount of recycled content.

CONTROVERSIES

 In 2001, Amcor was fined 10,000 Australian dollar by EPA

Victoria for pollution. (Note: EPA means Environmental
Protection Authority)
 In 2006, a Four Corners story, titled The A Team, revealed the
controversial methods used by Amcor to influence forestry
policies. (Note: Four Corners is an Australian investigative
journalism/current affairs documentary television
program.)
 In 2007, following investigations by the Australian Competition &
Consumer Commission, Amcor and Visy were found to have
engaged in price fixing and market sharing in the market for the
supply of corrugated fibreboard packaging.
 In 2008, Amcor was convicted by the Heidelberg Magistrates'
Court for releasing oil to the Yarra River from its Alphington,
plant and fined $80,000.
 In 2021, Amcor were ranked 7th on Michael West's "Top 40 Tax
Dodgers in Australia".