Then to now
There’s no denying the amount of waste being produced is concerning, it’s time to take action.
One man’s trash is another man’s treasure, but we’re taking our own trash and turning that into treasure as part of a complete packaging overhaul.
Producing and shipping a huge number of fragile products has traditionally led to a large amount of waste and, based on an initial assessment in 2021, the circularity of the existing packaging system was scored at 64%.
Over 1,500 tonnes of packaging was sent to landfill or recycled by the end of 2023. This included over five hundred thousand pieces of wood often only used once before being discarded and 120 tonnes of soft plastic waste. Our aim is to meet a 100% circularity score so redesigning the current waste recovery means looking for recyclable and reusable materials.
One step at a time
Designed and manufactured entirely within Profile Group, our parent company, this patent-pending reusable packaging system replaces traditional single-use timber and steel strapping with a circular solution featuring aluminium rails and plastic cleats made from 100% post-consumer recycled plastic. Together, these components eliminate over one million kilograms of single-use timber each year – and are designed to be reused again and again.
The system also includes reusable textile foam blocks made from repurposed carpet, clothing, and industrial foam, replacing single-use polystyrene. At their end of life, these new blocks can be reprocessed back into more foam blocks. The result of two years of development and rigorous trialling, it’s a smarter, more sustainable way to move materials.
The packaging redesign has required a significant financial investment and reverse logistics to ensure waste materials are all collected. Profile Group are investigating a dedicated recovery centre, where all of the materials can be received, stored, sorted or distributed.
From linear to circular
The motivation for this project was to significantly reduce the amount of single use material going to landfill and in fact design a system where nothing needs to end up in landfill. As a market leader, continuously improving and doing the right thing for the environment is important to us. We want to be a business people are proud to be associated with and can learn from,” says Mikayla Plaw, Profile Group Executive Director.
Since launching the new system in April 2025, we’ve transitioned to transporting 100% of our aluminium through this circular, sustainable process as of September 2025.
How we've changed the packaging process
A considered move from linear packaging, to a more sustainable and innovative circular packaging system. See how that looks like below:
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Understanding the global standard
Not all EPDs are made equal. International EPDs can understate carbon impacts for NZ projects – local data tells the full story.
Soft plastic recycling
Continuing our journey to circularity through our partnership with PACT Recycling, the largest recycler of post-industrial plastic in the Southern Hemisphere.
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An aligned future with Toitū
Independent assessments and accreditations are crucial and that’s why we’re working closely with Toitū Envirocare, one of the country’s leading carbon certification organisations.
Working towards a circular economy
They say you can’t manage what you don’t measure, and that’s why a partnership was established with environmental consultancy Circularity to explore the impacts of all their waste streams.
The waste process
While APL is working hard to build a more circular business, not every material is able to be repurposed. That’s why we’re working closely with Enviro NZ, a materials management and resource recovery company.
Diversion from landfill
By collecting food scraps, we're helping power local homes and protect the environment.
The importance of ThermalHeart+®
While reducing the environmental impact of construction is a major focus of the building industry, another big focus is on reducing the amount of energy that’s required to run those buildings when they’re completed.
Environmental Product Declaration
A number of APL’s Residential and Commercial ranges have been the subject of an independent environmental and life cycle assessment by external consultants.
Biodiversity Initiative a New Zealand First
Profile Group, parent company to APL Window Solutions, has become the first participant in a new biodiversity market, purchasing biodiversity units from Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari, in the South Waikato.
Going Electricity-Neutral
The parent company to APL Window Solutions, Profile Group, has acquired renewable energy certificates from Kawatiri Energy.
The power of the ocean
At APL, we understand the power of the ocean, and what it means to our fellow New Zealanders. We play in it. We eat from it. We live by it. It connects us all.
Homes of the future
A major sustainability project by Kāinga Ora, the government’s public housing agency, will use a new, thermally efficient product range from APL Window Solutions.
Closing the loop on waste
We’ve introduced a series of day-to-day sustainability initiatives aimed at circulating high value materials, innovating new solutions and designing out waste and emissions across the business.
Hautapu ~ Our Green building
We planned carefully to make our large, new manufacturing facility at Hautapu an example of ‘best practice’ sustainable design and construction.
Upgrading for the environment
In 2016 APL upgraded it's powdercoating lines to achieve an environmentally-friendly standard.
