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ABOUT US

Choosing sustainable packaging doesn’t mean sacrificing design aesthetics. I combine sustainable materials and attractive design to make being eco-friendly the ultimate choice for businesses who want to elevate their offering to new standards of customer and environmental care.  

As a packaging engineer consultant through AWEN, I push the boundaries of what businesses can achieve through innovative and sustainable design. I work collaboratively with business owners to implement more sustainable packaging solutions that appeal to a new generation of consumers. My expertise spans connecting with new supply chains, redesigning packaging with new materials, costing and forecasting business revenue, and planning for end-of-life of materials. 

Most business owners are surprised to learn that by investing a little more in sustainable packaging solutions, they can raise their prices, attract new customers, and increase their profits. Studies show customers are willing to pay more for eco-friendly products that help them live a more sustainable lifestyle . Sustainable packaging is a win for the environment, a win for businesses and a win for customers! 

AWEN’s creative packaging solutions for businesses are backed by my credentials in chemical engineering and paper engineering, my experience working in 15 countries (including Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, Germany, India, China, Russia and other European countries) and my extensive knowledge of Australia’s waste management and recycling challenges and solutions. My ultimate vision is to ‘close the loop’ and keep packaging out of landfill, by crafting beautifully and sustainably designed items. 

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Designing FOR SUSTAINABILITY

My passion for packaging started early, with an eye for beautiful design and a curiosity to understand how items were created. At university, I studied chemical engineering and learned the transformation processes that make up packaging: from paper and plastic to the glue that binds everything together.

I discovered more about the life of packaging beyond its first use. So often, items were headed to landfill. Understanding raw materials, production processes, and recycling plants allowed me to see it did not have to be this way. Change was possible.   

 

Originally working in traditional industries around the world, I grew concerned about the negative impact waste had on the environment. I grew up in Brazil and felt deeply connected to nature. But I found myself working for companies that were contributing to a growing environmental crisis. I wanted to use my skills and insight to find new packaging solutions. This led me to study a Masters in paper engineering in Germany. As a European country with limited natural resources and no forestries, Germany has found innovative ways to optimise packaging production. It is ahead of most countries in developing a waste system that impacts lightly on the environment. 

 

When I moved to Australia 4 years ago, I saw how I could make an impact with my knowledge and experience. Australia has a reputation as a green country, but I was surprised to discover that its sustainability credentials needed vast improvement! I realised that the barrier to effective change was lack of clear information for individuals and business owners. It can be confusing to navigate the different recycling plants and options in different Australian states. What can be recycled in Victoria may be sent to landfill in NSW! Even if people wanted to be more sustainable, it was hard for them to know where to start. 

 

 

AWEN represents the best design and sustainability solutions from around the globe. Taking what I’ve learned from Europe in particular, I help business owners develop creative, functional, and aesthetically pleasing designs that have minimal impact on the environment. We explore the ‘end-life’ of packaging, from standard recycling, to repurposing and reusing. Ultimately, the care a business puts into all elements of its products and packaging conveys a message about their deeper values, the respect they have for customers, and their commitment to a hopeful future for this planet. 

Circular Economy for a Sustainable Built Environment

Delft University • 2020

Sustainable Packaging in a Circular Economy

Delft University • 2020

Tools to help you meet the APCO 2025 National Packaging Targets: ARL & PREP

Australian Institute of Packaging • 2020

Applying Behavioural Science to Create Change

Monash University • 2020

Design of Sustainable Packaging for cosmetics

Tatabi Studio • 2021

Design with Biomimicry

Circulab • 2021

Design for Circular Economy

Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute • 2022

Economia Circular na Prática: entenda, desenhe, transforme

Ideia Circular • 2022

Sustainable Business Strategy

Harward Business School • 2022

LIST OF QUALIFICATIONS : 
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