Rob Langford.
Rob Langford, who served as The Packaging Forum’s Independent Chair prior to his new appointment, took the reins as its
first chief executive on 1 October 2020.
Rob says he’s looking forward to beginning his new role, which he believes will flow seamlessly from that of Independent
Chair. “This is an exciting time for the future of sustainable packaging in New Zealand, one in which industry has the
responsibility to lead and show the way.”
Adele Rose, who has been acting as the Forum’s interim General Manager, says Rob’s appointment comes at a time when
there is ever-increasing pressure across society for businesses to become more sustainable. The Forum researches,
creates and advocates for evidence-based sustainable packaging solutions.
“In the past few years the pace of change and level of engagement with Government, communities and other stakeholders
has increased, making a full-time leadership role essential,” Adele says. “The Packaging Forum represents the depth and
breadth of the industry, and its members are dedicated to finding sustainable solutions for their packaging.”
Rob brings decades of experience to the new role, including technical expertise and design development skills to solve
complex issues, Adele says. He leads a team which already delivers two Government-accredited product stewardship schemes
– the Glass Packaging Forum and Soft Plastic Recycling Scheme.
“The Forum also has a number of technical advisory groups working on end-of-life and circular economy solutions for
various types of packaging, and labelling,” she says. “The appointment of Rob as our CEO will bring cohesion to all of
our activities, some of which rely extensively on members who generously volunteer their time and expertise.”
Recent Government announcements declaring single-use plastic packaging a priority product under the Waste Minimisation
Act 2008, and a proposed phase-out of hard-to-recycle plastics and some single-use plastic items, have helped accelerate
work being done by the Forum.
“We certainly support these moves by Government as they align with our members’ commitment to better environmental
outcomes for their packaging. However, it’s important for industry to have a voice in the decision-making process so its
collective experience, know-how and expertise can help bring about the best possible outcomes.”