We have a new home

We now have most of our Megara team, machinery, and resources at our new home with Corex at 261 Frankston-Dandenong Road, Dandenong South and are in the final stages of our relocation which will be complete by late January 2023.

To celebrate our new home, we have created a unique gift for our customers.

 

Our Kerbeco® Plant Holders are made from 50% recycled waste that has been collected from kerbside recycling, reducing landfill.  Kerbeco sheet is made right here on site. All post-industrial waste (scrap from cutting) is then used again in other recycled sheet products in our PROMEG Ecorange®.

The design of the Plant Holder is not only stylish and practical, but it also maximises sheet yield, minimising waste. The design also includes a wicking basket which retains the water in the plants pot.

We have also included a 2023 calendar to make your Plant Holder even more functional and perfect for your office desk.

Get in touch with your account manager to receive your Kerbeco® Plant Holder. hello@megara.com.au

We can’t wait to see you all in 2023 at our new home!

Read more about our holiday break and site relocation here >

Christmas Packaging

Looking for some Christmas Packaging Inspiration?

Throughout the year, our team works on all kinds of projects from POS display, signage, horticultural and customised stationery products.

But during seasonal and special times like Christmas, Easter and Mother’s Day, our design and manufacturing teams gear up to get creative.

Megara specialises in creating unique packaging and GWP (gift with purchase) solutions that communicate the value of your brand. Seasonal occasions naturally bring out our fun and creative best!

With design, manufacturing and recycling all under one roof, it’s not too late to create the perfect customised packaging solution for Christmas.

Designed & made locally from our own polypropylene

It all starts with our 100% recyclable polypropylene made on site at Megara.

We make PROMEG® polypropylene which is stocked in a wide range of opaque and translucent colours including, clear (frosted), white, black, yellow, orange, burgundy, blues, red, greens, greys, silver, and translucent orange, yellow, pink, red, purple, blue, green and grey. We also make custom colours to match your corporate brand colours.

SHEET: Stunning Translucent Toffee Apple Red custom made PROMEG®.
DESIGN: Left: Twist top lolly package. The twist lid design doubles as a serving bowl. Right: Carry bag lolly package with gravity feed opening.

Recycled & Recyclable

Our manufacturing site is truly closed loop. All of our scrap sheet (post-industrial waste) is recycled at Megara, and recreated in a range of different sheet products in our PROMEG ECORANGE®.

We also make a sheet called KERBECO®. As the name suggests, KERBECO® is made from 50% recycled waste that has been collected from kerbside recycling.  It is also a 100% recyclable substrate that you can put into your recycling bin or return to us here, at our plant in Melbourne.

KERBECO® is a white sheet with the odd “recycled fleck” running through it, ready to print and make your brand stand out. What a better way to promote your brand than on an Australian made, sustainable, Carbon Neutral material.

Twist box design in recycled PROMEG ECOLOGIA® Sheet.

No cookie cutter packaging designs here!

For businesses that have worked with Megara before, you know that our specialist polypropylene industrial designers are second to none. Megara designers are the market leaders in creating bespoke packaging using polypropylene.

Our designers do not just create amazing designs that wow customers, they create designs that maximise materials and sheet yield, minimising waste whilst giving you the biggest bang for your budget.

Megara’s expert design team will work with you to create a sustainable solution that embraces your brand and speaks to your audience.

SHEET: Toffee Apple Red opaque PROMEG®. Sheet co-extruded with white to give it a super vibrant glassy aesthetic.
DESIGN: Twist top with compartment for coasters in the lid.

Why Megara.

+ Designed by polypropylene experts with your brand, budget and environment in mind.

+ All waste products are reused in our recycled range to make products for tomorrow.

+ Our packaging solutions are designed to be reusable. Create a product that your customers want to keep; a constant reminder of your brand.

+ Highly memorable, iconic, original designs that are unique to your brand.

+ One-stop shop that offers all services in one location. We will take care of your project from start to finish. The buck stops here!

Contact our team to discuss your next seasonal packaging project hello@megara.com.au

Christmas Envelope Design in Red PROMEG®.

Closing the Point of Sale Display Loop

Kerbeco® Pharmacy Display

Sigma Healthcare (Sigma) has the largest pharmacy network in Australia with over 1,200 branded and independent stores.

In early 2021, Sigma put out the call Point of Sale (POS) display designers and producers to create a long lasting FSDU for multiple brands using locally sourced and sustainable materials. 

Combining a thorough understanding of creating bespoke retail displays with a strong history formulating new materials for the evolving retail display space in Australia, Megara had all the credentials for this project.

Project background

Before using the Kerbeco® permanent pharmacy display stand, Sigma was using a range of temporary cardboard display stands throughout their stores to hold various product ranges.

The existing display stands were being used for short periods and being replaced with new ones every few weeks. The store teams were frustrated and knew that improvements could be made to their current POS program.

The display’s assembly time was not justifiable for such a short period of time, and its materials and design were not durable or hard wearing enough to be considered for a more long-term solution.

Their wear and tear were also noticeable quickly. A more durable substrate was required to extend the display’s life and future activations by redressing the display with new graphics.

The key objective for creating the next evolution of displays was to design a sustainable display solution that lasted years rather than weeks whist using environmentally savvy materials.

Display functional brief

Design a display with 360-degree shopability for a permanent floor location rather than a single sided solution that would need to be placed against another fixture or wall. The display structure needed to be permanent (lasting beyond one year), with provisions made to “redress” the display with entirely new graphics for a constantly new, fresh look.

Supply requirements

Distribution to all 550 stores nationally.  As each store size and layout varies, a great deal of planning was required to understand how many stands and in what configuration would suit a particular store. i.e., single, double, or 4-sided display.

Left: Amcal Pharmacy, Emu Plains. Right: Super Savers

Sustainability 

Megara’s sustainability credentials

Since creating Promeg Ecorange®; the world’s first 100% carbon neutral polypropylene sheet in the early 2000’s, many retailers and brand owners have used this material across their POS displays. In 2020 we took this a step further by creating a new material, Kerbeco®, which is not only carbon neutral, but is also made from 50% recycled waste that has been collected from kerbside recycling, thereby reducing landfill.

The new Kerbeco® substrate was a key factor in Sigma choosing Megara to create the transformative in-store POS displays. Sigma’s focus on sustainability and reducing their environmental impact aligned with Megara’s new POS permanent displays using post-consumer waste and felt like a big step in the right direction.

There is so much consumer conversation about choosing products that support recycled and recyclable materials, but in the business-to-business marketing space, this conversation does not appear to have the same importance.

Apart from creating a display using material from kerbside waste, Megara also takes used POS assets back at the end of their lives. They are then decontaminated, shredded and re-palletised so that this waste can be turned into other products in the future.

Key environmental credentials:

  • Made from 50% kerbside (consumer) rubbish thrown away in household bins.
  • 100% carbon neutral polypropylene.
  • Australian designed and made, reducing transport costs and emissions whilst supporting local people and businesses.
  • Recycled polypropylene uses 40% less energy than virgin material along its transformation path back into sheet stock.
  • Kerbeco® sheet has a printable surface so you don’t need to laminate with PVC etc.

Local design & supply

Local design and supply were a key priority. The original brief came through during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, so overseas supply issues were front of mind. This was also an excellent reason to support local whilst avoiding long lead times and freight costs through the pandemic period.

Renderings showing double sided floor stand, and 4 sided options.

Talking about the design 

We created a premium, sleek design that was also multi-functional and easy to assemble.

Each display has four shelves. Whilst it can be used as a single sided unit with branding on the sides, shelf fronts and header, it also can be used as a 2, 3 or 4-sided unit with 360-degree stockholding and visibility.

The permanent display is 100% Australian designed and made. The main unit is made from Kerbeco®, a proprietary substrate made by Megara Australia. Keeping all design and manufacturing in one location saves time, money and environment alike.

The graphic dress up kits are made up of four different parts: Side Panel, Header, Base Panel, and Shelf Strips.

The clear shelf fronts serve as “recyclable data strips”. Standard injection moulded data strips use adhesive strips to fix them to displays which creates a roadblock for recycling at end of display life.

All components of the display have been designed maximising sheet yield, with post-industrial scrap from the Kerbeco® sheet being recycled on site through Megara’s closed loop manufacturing facility.

Other design features:

  • Assembly: 20mins per stand with 5 minutes to update the graphics.
  • Re-dressibility: Graphics can be updated as required.
  • Reuse: The durability of the material and design enables this permanent display to be used for at least 3-4 years, changing out graphics for various promotions.
  • Weight holding: 20kg stock for each single stand.  80kg for a full 360-degree shoppable cluster.
  • Shipping: Flat-packed with QR link to assembly video.

Why was Megara the right solution 

The ability to use a truly local one-stop-shop created the opportunity to thoroughly sample and field test the new Kerbeco® permanent display within days of receiving the brief.

After the design and materials were chosen, we meticulously worked through all the little elements to help with the project’s successful activation. These elements included:

  • Pre-production samples and testing;
  • Art set-up and direction;
  • Assembly videos;
  • Meetings with key stakeholders and decision makers to enable all feedback was actioned and everyone was well informed; and
  • Face to face assembly demonstrations and question sessions with the Sigma design and merchandising teams.

All these little “one percenters” made a huge difference by taking away the pain points associated with creating a new POS display initiative.

Conclusion 

Thank you to our retail partners at Sigma for allowing the team at Megara to work on this trailblazing project.

As sustainable material and display pioneers, we understand that being the first in market requires diligence from all stakeholders. Seeing the Kerbeco® permanent displays being used by Sigma retailers around Australia, is a pinnacle achievement for the whole team who worked tirelessly to bring this sustainable display to life!

Read more about Sigma Heathcare. 

Get in touch with the team at Megara to find out more customerservice@megara.com.au

Megara has taken the pledge!

Operation Clean Sweep

 

Here at Megara, we take our responsibility to protect the environment very seriously. From closed loop manufacturing and zero post-industrial waste, it was a no brainer for us to take the next step and join Operation Clean Sweep.

 

For those of you that don’t know, here is a brief snippet from their website to fill you in…

 

“Making zero pellet loss your goal.

 

The Plastics Industry Association (PLASTICS) introduced the Operation Clean Sweep® program to the USA in 1992. Since then it has also been successfully implemented in over 22 jurisdictions including Europe, New Zealand and Canada. The message is simple: Resin pellets should be contained, reclaimed and/or disposed of properly. The program has now been introduced to Australia in an effort to follow the USA industry goal of zero pellet loss. This project was funded through the Victorian Government’s Litter Hotspots Program.”

 

The process of manufacturing Promeg polypropylene sheet starts with our raw ingredients in pellet form. These pellets are tiny and can easily end up on the floor and then eventually into our water ways. By joining Operation Clean Sweep, we’re not only helping ourselves, but the planet too. It’s a win-win.

We have signed a pledge to demonstrate our commitment to a clean environment and are proud to be a part of such an important movement.

 

To find out more head to www.opcleansweep.org.au

 

Questions? Give us a call on +61 3 8720 6600 or shoot us an email at hello@megara.com.au

POPAI Award: Sustainably Manufactured Department Store Activation

Myer, Active Display Group and AFI Branding win 2017 POPAI Environmental Stewardship Award

POPAI Award: Recognition for Sustainable Logistic Model

Tru Blu Beverages and CHEP win 2015 POPAI Environmental Stewardship Award

Hello print enthusiasts!

Welcome to the Megara blog.

We’ll be blogging the latest from Megara on our website blog: handy hints, cool projects, new innovations and trends in sheet, print and production.