Speakers

Sarah Bayliss

Packaging Innovation Manager

Sarah has built her career across the Australasian packaging industry, gaining experience with brand owners, packaging manufacturers and recyclers. Her work has centred on new packaging development, combining technical expertise with a practical understanding of manufacturing, supply chains, product protection and end-of-life systems. As a technical leader, she is passionate about packaging’s essential role in maintaining product quality, extending shelf life and reducing food waste, while also minimising environmental impacts. 
 
In her role as Packaging Innovation Manager at the Fonterra Research and Development Centre, Sarah leads a specialist research team developing and validating sustainable packaging solutions for a diverse portfolio of dairy products. This requires balancing demanding performance, food-safety and distribution requirements with recyclability, material efficiency and circular-economy objectives. She works closely with suppliers, operational teams and industry partners to translate emerging technologies into practical, fit-for-purpose solutions that can be implemented at scale. 
 
Sarah believes meaningful progress depends on collaboration across the entire packaging value chain, from material producers and converters to brand owners, consumers, collectors and recyclers. As extended producer responsibility regulations expand globally, she advocates for the dairy industry to look beyond the packaging placed on the market and take greater responsibility for its design, use, recovery and end-of-life outcomes. This systems-based approach is fundamental to building resilient, circular packaging systems.