Australian brand R.M. Williams has updated its eCommerce packaging as it drives a new long-term brand strategy called ‘Crafted for Life’.
The new venture includes paper mailers created in partnership with Grounded Packaging, which use FSC-certified pulp made from 100% post-consumer recycled paper.
R.M. Williams has also partnered with Victoria-based business Opal on the production of its eCommerce packaging boxes. Opal sources raw wood materials within Australia, with a focus on keeping the manufacturing process local and circular, and includes recycled materials through FSC and PEFC. Each box includes artwork inspired by the Australian outback.
These new packaging ventures are part of R.M. Williams’ new long-term strategy ‘Crafted for Life’, announced last month, which focuses on the brand’s commitment to quality, durability and sustainability.
This strategy includes offering advanced training opportunities such as apprenticeships, and returning Certificate III in Leather to South Australia, as well as the development of a First Nations engagement plan and delivering gender parity at all levels within the business.
R.M. Williams said it will also aim to create regenerative products, as well as reduce plastics across the company’s product and packaging offering. It said it will also expand its circular system for its boots, including ongoing product takeback, refurbishment and recycling programs, in addition to its in-house boot repair service.
R.M. Williams owner and director Nicola Forrest AO said the new brand strategy was inspired by the original legacy of the brand.
“Just as RM created the single-piece-of-leather boot almost a century ago, we want to embrace innovative thinking and challenge our team, production line and what the future of supply chains can be,” Forrest said.
R.M. Williams boots and leather accessories have been manufactured in Salisbury, Adelaide since 1932. R.M. Williams is planning to expand its Salisbury workshop to keep up with demand, with the brand currently looking at potential new sites in Adelaide.
It is also exploring partnerships with other Australian manufacturing companies as an additional means of managing the growth in production capability.
Meanwhile, the business has recently added new appointments onto the leadership team, including CEO Paul Grosmann who’s just completed his first year. Chief Sustainability Officer Angela Winkle and Chief Operating Officer Tara Moses have joined the team in the past six months.
“I’m incredibly proud to be guiding R.M. Williams into a new era of innovation and prosperity,” Grosmann said. “The ‘Crafted for life’ platform will enable us to focus on the core principles and values that make this business such a force to be reckoned with: handheld craftsmanship, enduring products and an authentic, deeply ingrained Australian spirit.”