SYDNEY, June 5, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Coinciding with World Environment Day, global packaging leader Amcor announces it is partnering with the Earthwatch Institute for the fourteenth successive year, to offer co-workers the opportunity to participate in environmental research expeditions to Brazil and India.

Bringing to life Amcor's Core Values of Social Responsibility and Teamwork, the Earthwatch expeditions will provide 15 co-workers with the chance to learn about, and contribute to, important research on topics such as conservation, biodiversity, climate change and ecosystem health.

Mr Ken MacKenzie, Amcor Managing Director and CEO says such expeditions are helping Amcor create a workplace culture that is passionate about sustainability.

"As a global packaging leader, we're acutely aware of our responsibility to create more sustainable packaging solutions that protect the products consumers need and enjoy on a daily basis," Mr MacKenzie says.

"Our co-workers play an important role in ensuring we continually improve our sustainability performance across our operations. By providing the opportunity to participate in Earthwatch expeditions, we hope to inspire a workforce of leaders who value the environment in their everyday choices, both at work and in their community," Mr MacKenzie explains.

Five Amcor co-workers will spend two weeks near the Amazonian rainforest in Brazil to support research to help protect the jaguar, puma, and maned wolf that are being threatened by loss of habitat.

A further ten co-workers will spend 12 days working outdoors at the Himalayan Mountains in India. Working in a valley famous for its apple orchards and farms, the team will collect vital data to understand why flowering plants are disappearing and why the populations of pollinators such as bees and butterflies are declining.

The expeditions will take place in October this year.

Over the 14 years Amcor has partnered with Earthwatch, 120 Amcor co-workers representing 30 different countries have contributed more than 9,500 hours of research to help find solutions to a range of sustainability challenges.

Amcor has 54 packaging plants across Europe including seven plants in the UK.

For more information about Amcor please visit (http://www.amcor.com/)

For more information about the Earthwatch Institute please visit (http://eu.earthwatch.org/)

SOURCE Amcor