Best of the week — the five most popular stories among readers, June 9 – June 13, 2025

What were the five biggest stories of the week? Here’s what visitors to @AuManufacturing were reading.

5) Samsara Eco, lululemon announce ten-year offtake agreement on recycled nylon, polyester

Enzymatic recycling startup Samsara Eco and sportswear company lululemon have built on a partnership first announced in May 2023, announcing a ten-year offtake agreement that “could see” Samsara’s material “support approximately 20% of lululemon’s overall fibres portfolio”.

The news follows R&D work that has resulted in the world’s first enzymatically recycled nylon 6,6 product sample (long-sleeved tops, announced in February last year) and a limited-edition polyester Anorak product announced two months after that.

The statement did not give expected volumes, though said there was potential to eventually source 20 per cent of lululemon’s fibres portfolio materials from Samsara, as well as “advance its progress towards making more products with preferred materials by 2030.”

4) Robotics company Contactile says new grant will help it get a grip globally

Sydney-based robotics company Contactile has been awarded a Commercialisation and Growth grant under the federal government’s Industry Growth Program.

According to a statement from the company on Wednesday, the recent grant will support commercialisation of “a next-generation robotic gripping system that endows robots with a human sense of touch”, launching the gripper into Australian, European, and US markets..

Contactile came out of UNSW Sydney research by co-founders Dr Heba Khamis, CTO Ben Xia, and Dr Stephen Redmond, and was established in 2019. (Redmond is currently an Associate Professor at University College Dublin.)

3) Cochlear launches world’s first smart hearing implant system

Cochlear announced on Thursday the launch of the Nucleus Nexa System, which the company described as the world’s first and only smart cochlear implant system featuring internal memory and upgradeable firmware.

The Australian medical device company said Australians living with hearing loss are among the first in the world to access the next generation technology, which is designed and manufactured in Australia.

2) Australia’s next GigaFactory: The promise of local advanced manufacturing

The convergence of technological innovation, strategic investment, and a renewed focus on sovereign capability heralds a renaissance in advanced manufacturing.

I’ll use the journey of my own company, Allegro Energy, as an example of how local manufacturing can propel Australia to the forefront of global innovation. By Dr Thomas Nann, CEO Allegro Energy.

1) Victoria smashes food and fibre export target six years early

Victoria has exceeded its $20 billion food and fibre export target six years ahead of schedule, according to a government report released on Wednesday.

Minister for Economic Growth and Jobs Danny Pearson released the 2023-24 Food and Fibre Export Performance Report, which shows Victoria is Australia’s top food and fibre exporter, capturing 27 per cent of the total national export value.

The results cement Victoria’s position as the nation’s premier state for food and fibre, building on two consecutive years of record-breaking numbers and seeing the state exceed the government’s ambitious target of $20 billion in food and fibre exports by 2030.

Picture: credit Allegro Energy