Japan’s Kanematsu Corporation has made an investment in Australian environmental technology startup Samsara Eco. According to a statement from Samsara – which has developed an enzyme-based process to dissolve end-of-life plastic back into its component monomers for reuse – trading company Kanematsu acquired the strategic stake by accepting Samsara’s third-party allotment of shares. “Through this…
Researchers at the University of Sydney have developed new methods to solve a major source of future waste from the automotive, aerospace and renewable industries. They have developed a new recycling method for carbon and glass fibre composites in a bid to prevent end-of-generation materials going to landfill. Published in the journal Composites Part B:…
Twenty-four projects have been awarded a total of $50 million in grant funding through round 14 of the Cooperative Research Centre-Projects, including projects involving Gilmour Space Technologies, Diraq and First Graphene. CRC-Ps offer funding of between $100,000 and $3 million for a project which must be at least dollar-matched by participants. Projects can be up…
Plastic packaging manufacturer Pact Group has announced a new partnership with Aldi, which will see Pact offer recycled PET and HDPE packaging options to the supermarket’s suppliers. According to a statement from Pact on Thursday, the partnership will see recycled plastic packaging from the company’s NSW and Queensland factories made for Aldi’s own brand products.…
Building and construction products manufacturer Boral has taken part in the largest crumbed rubber asphalt demonstration project in Australia, providing 2,000 tonnes of pavement material in addition to 1,200 tonnes of controlled asphalt mix to be paved across eight local Sydney council streets. Comprising recycled rubber from end-of-life car and truck tyres, crumbed rubber asphalt…
Environment ministers led by federal Minister for the Environment and Water Tanya Plibersek have stepped in to force mandatory action to reduce and recycle packaging in a strong rebuke for the pace of adopting recycling by the packaging industry. The ministers threatened to take similar mandatory rules to the textile and clothing sector if it…
By M. Reza Hosseini, Deakin University and Tuba Kocaturk, Deakin University Architecture, engineering and construction employ 1.2 million people in Australia and account for 9% of GDP. But our biggest services sector also produces roughly 40% of landfill waste and accounts for 18.1% of Australia’s carbon footprint. The sector must change its practices fast for…
US sustainable packaging producer PakTech is to onshore manufacture of its secondary packaging made from 100 percent recycled high-density polyethylene (HDPE). The company announced today its official launch in Australia and news that it would service existing customers including Hawkers Brewery, Billson’s of Beechworth and The Apple Press as well as new customers with locally…
Visy has officially launched the upgrade to its Gibson Island, Queensland recycling facility, which the company says will add an additional 39,000 tonnes per annum of capacity and 11 new jobs. The $48 million project was awarded a $16 million grant from the Queensland Jobs Fund in April last year, with state premier Annastacia Palaszczuk…
Samsara Eco and sportswear maker lululemon have announced a “multi-year collaboration” that involves lululemon taking a stake in the recycling technology company and Samsara processing used nylon 6,6 and polyester to be remade into garments. In a statement on Friday, Samsara said that nylon and polyester represent about six-tenths of clothing made today, with around 87…
