Indonesia’s Asia Pacific Fibers (APF) and textile recycler BlockTexx have announced “a working partnership” to develop a variety of filament yarns made of recycled polyester and co-market these to global fashion and textile industry clients. Graham Ross, Co-founder of BlockTexx, said, “BlockTexx’s mission has been to develop low emissions technology to deliver commercial scale recycled…
Researchers at the University of Southern Queensland (UniSQ) are looking to further develop a lab-level technology for upcycling mixed plastics into valuable carbon nanomaterials and hydrogen. According to a statement from UniSQ on Wednesday, the team is working with plastic recycler Australia Sunlight Group (ASG) on the problem, with support from the AU-UK Hydrogen Energy…
What were the five biggest stories of the week? Here’s what visitors to @AuManufacturing were reading. 5) 11 grants awarded under Supply Chain Uplift Program Recipients of grants under Round 5 of the state government’s Supply Chain Uplift Program have been announced, with approximately $800,000 awarded to 11 Victorian businesses. State manufacturing minister Colin Brooks visited Hanwha…
Two plastic recycling projects in NSW have received grants to increase plastic recycling capacity, with iQRenew awarded $9.1 million for an infrastructure upgrade at its Kundle Kundle plant, and Tamworth Regional Council awarded $1.9 million for a new facility. According to a joint statement from the NSW and federal environment ministers, Penny Sharpe and Murray…
McCormick opens upgraded factory Food company McCormick has officially opened its upgraded Sunshine Coast waste treatment facility, which it says will make “a major step forward in reducing waste” while supporting growth of the Gourmet Garden herb and spice brand. According to a statement on Friday from the company, the new “state-of-the-art trade waste treatment…
Our Australia’s 50 Most Innovative Manufacturers series continues with a look at plastics specialist Innomerix. Brent Balinski spoke to Director Vahid Montazeri. As other industrial automation specialists have done, CNC Design moved with client demand and ended up working in 3D printing, with this happening in the mid-2010s. It began by building a machine for…
By Sarah Cook National mandatory requirements are the only way Australia can reduce waste and create a circular economy for packaging. The current voluntary approach is not working. While the Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation (APCO) set National Packaging Targets for 2025 — including 50 per cent of average recycled content included in packaging — the data show…
Skincare company Ego Pharmaceuticals aims to save 18 tonnes of packaging waste from landfill annually by switching to recyclable low-density polyethylene (LDPE) for its QV Skincare brand tube products. In a statement on Monday marking National Recycling Week, the company said the transition from laminate for the packaging was already underway, with “a mix of…
By Karen Raubenheimer, University of Wollongong It’s been 20 years since a paper in the journal Science showed the environmental accumulation of tiny plastic fragments and fibres. It named the particles “microplastics”. The paper opened an entire research field. Since then, more than 7,000 published studies have shown the prevalence of microplastics in the environment,…
Recycling technology company Samsara Eco has appointed a scientific advisory board to work alongside its R&D team and guide strategic initiatives. In a statement on Monday, Samsara – which completed a $100 million funding round in June – named the following advisory board members: Dr Sean Simpson, co-founder, LanzaTech; Dr Gregg Beckham, Senior Research Fellow…