Vision and Mission
The Solving Plastic Waste CRC will drive game-changing industry research and collaboration across the entire plastics value chain transforming the way plastics are designed, manufactured, used, recovered, recycled and how plastic pollution is remediated, by developing new materials, products, technologies, processes and systems.
It will deliver new jobs, skills and regional solutions by growing sustainable businesses and new markets, whilst creating a valuable circular economy for plastics resulting in a cleaner and safer environment.
Our research will unite, incentivise and galvanise industry and stakeholder action to deliver national waste targets and build the capabilities to make Australia a global leader in plastics manufacturing, recycling and reprocessing.
Our bid
Our partners
The Australian plastics value chain is complex, comprising a diverse array of upstream and downstream stakeholders of varying scale, sophistication and business interest. The Solving Plastic Waste CRC can deliver value to a range of organisations including: raw material suppliers; manufacturers and converters; retailers and brand owners; local government authorities; waste management and recycling companies; State government agencies; industry bodies; and non-government organisations.
Why a Solving Plastic Waste CRC?
A national and strategic approach under the enabling collaborative structure of a Cooperative Research Centre is essential to enhance and support Australian efforts to find and develop solutions to challenges associated with our use of plastics.
Accelerated by market and policy pressure to reduce waste and emissions, Australian businesses are well positioned to become competitive global players through innovation and collaborative R&D. The Solving Plastic Waste CRC will provide a new platform to unite and galvanise key stakeholders to jointly develop leading solutions for the challenge of plastic waste.
The CRC will deliver outstanding research, education and training opportunities, and build capabilities throughout the value chain. It will address the plastic waste challenge at a sovereign level, working in harmony across the plastics value chain to enable a national outcome that can position Australia as a global leader.
Our research
Our research will incentivise further industry action to deliver national waste targets, positioning Australia at the forefront of plastics design, manufacturing, models of reuse, recycling and reprocessing. It will serve as a significant platform in supporting the achievement of Australia’s Plastics Plan and National Waste Action Plan targets.
Our outputs
Key outputs will include:
- new plastics that can be manufactured using Australian sourced renewable materials and valorisation principles
- demonstration of economically viable innovative systems, products, materials and technologies for reuse, remanufacture and recycling
- plastic material flow and recycling information apps, evidence-based decision support tools, and education and behaviour change tools
- innovative and valuable circular business models
- new systems thinking to inform avoidance of plastic usage and therefore waste
- new approaches and technologies to detect, remove and remediate plastic pollutants
guidance to inform the setting of industry standards
The CRC’s critical legacy will be PhD students and researchers who are well trained through industry experience and can lead the new circular economy
for plastics.
Next steps
We are waiting for Round 24 of the CRC Program to open which is expected in the latter part of 2022.
In the meantime, we are working with our Round 23 partners in preparation for the next Round and welcoming new partners to join the bid in the next few months.
What is a CRC?
The Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) Program is a Commonwealth Government program supporting industry, research and the community by providing grants for medium to long-term (< 10 years), industry-led research collaborations.
CRCs are independent entities, established and governed as incorporated companies limited by guarantee and comprise industry led collaborations between industry, researchers and the community.
The focus is on research and development that will have commercial uses. The CRC Program aims to improve the competitiveness, productivity and sustainability of Australian industries, especially in government priority areas, use high quality research to solve industry identified problems, and encourage SMEs to take part in collaborative research.
With more than 230 CRCs being funded since the program’s commencement, the Australian Government has committed more than $4.8B in CRC funding.
Governance
The Solving Plastic Waste CRC will be established as a not-for-profit company limited by guarantee. It will be governed by a majority independent skills-based board.
The Solving Plastic Waste CRC has a Term Sheet, developed in consultation with its partners, which further articulates the governance and management of the CRC and will form part of the package of information made available to prospective CRC partners.
Timeline
