April
Federal contract bidders will need to hit sustainability targets
Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek said government departments would use their purchasing power to reduce waste and promote recycling, part of new reporting rules.
- Tom McIlroy
- Opinion
- Review
Plastic recycling needs to be freed from the oil price cycle
Until it’s always cheaper to use repurposed materials, the industry has little hope of success.
- Steve Hardman
March
Turning turbines into sneakers: a recycling idea takes flight
Renewable energy giant Acciona was unsure how to dispose of its fibreglass and carbon-fibre wind turbine blades. Its solution came out of the box.
- Hans van Leeuwen
February
- Opinion
- Chanticleer
Victoria’s PE play on scrap metal recycling turns to junk
Pacific Metal was backed by the state’s investment fund and big super. But its collapse raises the question of whether governments can really pick winners.
- Anthony Macdonald
November 2023
Why it’s getting harder to find a designer label op-shop bargain
Charities and dedicated boutiques know the value of second-hand luxury goods and are tapping into a growing market for these items.
- Maida Pineda
Why glass is the material of the moment in homewares
Alchemist Ben Edols has produced a series of exquisite works for Sydney interior designer Alexandra Kidd’s inaugural Prima collection.
- Stephen Todd
October 2023
Why your Lululemon yoga pants could be a good investment
An Australian start-up has found a way to turn plastics otherwise destined for landfill into yoga pants and T-shirts. And fashion brands are seeing an opportunity.
- Julie Hare
How these Aussie cafes are keeping laptops out of landfill
Repair cafés are part of a growing culture of re-use, recycle and repair around Australia as garbage levels soar and recycling systems break down.
- Tom McIlroy
Repair and reuse movement booms as inflation bites
Research by waste management giant Veolia shows Australians facing rising consumer prices are fixing important items, rather than replacing them.
- Tom McIlroy
September 2023
Recycling infrastructure outfit CDSA rattles the tin
CDSA pitches itself as a more efficient alternative to manual recycling depots.
- Sarah Thompson, Kanika Sood and Emma Rapaport
Recycling is a must for the mining industry, BHP boss says
Mike Henry’s comments raise the question of whether BHP might follow Rio Tinto with a bigger investment in the scrap industry.
- Hans van Leeuwen
This fintech lets you pay for fuel with bitcoin
A small, but growing, cohort of consumers is tapping their crypto wallets to pay for fuel, powered by a local payments innovation.
- Tess Bennett
August 2023
Why this Rich Lister wants to recycle your pizza boxes
Visy boss Anthony Pratt has unveiled upgrades to his Melbourne plants that he says will keep 400 Olympic swimming pools of paper and cardboard out of landfill.
- Gus McCubbing
Timber waste recycling hopeful goes bust, Mitsui appoints receivers
Queensland’s Altus Renewables turned pine sawdust into wood pellets for power stations. It brought in McGrathNicol on Friday.
- Liam Walsh
- Exclusive
- Funding
This start-up’s ‘maggot robot’ will tackle Woolies’ food waste
Canberra start-up Goterra has raised $10 million and will open a new $3.5 million food waste facility in Sydney.
- Tess Bennett
July 2023
- Exclusive
- Mergers & acquisitions
Rio Tinto in billion-dollar recycling push
Rio Tinto is preparing to spend close to a billion dollars on a metal recycling acquisition in North America.
- Peter Ker
June 2023
World-beating Australian recycling tech debuts in UK, Japan
Sydney-based Licella is poised to reveal partners for a proposed plant on the Dow Chemical site at Altona, in Melbourne’s west, in coming weeks.
- Updated
- Ben Potter
Plastic recycling push held back by lack of nationwide plan
A more determined approach including government action is needed to accelerate the transition to sustainable plastics, say IKEA and Arnott’s executives.
- Ben Potter
May 2023
This Australian crowdfunded start-up is making an edible coffee cup
Good-Edi’s Millennial co-founders count on shifting consumer sentiment and a beverage industry under pressure to offer more sustainable, takeaway options.
- Aaron Clark and Keira Wright
April 2023
Why Mars chose Australia for a world-first shift
The conglomerate will roll out the change across local supermarkets before it commits to a global launch.
- Simon Evans