Digital Product Passports that allow consumers to scan a product’s label to read up on its sustainability credentials and understand how to repair and recycle it are one step closer. In time, these passports will likely apply to everyday products like clothing and phones as the world moves to a more circular economy. Upping the circular economy game in the EU and locally Agreed in principle by the European Parliament in December 2023, the new Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) will require almost any product in the EU market to provide proof that it’s sustainable, durable an ..read more

The Vinyl Council of Australia (VCA) is collaborating with several Australian industry partners to recycle waste PVC pharmaceutical blister packaging. VCA member Think Fencing, based in Portarlington, Victoria, has partnered with Pharmacycle to recycle blister packaging collected via Pharmacycle’s drop-off points, located in pharmacies, hospitals and local council sites across Australia. Chemist Warehouse has recently joined early adopters Bloom The Chemist and National Pharmacies as a drop-off location, introducing the program in 100 of its stores across Victoria. “We are seeing significant ..read more

Textile Recyclers Australia (TRA) Pty Ltd has joined forces with the ARC Research Hub for Microrecycling of Battery and Consumer Wastes. TRA and the Hub, which is hosted and directed by the UNSW Sustainable Materials Research and Technology (SMaRT) Centre, will formally partner to help develop and commercialise innovative solutions to waste challenges. The Hub is a five-year national research and development program aimed at boosting resource recovery capability by creating new advanced and scalable manufacturing technologies, based on SMaRT’s MICROfactorie concept. “Led by co-founders Ben Ka ..read more

The NSW South Coast has gained its first community battery thanks to Endeavour Energy. The Shell Cove battery is the second one to be installed in Endeavour’s region. A further eight batteries are being delivered in the Campbelltown, Kiama, Liverpool, Shoalhaven, Wingecarribee and Wollondilly areas, and 44 more will be installed over the next 18 months as part of the Commonwealth Batteries for Household Solar Program. “Endeavour Energy has been providing power to this region for more than 100 years, and as part of the energy transition we are excited to deliver clean, green storage to the Sou ..read more

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese revealed his government’s plan for the future of Australian manufacturing, with the announcement of a planned Future Made in Australia Act as the nation looks to accelerate its transition to net zero by 2050. Announced on Thursday, 11 April 2024, the plan was likened to the AU$520 billion Inflation Reduction Act in the US. Hydrogen, green metals, solar power, emerging renewable sources and technologies form the future of the country under the plan. Backed by business groups, the plan was welcomed by most sectors but most now want to see more action a ..read more

A recent UNSW-led international study has assessed the levels of per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in surface and ground water around the globe. PFAS are a group of over 14,000 human-made chemicals that have been popular since the 1950s thanks to their diverse abilities in resisting heat, water, grease and stains. They have commonly been found in household products like non-stick frying pans, clothing, cosmetics, insecticides and food packaging, as well as specialty industry products like firefighting foam. Despite their utility, the chemicals have a more sinister reputation. Dubbed ..read more

Minister for Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowen has participated in a foundation ceremony for an upcoming carbon capture and utilisation (CCU) facility in Newcastle. The facility, named ‘Myrtle’, is owned and will be operated by Australian clean technology company MCi Carbon. MCi Carbon has been developing its proprietary mineral carbonation technology for over a decade, transforming CO2 into solid outputs such as calcium and magnesium carbonates for use in the built environment. In 2021, the company secured AU$14.6m from the Australian Government CCUS Development Fund to build Myrtle as p ..read more

The Australian Government has announced its Solar Sunshot program, aimed at growing solar PV manufacturing in Australia while providing a pathway for local solar PV innovation to be commercialised. The $1 billion program will be delivered by the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA), with development and design to be carried out in collaboration with the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW). Prior to this, ARENA had funded the Australian Photovoltaic Institute’s (APVI) ‘Silicon to Solar’ report to investigate solar manufacturing capability and potentia ..read more

Curtin University has received a $5 million grant from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) to take on the challenge of producing and transporting hydrogen in a sustainable and cost-effective way. While hydrogen has long been identified as a clean energy source, there are difficulties in transporting it affordably and practically. One established method is using sodium borohydride powder as a carrier for the hydrogen, but the by-product left behind — sodium metaborate — has always been expensive to recycle. The Kotai Hydrogen Project has been set up to trial a new method of hydrogen ..read more

One of my favourite movies as a kid was Dirty Dancing; I was energised by the music and dance. Now, when it comes to discussing our evolving energy systems and the need to transition to a net zero future, the dancing metaphor is a great fit. Here’s why. The real-time balancing of electricity generation (supply) and demand is like a dynamic dance and if the two dancers are not in sync, the electricity system could tumble. Demand has long been the leader, increasing when you flick on your kettle, and its dance partner, generation, follows its lead and increases too. But the electricity system i ..read more