CIRCULAR ECONOMY INITIATIVES TARGET AUSTRALIAN MANUFACTURING

31-07-2018

Now is the time for Australian manufacturing. The China National Sword has created much uncertainty in the recycling and waste industry across Australia and the globe. Yet, what has been labelled a crisis is in fact an opportunity for Australian manufacturing businesses to review raw material usage or invest in technology to increase domestic processing and tap into developing end markets that will drive the Australian circular economy.

Thanks in part to the ABC’s War On Waste series, Australian consumers, councils and businesses are now more aware than ever of the waste issues facing the nation. There is greater interest and commitment driving local market demand for products containing recycled content and supporting those businesses that demonstrate innovation, collaboration and sustainability leadership.

However, it is not just consumers, businesses and councils that are supporting organisations who are rethinking waste as a resource. Various government organisations across Australia are actively funding innovative recycling and remanufacturing projects.

The NSW EPA has established the Product Improvement Programme to facilitate opportunities to identify new uses and markets for recyclable materials, and to develop local processing and remanufacturing. Grants are available to product manufacturers using post-consumer product in the manufacture of goods, reprocessing facilities, secondary processing facilities and materials recovery facilities.

Individual matched funding grants of $50,000 to $1 million are available. Applications for Round 1 are currently open and will close at 5pm on Thursday, 23rd August 2018.

Another funding opportunity available to NSW-based businesses is the NSW EPA Circulate Programme, which is designed to fund innovative, commercially oriented industrial ecology projects. It supports projects that will recover materials that would otherwise be sent to landfill, and to instead use them as feedstock for other commercial, industrial or construction processes.

Applications for funding can be submitted until 30th October 2019, unless the total funding allocation is exhausted earlier.

With the waste levy being re-introduced to Queensland, businesses are encouraged to rethink waste currently being sent to landfill and explore opportunities to redirect materials for re-manufacturing. The Made in Queensland programme is a Queensland Government initiative supporting the manufacturing sector to become more internationally competitive and adopt innovative processes and technologies. This could potentially include projects using innovative processes that progress the circular economy.

The Made in Queensland programme offers matching grants of between $50,000 and $2.5 million to manufacturers looking to adopt innovative processes and technologies to generate highly skilled jobs and become more internationally competitive.

Sustainability Victoria is offering funding to manufacturers through the Materials Efficiency Grants Programme. This programme is open to manufacturing businesses that have the potential to significantly improve materials efficiency.

Sustainability Victoria is offering grants of up to $13,000 for businesses to improve the way they use their raw materials and resources while boosting productivity to reduce input and waste management costs.

In upcoming editions of Industry Update, we will be showcasing businesses demonstrating the circular economy in action and organisations demonstrating best practice in this space.

If you are a manufacturing company using recycled materials in your manufacturing process or undertaking initiatives that demonstrate resource recovery, diversion from landfill or product stewardship we want to hear from you!

Email a brief description of your initiative to info@crossconnections.com.au to be featured in future industry articles shining a spotlight on real-life circular initiatives.

For businesses interested to understand how to access available grant funding click on the available links or contact Cross Connections Consulting.

Cross Connections Consulting
0423 943 100
www.crossconnections.com.au

 

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