##{"id":100423,"date":"2022-03-22T12:29:00","date_gmt":"2022-03-22T01:29:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fnarena.com\/index.php\/2022\/03\/22\/australian-science-on-a-mission-to-end-plastic-waste-2\/"},"modified":"2022-03-22T12:29:00","modified_gmt":"2022-03-22T01:29:00","slug":"australian-science-on-a-mission-to-end-plastic-waste-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/staging.fnarena.com\/index.php\/2022\/03\/22\/australian-science-on-a-mission-to-end-plastic-waste-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Australian science on a mission to end plastic waste"},"content":{"rendered":"

SYDNEY<\/span>, March 22, 2022 \/PRNewswire\/ — Australia’s<\/span> national science agency, CSIRO, will tackle Australia’s<\/span> plastic pollution problem, pledging to help Australia<\/span> reduce 80 per cent of its plastic waste by the end of the decade.<\/p>\n

An initial $50M<\/span> will be invested into CSIRO’s Ending Plastic Waste Mission, to develop cutting-edge science and innovation to change the way Australia<\/span> makes, uses, recycles and disposes of plastics.<\/p>\n

Plastic waste is a critical global challenge, and the Mission is looking to partner with countries who have the same shared vision of reducing plastic waste, with an initial focus on the Indo-Pacific region. <\/p>\n

CSIRO and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade recently launched<\/a> the Plastics Innovation Hub Indonesia<\/i> with Indonesian innovators, investors, community leaders, government, industry, and researchers to address the plastics issue and develop solutions specific for Indonesia. <\/p>\n

The Mission’s current partners and collaborators include Australian industry, government and universities, and several international organisations including the National Science Foundation, University of Texas at Austin<\/span> and U.S. Department of Energy’s BOTTLE Consortium.<\/p>\n

With global use of plastic expected to double by 2040, CSIRO’s Chief Executive Larry Marshall<\/span> said the challenge was far bigger than any one institution or country. <\/p>\n

"The Ending Plastic Waste Mission will bring together the whole innovation system, to turn science into solutions that will benefit the environment and create economic opportunities for Australia<\/span> and the globe," Dr Marshall said.<\/p>\n

"By working together, by aligning our efforts, and by pushing each other further for a common cause, we can tackle seemingly impossible challenges \u2013 like protecting our environment while making sustainability profitable for business. And we can achieve it faster."<\/p>\n

The plastic waste industry is valued globally at about $87 billion<\/span> and developing circular economy plastic initiatives for recycling is expected to provide US$67 billion<\/span> in value<\/a> globally by 2025. <\/p>\n

"By turning plastic waste into a renewable resource, the Mission will deliver collaborative scientific and manufacturing capabilities to drive new technologies across the entire plastics supply chain," Dr Marshall said.<\/p>\n

Research under the mission includes:<\/p>\n