Our Research

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Our cutting-edge research in 8 projects is in the 3 key areas of New Plastics Technology, Food Waste Management, and Measurement & Consumer Research.

 Fossil fuel-based plastics have proven to be an environmental problem, in particular single-use plastic which sadly ends up in landfills. In Australia alone, the plastics packaging market is $4bil, and only 18% of this plastic goes through recycling (APCO, 2021). Recyclable transparent food and beverage packaging at the moment can only be recycled 2-3 times.  

FPP has invested in eight projects within the Future Food System CRC that seek to transform transparent food and beverage packaging away from fossil fuel-based plastics to infinitely recyclable sustainable materials that are economically viable. What we can provide is another solution to the market to close the gap in a circular economy and contributing towards achieving Australia's 2025 National Packaging Target 2 of 70% of plastic packaging being recycled or composted (APCO, 2021) 

 1. New Plastics Technology

Project A: Organic Recycling - Using solvents to disperse and rebuild polymers (Aqueous Dispersion).

Project B: Synthesis of Biomass Materials to Produce Plastics - Alternative biomass feedstock, eg: grass, hops, hemp.

Project F: Carbon Utilisation & Material Synthesis - Conversion of carbon dioxide to ethylene monomers.

These Projects aim to provide transparent sustainable food packaging for biscuits, cakes, fruits, meat, seafood, coffee, and beverages.

2. Food Waste Management

Project C: Nanowire Sensors - Use of electro nano sensors to maintain food quality and reduce waste.

Project D: Colour-metric Sensors - Colour indicator to support food quality and reduce waste.

Project E: Using Blockchain to trace food and source - Questionnaires relevant to each technology in the aforementioned projects.

3. Measurement & Consumer research

Project G: Life Cycle Index - Creation of a new index that looks at the total life cycle analysis of the technologies in the technologies from the relevant projects (Projects A-F).

Project H: Consumer Research - Quantitative Research with discrete choice modelling to support the aforementioned projects (Projects A-F).

•  Advancement towards a pilot extrusion machine,

                   in collaboration with PACO Industries

• R&D advanced finding awarded.
• Significant progress made via UNSW – trials. 
• Brand and commercial partners secured.
• Large market opportunity identified.
• Diverse technologies for future growth and investment 
• Unique and rapidly scalable IP

 Our technologies provide significant advantages:

• Promotes infinite recycling of plastics which could contribute significantly to achieving the Australian 2025 National Packaging Target 4 of phasing out problematic and unnecessary single-use plastics packaging (APCO, 2021).
• Closes the loop for the circular economy with plastic which could contribute significantly to achieving the Australian 2025 National Packaging Target 1 of achieving 100% reusable, recyclable or compostable packaging (APCO, 2021). 
• Potentially improving efficiencies of current recycling and waste management processes.
• Ability to utilise contaminated feedstock which could contribute significantly to achieving the Australian 2025 National Packaging Target 3 of achieving 50% of average recycled content included in packaging (APCO, 2021). 
• Reduces the reliance on petroleum-based plastics by utilising green chemistry which could contribute significantly to achieving the Australian National Packaging Target 2 of achieving 70% of plastic packaging being recycled or composted (APCO, 2021).
• Potentially reducing costs of recycling and waste management processes.