The Activating the Circular Soft Plastics Value Chain project is helping increase demand for Australian products made from recovered soft plastics and support more informed circular procurement decisions.
Led by the Circular Economy Living Lab (CELL) and Lake Macquarie City Council delivered by Tidal Circular, the project connects councils, industry, Australian soft plastics remanufacturers and product suppliers to strengthen the market for recycled-content products.
Creating demand for recycled soft plastic products
Australia has growing capacity to collect, process and remanufacture soft plastics, but a circular economy also depends on creating reliable demand for the products those materials become.
The project focuses on making recycled soft plastic products easier to find, understand, compare and procure.
The key elements of the project include:
- Developing the Australian Circular Soft Plastics Products Directory
- Connecting councils and industry with Australian remanufacturers and product suppliers
- Supporting circular and recycled-content procurement
- Exploring demand pooling to create purchasing scale and stronger market confidence
- Providing emissions and life cycle analysis calculations to help inform procurement decisions
- Showcasing practical recycled soft plastic applications across infrastructure, construction, landscaping, public spaces and council operations
Australian Circular Soft Plastics Products Directory
The Australian Circular Soft Plastics Products Directory has been created as a free resource to help councils, businesses and other procurers make informed purchasing decisions.
The directory brings together Australian products containing recovered soft plastics in one accessible location, helping users identify suppliers, explore available products and consider circular alternatives during procurement.
It also incorporates emissions and life cycle analysis calculations to support consideration of environmental impacts alongside product, procurement and recycled-content information.
Circular Soft Plastics Showcase
As part of the project, the Circular Soft Plastics Showcase was delivered, bringing together Australian soft plastics remanufacturers, product suppliers and the organisations looking to purchase their products.
More than 130 people attended the webinar, representing 65 councils across NSW, Victoria and Queensland.
The showcase provided a rare opportunity for councils and industry to hear directly from organisations across the soft plastics value chain, see commercially available Australian-made products and better understand opportunities to incorporate recycled soft plastic products into future procurement.
See the recording for the webinar: https://youtu.be/AeZ_0SXlGwk?si=19nPbccWbAUu2JNH
Building a market, not just recycling material
Recycling soft plastics is only part of the circular economy. Long-term circularity requires consistent demand for products made from recovered materials.
By increasing product visibility, providing practical procurement information, supporting environmental impact assessment and connecting buyers with Australian suppliers, the project is helping turn recovered soft plastics into a valuable resource and strengthen Australia’s circular economy.
Explore the Australian Circular Soft Plastics Products Directory and help close the loop through procurement.
Explore the directory: https://tidalcircular.com.au/directory
