Kate Tilley Correspondent [email protected] +61 (7) 3831 7500 See All Staff Page Recent Stories Pact Group suitor defends takeover bid An independent expert has said a takeover bid for one of Australia's largest plastic packaging companies by its current chair is "opportunistic." But the suitor is defending the offer. Pact Group takeover bid rejected as ‘neither fair nor reasonable' An independent expert has said a takeover bid for one of Australia's largest plastic packaging companies by its current chair is "opportunistic." Australia financing projects to modernize recycling infrastructure The Australian government has committed A$250 million (US$160 million) to a Recycling Modernization Fund (RMF), of which A$60 million (US$38.4 million) is dedicated to the RMF's plastics technology stream. Pact Group chairman launches takeover bid The move comes only a month after Australia-based Pact sold 50 percent of its reusable plastic crate pooling business to global infrastructure investment manager Morrison & Co. Ltd. New Zealand expands its ban on hard-to-recycle plastics Stage two of New Zeland's ban on hard-to-recycle and single-use plastics began July 1 and bans the sale of items such as single-use straws, plastic produce bags and labels, and plastic cutlery. Australian packaging leader calls for mandated recycled content Pact CEO Sanjay Dayal said Australia's 2025 national packaging targets "will not be achieved, particularly for plastics, which is disappointing. These targets are voluntary so incentive to act is based on company willingness." Australia pushes for permanent solutions for recycled plastics, grants some exports The Australian government is allowing some companies to export recycled material, but warns the industry that it must come up with its own home-grown solutions. Australian supermarkets get a year to solve soft plastics recycling Australia's antitrust regulator, the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission, has proposed granting the nation's three major supermarket chains a year to resolve post-consumer soft plastic recycling. Australian startup Samsara to commercialize its enzyme recycling Australian regulator grants supermarket chains permission to cooperate on soft plastic recycling Until the program's demise, REDcycle had delivered the plastic to its partner recycling facilities to process into new recycled plastic products. Furor erupts after sudden end to Australian soft-plastic recycling scheme Beyoncé's 'Renaissance' includes upcycled PP folders Australian designer Bethany Cordwell, 26, initially thought the email from Beyoncé's team was a hoax. Australian manufacturer chips in on US stretch film market Great Wrap aims to open a micro plant in California followed by a scale-up facility in the Pacific Northwest. Australian summit tackles single-use plastics, recycling rates At a March 2 National Plastics Summit convened by Australia's government, many companies made pledges to reduce single-use plastics. An industry pact said it would announce details later this year on plans to help increase the plastic packaging recycling rate from 16 percent to 70 percent by 2025. Australian firm gets oxo-biodegradable trademark A small Australian company has received approval for the nation's first certified trademark for oxo-biodegradable plastic products. Load More