Plastics and packaging

Helping reduce the harmful social and environmental impacts of plastics and packaging through better approaches to design, reuse and recycling.

Our research actively contributes to addressing the plastic pollution crisis by helping industry and government transition to more sustainable practices.

Our approach follows circular economy principles, whereby strategies to design unnecessary plastics out of everyday life are prioritised, followed by options for effective product repair, reuse and recycling.

We take a systemic, whole-of-supply-chain approach to addressing problems such as plastic packaging pollution, acknowledging that reform is often required in design, manufacturing, trade, transport and logistics, policy, cultural practices, and many other dimensions of the problem.

To do this, we employ our expertise in policy and regulatory analysis, product stewardship, stakeholder engagement, material flow analysis and social practices, in addition to technical knowledge related to end-of-life product management, chemistry and pollutant flows.

A tractor is moving waste on top of a pile of plastic rubbish

PROJECT | 2023

Examining sustainability claims of bioplastics

ISF researchers undertook a literature review and interviews with eleven Australian experts involved in the production, use, composting and research of bioplastics and an assessment of sustainability claims of bioplastic products sold in Australia

Colourful plastic crates stacked on top of each other

PROJECT | 2019

The true cost of cardboard cartons

ISF stacked up costs embedded in the supply chain to find out which is the cheaper option: single-use cardboard boxes, or reusable plastic crates.

PROJECT | 2021

Recycling high-density polyethylene

For this Cooperative Research Centres Projects Recycling High-density Polyethylene project, ISF is collaborating with other universities to develop a process for supporting recycled plastics processing.

Researchers: Ben Madden, Melita Jazbec, Nick Florin, Damien Giurco

RESEARCH OUTPUTS

Pathways towards circularity in HDPE packaging: material flow analysis and best practice guidance (2021) (Fact sheet)

Pathways towards circularity in HDPE packaging (2021) (Report)

PROJECT | 2020

Environmentally responsible trade in waste plastics

Understanding how trading plastics for recycling affects ocean pollution, and finding ways to lessen the problem.

IMPACT STORY

ISF research on packaging is something out of the box

ISF research played a major role in influencing government policy and strategy regarding waste management and resource recovery for packaging materials.

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Indias contrast of ugly pollution and stunning beauty, The banks of Yamuna River polluted with garbage and beautiful Taj Mahal in the background

PROJECT | 2018

Addressing plastic pollution in India

Plastic pollution world-wide is growing and creating significant ecological, social and economic impacts.

PROJECT | 2018

Packaging material flows through the Australian waste and recycling system

ISF was commissioned by the Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation to undertake and update a material flow assessment of packaging waste flows through the Australian waste and recycling system. This analysis provided a baseline data-set, characterising packaging circularity and highlighting potential opportunities for future resource recovery.

Material flow assessment is a mathematical modelling approach that provides an analysis of material flows and stocks within a defined system. This work combined best available data from government, industry and academic sources, expert interviews and peer review with the application of a detailed mathematical model of the post-consumer packaging lifecycle. It also assessed the adequacy of existing resource recovery infrastructure in Australia. Significantly, it provided the starting point for further action towards the 2025 National Packaging Targets.

The project demonstrated the need to improve packaging recovery and recycling rates across all materials streams. It also highlighted key data and infrastructure gaps which need be addressed to drastically improve resource recovery.

Client: Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation (APCO)

Researchers: Nick Florin, Ben Madden

PROJECT | 2016-2017

Identifying packaging leaders among emerging markets consumer companies

This research project was commissioned by Stewart Investors to investigate and evaluate progress being made towards packaging sustainability in emerging market consumer companies. The focus was on actions being taken to address environmental issues such as materials efficiency, the source of raw materials, and reuse or recycling of packaging at end of life.

Client: Stewart Investors

Researchers: Scott Kelly, Joe Wyndham, Alison Atherton, Jenni Downes, Damien Giurco

RESEARCH OUTPUTS

Packaging sustainability: An assessment of global consumer goods companies (2016) (Report)

PROJECT | 2013

Reusable food containers

This research study investigated the feasibility of implementing a scheme for replacing disposable take away food containers with reusable containers within in Sydney's CBD. ISF researchers developed three scenarios for implementing a reusable container program: 1) a 'decentralised system' in which consumers return containers to the food court for washing and reuse; 2) a 'centralised system' in which a cleaning service provider collects used containers from collection bins around the CBD and takes them to a centralised cleaning facility; and 3) a 'KeepContainer' system in which consumers own and clean their containers (similar to the KeepCup coffee cup).

Each scenario was given a preliminary feasibility assessment that evaluated them against criteria such as operational cost, environmental performance, customer acceptance, food outlet acceptance, ease of implementation, and health and safety compliance. The study found that all three scenarios could provide better environmental performance for an equal or lower cost than the current system of businesses purchasing disposable containers.

Client: City of Sydney

Researchers: Rachael Wakefield-Rann, Nick Florin, Monique Retamal

Someone placing plastic bottle in special bin

IMPACT STORY

NSW container deposit legislation a crushing story

A major research report produced in 2000 by ISF’s Professor Stuart White played a major role in the NSW Government’s decision to finally introduce container deposit legislation in 2017, and helped to enshrine the concept of producer stewardship in state legislation.