Aug 12 2004
Australian company Plantic Technologies was last night awarded the prestigious Australian Museum Eureka Prize for Industry 2004 for its biodegradable plastic.
Plantic Technologies developed and now manufactures a revolutionary plastic from plants which disperses rapidly on contact with water. It is considered one of the most significant advancements in packaging technology in the last decade.
The company was awarded the Australian Museum’s top prize which recognises innovation and outstanding commitment to research and development. The prize includes becoming a member of the Australian Museum's Immortals Program in which Plantic will receive permanent recognition by having a new species of fly after it – called Krakatauia planticorum. The specific epithet “planticorum” means that this species is named after all the people associated with Plantic Technologies Ltd.
Two years ago the Australian Cooperative Research Centre for International Food Manufacture & Packaging Science created Plantic Technologies to commercialize its world first invention which produced plastic from plants. This exciting new product is a technological solution to the environmental problems associated with plastic packaging – a non-sustainable source material difficult to dispose.
It is a world first creating a truly environmentally friendly plastic which can compete on cost and functionality with petrochemical based plastics but which will disperse rapidly on contact with water, literally disappearing before your eyes.
“Plantic has taken the best of Australian science, set up a world class high volume manufacturing unit in Australia, launched the first products into the market place with Cadbury Schweppes one year ago, and has now expanded successfully into Europe with an application development facility established in Cambridgeshire (UK) and a sales office in Germany,” said David MacInnes, CEO.
Plantic achieved another world first recently with its rigid packaging gaining accreditation to international compostable and biodegradation standards. This places Plantic at the forefront of the global biopolymer marketplace with instant recognition in key markets such as Europe, Japan, and the USA.
Plantic’s ongoing commitment to innovation and establishment of a world class R&D team based in Melbourne has ensured not only its success with the first products but has followed this up with a stream of new technologies allowing expansion from food packaging applications into public heath, cosmetics, medical devices, and pharmaceuticals.
“We are absolutely delighted to be awarded this highly prestigious Eureka prize for Industry. It is a superb reflection not only on the calibre of the original research but also on the outstanding efforts of all our dedicated staff,” concluded MacInnes.
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