Media Release
18 October 2023
The Indo-Pacific Plastics Innovation Network (IPPIN) held a Demo Day today at Shangri La Jakarta. Technology to transform abandoned fishing nets into high-quality, low-carbon materials, and systems to revolutionise Indonesia's plastic waste management were just two of the innovations on display.
These innovations were born out of the Plastics Innovation Hub Indonesia, a partnership between Australia’s national science agency, CSIRO, Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Indonesia's Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology (Kedaireka) and Indonesia's National Plastics Action Partnership that is fostering innovative approaches to curb plastic waste and mitigate the impacts of climate change.
Demo Day marked the culmination of eight weeks of intensive training through the IPPIN Accelerator program, where teams of entrepreneurs and researchers were mentored to hone their ideas and build market readiness.
Australian Ambassador to Indonesia, Penny Williams PSM highlighted the value of bilateral cooperation to develop circular economies.
“As close neighbours, Australia and Indonesia benefit from working together to tackle plastic waste,” Ambassador Williams said. “Actors along the plastics value chain in both Australia and Indonesia face critical challenges in reducing plastic waste and decreasing greenhouse gas emissions. It’s inspiring to see some of the scalable solutions launched at this year's IPPIN Demo Day.”
CSIRO Director Southeast Asia, Amelia Fyfield, said the IPPIN program was taking a systemic approach to tackling plastic pollution and supporting climate adaptation.
“With climate change causing more frequent, higher intensity rainfall across our region, the leakage of plastic waste into waterways and drainage channels in urban centres is creating chronic blockages, leading to increased incidence of flooding. Dredging offers a short-term fix, but longer term action to prevent plastic waste build-up is critical,” Ms Fyfield said.
“With 175 nations supporting a UN plastics treaty by 2024, now is a critical time for us to come together to reinvent a more sustainable plastics industry and mitigate the impacts of climate change.”
Director General of Higher Education, Research, and Technology at Indonesia’s Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology, Professor Nizam, said the IPPIN Demo Day was a chance to witness bilateral environmental entrepreneurialism in action.
“At last year’s Demo Day, the Plastics Innovation Hub Indonesia introduced us to Australia-Indonesia biodegradable agricultural solutions and technology with potential to transform the livelihoods of Indonesian waste pickers,” Professor Nizam said.
“We are proud to be part of this program and will continue to connect universities and industry to build a better future.”
Sri Indrastuti Hadiputranto, the Chair of the Indonesia National Plastic Action Partnership said the IPPIN program plays an important role in nurturing emerging entrepreneurs and start-ups and is critical in developing long-term solutions to plastic problems.
“Demo Day is an important step in the IPPIN Accelerator journey – to test teams’ market-readiness and help the most promising teams scale their impact to make lasting change in the plastics ecosystem,” Ms Hadiputranto said.
The Indo-Pacific Plastics Innovation Network forms part of CSIRO's Ending Plastic Waste Mission, which is working towards an 80 per cent reduction in plastic waste entering the Australian environment by 2030.
Find out more about the Indo-Pacific Plastics Innovation and meet the pitching teams.
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Photos: https://www.flickr.com/photos/kedubesaustralia/albums/72177720312002505