About

Deborah LauThrough our Ending Plastic Waste Mission and together with our partners, we are aiming to change the way we make, use, recycle and dispose of plastics.

Our goal is an 80 per cent reduction in plastic waste entering the Australian environment by 2030.

Our mission is the national catalyst for systematic change to tackle plastic pollution. It provides a broad range of scientific and technological solutions for the entire plastics supply chain to support government and industry initiatives, eliminate litter and divert plastic waste into a resource to build Australia’s circular economy.

Plastic use is anticipated to double by 2040. This is unsustainable and there are significant detrimental impacts to the environment.

Our science will support the Government’s National Plastics Plan and provide industry with cutting-edge solutions. This will help turn waste into a commodity to generate economic benefits and jobs for the nation.

Research under the mission includes:

  • Changing the way we make, use, and recycle plastics by developing innovative technologies, materials, products and processes.
  • Supporting a sustainable plastics circular economy by utilising plastic waste to deliver economic benefits, while reducing the detrimental impacts to human health and the environment.
  • Revolutionising packaging and waste systems; generating effective solutions for recycling; advising on the development and implementation of standards; analytics and machine learning to inform decision making; and creating systemic change.

Our mission will drive a significant co-ordinated response across the innovation sector to tackle plastic waste.

csiro waste hierarchy