Sustainability Victoria has launched a new grants program designed to assist businesses, social enterprises, charities and non-profits to bring recycled material innovations to market.
Grants of $15,000 to $50,000 are available to eligible organisations via the Market Accelerator program. The grants can be used to enhance their business capabilities to access new markets, increase the value and demand for recycled materials, and strengthen Victoria’s circular economy.
The program aims to validate and commercialise products and processes using priority recycled materials, including organics, plastics, paper, cardboard, tyres, glass, textiles, e-waste, batteries and other problematic waste streams, while building markets for recycled materials and improving confidence in circular products.
Advisory services supported by the program include business planning, marketing strategy development, product assessments and certification.
Matt Genever, Chief Executive Officer of Sustainability Victoria, said the program will help bridge the “critical gap” between innovation and market adoption.
“Creating more efficient products with less waste and lower energy consumption will not only contribute to reducing Victoria’s carbon emissions but will be a catalyst for the state’s future economic growth,” said Genever.
According to CSIRO’s National Circular Economy Roadmap1, the recycling sector generates 9.2 jobs per 10,000 tonnes of waste, compared to only 2.8 jobs per 10,000 tonnes sent to landfill.
This translates to recycling creating over three times more jobs than landfill per unit of waste.
The $750,000 Market Accelerator program is funded through the Victorian Government’s circular economy policy, Recycling Victoria: a new economy.
It forms part of a broader $25.8 million investment aimed at boosting demand for recycled materials and accelerating Victoria’s transition to a sustainable circular economy.
For more information, visit: www.sustainability.vic.gov.au/
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