Innovation

Replas is an Australian company that has been operating for over 20 years with their wide range of products. Using recycled plastic polymers and 3-dimensional design, they created products that are valuable to the community. Replas products include park benches, decking, garden products, fitness trail, signage, and more.

The innovation arose from two companies’ concern on the amount of plastic that goes to the landfill. Plastic manufacturer, Australia Recycling Technology (ART) and Repeat plastics then merged into one business and continue with Replas brand. The purpose of the innovation aligns with their mission “to be a solution in Australia for wasted plastic”.

Inspiration

According to Mark, there are 380,000 tons of plastic wasted every year and it takes 800 years for them to decompose. This is where they got inspired to provide a new life for waste by creating a new product out of them. Replas takes the waste and creates recycled plastic products in order to reduce and hopefully prevent the plastic becoming landfill.

To the interviewee, people who put the plastic in the recycling bin, collecting the plastic has a role in the recycling process but, the true recyclers are the ones who buy the recycled plastic. This is because the people who buy recycled plastic allow more recycling to happen.

Overall impact

The impact on the business is that Replas obtains new market where big supermarkets in Australia such as Coles and Woolworths are now working together with them. Where for society, Replas are able to change the way people think when people see their products become useful in the community. As for the environment, it reduces the amount of waste that goes to the landfill.

The short-term effect of this impact would be less labor content, but it will be supported by going to robotics in the long-term. Therefore, the systems are expected to be more effective, efficient, competitive and able to cope with the production requirements.

Five years ago, big supermarkets would not accept seats to be placed in front of the stores when Replas offered them. However, today the two biggest supermarkets, Coles and Woolworths, currently own a significant amount of their shares. Moreover, requests have been made for the seats to be placed in front of all the stores, due to their new perceived value. In addition, Australian packaging companies are paying large sums of money to have their waste to go back through the supermarket channels.

Business benefit

The benefit Replas achieved is that they get to make a product with free raw materials. It allows corporations and companies around Australia to be the recycler. Plastics used to be sent to China for recycling but Replas has become the solution to recycling in Australia.

Social and environmental benefit

Replas will take part in reducing air pollution, as they use less energy in the production process through avoiding chemicals used. Ultimately, the innovation is environmentally sustainable.

Solid waste landfill contains methane that is capable of trapping heat and becoming a form of green-house gas contributing to global warming. By creating products from recycled plastics, the initial amount of waste designated for landfill is substantially reduced.

Interview

Mark Jacobsen, Marketing Director