Entrepreneurs across the Indo-Pacific are leading a wave of innovation this October, showcasing breakthrough solutions to tackle plastic waste at a series of multi-city Demo Days supported by Australia’s national science agency CSIRO and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) under the Mekong–Australia Partnership.
The events, held in Indonesia, Vietnam and Thailand, highlight the transformative work of the Indo-Pacific Plastics Innovation Network (IPPIN), where cutting-edge science meets entrepreneurship to create a circular economy for plastics.
From turning ghost nets into recycled pellets to developing sprayable biodegradable mulch for sustainable farming, IPPIN projects are giving waste a second life.
“Even a single piece of plastic can fatally harm marine life — this urgency fuelled my passion to innovate recycled plastics,” said Sikarin Tamiyakul from CIRACAI, whose team uses machine learning and advanced materials science to recover aluminium from multi-layered packaging.
Other standout innovations include NO-PLASTIC, a marine pollution tracker co-developed by OceanKita and Global MeteOcean, and Sprayable Biodegradable Mulch (SBM), which can be directly applied around crops without the need for removal or disposal. “Unlike conventional plastic films, SBM can be applied directly using standard farm equipment and does not require removal or disposal,” the SBM Project Team explained.
IPPIN also embeds Gender Equality, Disability and Social Inclusion (GEDSI) principles to ensure solutions are equitable and locally owned. “Embedding GEDSI principles into the refill project further increases uptake of this new system, integral to the success of lasting circularity initiatives,” said the UTS & Refill UK Team.
Projects such as CARP and Nuplas are helping restore ecosystems by removing harmful waste from rivers and oceans. “Ghost nets are one of the deadliest forms of plastic pollution due to their ability to entangle and kill marine life,” the Nuplas Team noted.
According to Andrea Sosa Pintos, IPPIN Program Director, the Demo Days are a testament to the power of collaboration. “The IPPIN Program drives real-world solutions. These Demo Days are about showcasing what’s possible when science, entrepreneurship and international partnerships come together across countries,” she said.
Since its launch in 2022, the IPPIN Program has supported more than 165 entrepreneurial teams and connected over 4,000 innovators, researchers, and policymakers across 15 countries, helping ideas evolve into impactful solutions.
“From small community-led ideas to scalable technologies, we are seeing breakthroughs that can change the trajectory of plastic waste in the Indo-Pacific,” Sosa Pintos added.
As the region faces mounting plastic challenges—with global production exceeding 400 million tonnes annually and expected to double by 2040—initiatives like IPPIN’s Accelerator+ Program demonstrate that innovation and collaboration remain key to building a sustainable future for people, industries and the planet.
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