April 14, 2011
Gosford, NSW-based company Biofiba has developed a new product which uses organic fibres to make planks for shipping pallets.
The only known technology of its kind, the company says it has the potential to make considerable inroads into domestic and international export pallet supply markets. The manufacturing process involves the modification of hemp fibre and natural starches to fabricate pallets rather than timber or plastic composites which pose their own problems.
With 6 billion export pallets (94 percent made of wood) sold annually, Biofiba’s product stands to help prevent the destruction of the world’s natural and irreplaceable forests. The product will also provide businesses with real ways to improve their environmental credentials.
BioFiba’s pallet alternative this week secured federal government endorsement along with funding already supplied through CSIRO’s Australian Growth Partnership (AGP) program. The extra resources will help BioFiba win a share of the global pallet market worth billions of dollars a year.
According to Innovation Minister Senator Kim Carr, wooden pallets take up a large slice of the world’s timber consumption.
While there are several environmentally sustainable processes being developed, most export pallets are used once and then consigned to landfill where they slowly decompose. “The raw materials come from renewable sustainable resources and pallets made from Biofiba composites will break down into Earth-friendly, natural matter – delivering significant environmental advantages over traditional wooden pallets,” Senator Carr says.
The AGP program, itself federally funded, was created to offer support to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in an area of national priority. The program offers between $500,000 and $2 million per SME and allows businesses to purchase CSIRO research and development capability. “The Gillard Labor Government is pleased to support programs like AGP because they provide a focused and customised way to overcome technology challenges," Carr says. “To be able to use the resources of the CSIRO to deliver this type of solution that has the capacity to improve Australia’s triple bottom line, is an exciting prospect.”
The CSIRO will invest up to $1.97 million to fund a collaboration through its Future Manufacturing Flagship to tailor the material formulation and high speed production. Biofiba’s Managing Director Laurence Dummett says the company was attracted to the AGP program because it could deliver a combination of benefits. “The CSIRO’s Future Manufacturing Flagship has the facilities to develop the commercial process and to validate the products’ biodegradability,” Dummett says.
“AGP offered us access to this and funding as well.”
Source: www.supplychainreview.com.au
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