Papyrus Australia has recently appointed former MP and leader of the New South Wales Liberal Party, Kerry Chikarovski AM as Executive Director of Government Relations. The new Executive Director is helping the company reach new heights by raising awareness of this emerging technology.

The spotlight on climate change has never been brighter following the recent COP26 conference in Glasgow. The increased attention is welcomed by Papyrus Australia, a world-leading agricultural waste technology company.

While the Australian Government did not seem to rise to the challenge at the climate change conference, it is innovative companies such as Papyrus Australia that are leading the way to demonstrate ways we can work towards a more sustainable, greener future.

Papyrus Australia is the developer of a world-first technology that has the potential to change the face of agriculture around the world and reduce the need for logging and plastic production.

Papyrus’ patented technology takes globally available agri-waste, banana tree, and converts it into a fibre which can be used in a wide range of sustainable alternatives to fibrous bioplastics and forest-sourced fibre.

With each banana tree producing just one bunch of bananas before it gets cut down, the potential environmental benefits of this pioneering technology are immense.

“I firmly believe we should all be doing what we can to ensure a cleaner, greener future for our planet and the work that Papyrus is doing presents so many exciting opportunities to make a meaningful difference by displacing plastic and providing a sustainable alternative to forest-sourced wood-based products in our everyday lives,” said Ms Chikarovski.

“The Papyrus process uses banana tree trunk, a renewable, biodegradable and fully sustainable waste material, as a natural replacement for single use plastic food packaging, bio plastic feedstock, furniture and building products.

“I’m incredibly inspired by the technology Papyrus has developed and am excited to assist with raising the profile of this environmentally-friendly technology,” she concluded.

On average, a hectare of banana plantation produces 220 tonnes of waste annually and there are approximately 10 million hectares of banana plantain worldwide. This huge amount of agri-waste creates Methane, a greenhouse gas which is harmful to the environment.

Papyrus Australia has established a zero-waste, chemical-free process of converting this globally available agri-waste into products. Not only does this reduce the creation of Methane, but it also creates products that are sustainable alternatives to plastic, forest wood and chemicals.

As the world wakes up to the growing climate crisis, methods to reduce our impact such as carbon offsetting are making their way to the forefront – and that is just another benefit of this pioneering technology.

With increased momentum and public pressure from the COP26 let us hope the world comes together to deliver green recoveries, bring in good jobs, trillions in investment and support ground-breaking new technology that encourages a more sustainable way of living.