Amcor has become the first company to purchase certified circular polyethylene material using ExxonMobil’s Exxtend technology for advanced recycling.

Unilever has appointed Cameron Heath as its new managing director for NZ, with his predecessor Nick Bangs moving to Sydney to take on the role of GM for home, beauty and personal care for the ANZ region.

Surf is removing its plastic scoops across its powder range, which Unilever said is expected to reduce the amount of plastic in circulation in Australia by 7.7 tonnes (the equivalent of 1.9m scoops) every year.

ASX-listed company Security Matters (SMX) has successfully completed a trial for marking PCR plastics, showing that tracked pellets made into bottles could be detected and identified post manufacture.

Environmental non-profit organisation Planet Ark has chosen Hivebrite's community management and engagement online platform to connect circular economy stakeholders to drive change.

Labelmakers Group and Huhtamaki have teamed up for a joint recycling initiative in Victoria that will see recovered paper label production waste used as feedstock for Australian-made fibre-based egg cartons.

In line with its ambition to become "Australia's most sustainable supermarket", Coles has removed plastic measuring scoops from three laundry powder brands.

Amcor will be running a website on 12 April, which features the topic "How to make sustainability claims on packaging: a focus on recyclability".

Exchange for Change (EfC) has released the new fixed price per material type for supplier contributions, that fund the Return and Earn NSW container deposit scheme.

Unilever's R&D teams are working to develop solutions to keep plastics in the circular economy and find new materials to replace virgin single-use plastic.

Australian enviro-tech startup Samsara Eco has raised $6 million to help build its first recycling factory plant later this year, via the CEFC and the Woolworths Group’s venture capital fund W23.

As the UK Plastic Packaging Tax comes into force tomorrow, 1 April, global flexible packaging and lidding films supplier KM Packaging has launched PCR (post-consumer recycled content) in a range of products.

Kangaroo Island has been chosen as the launch site of a technology enabled pilot program for reusable coffee cups and takeaway food containers.

Victorian-based recycler APR Group has partnered with Plastoil, the local arm of global recycling technology developer Biofabrik, to launch the new advanced recycling technology WASTX Plastic in Australia.

National science agency CSIRO will be investing $50m into its Ending Plastic Waste Mission, pledging to help Australia reduce its plastic waste by 80 per cent over this decade.

Woolworths will be phasing out its 15-cent plastic shopping bags in WA – the first major supermarket to do so ahead of new state legislation banning a variety of plastic shopping bags from July this year.