Sustainable plastic solutions

We build products that matter, using materials that last and can be remade again.

Current landscape

POLYPROPYLENE in the modern economy

At Genfac we recognise that polypropylene has a valuable role to play in a productive and circular economy. Today polypropylene are used in a wide range of consumer goods and applications including computers, mobile phones, vehicles, and healthcare products to name but a few. Polypropylen is widely utilised or incorporated in products because they are durable, lightweight and affordable.

Polypropylene is often used in food packaging because it has proven to be an effective medium for protecting and preserving goods, delivering high standards of hygiene, whilst also realising numerous circular economy and environmental benefits. It uses the least amount of energy to produce compared to alternatives, signficantly reducing the environmental footprint from manufacture to transportation.

Polypropylene is one of the few materials that creates a true fully closed circular economy when processed and used properly.
Sustainable Strategy
Material

Polypropylene that works harder

We chose PP because it recycles cleanly and repeatedly without losing its integrity. It's the material that keeps working, cycle after cycle.
  • Recyclable in most programs
  • Maintains strength through reprocessing
  • Reduces landfill burden significantly
Fit for Purpose

Paper vs. Plastic

Using paper and plant-based plastics do not consistently materialise in the “real world” settings – as can be seen in the summary below:
  • Paper products are often lined with plastic to allow it to hold hot food without breaking down but this renders it unsuitable for kerbside recycling systems currently in place in Australia and so it will typically be destined for landfill. Furthermore plastic-lined paper products are often also not able to be diverted to composting facilities given the composition of the materials used.
  • Paper food packaging products in comparison with plastic food packaging are significantly heavier and therefore require more carbon emissions to produce and transport. The heavier the item is, the more fuel/energy that is required to transport it.
  • Whilst the paper sourced may come from sustainable plantations the manufacturing of paper products requires chemicals and bleach additives to deliver consistent quality and colour, the waste of which is difficult to filter back to a safe level and is sometimes just dumped.
  • Plant-based plastics, despite perceptions, don’t readily degrade in landfill as they require specific heat and moisture conditions. There is potential to separate and capture plant-based waste for diversion to composting facilities however the sorting processes impose additional costs on materials recovery facilities (where sorting takes place) and at present there is not a network of suitable commercial composting facilities around Australia (meaning that much of this waste ends up in landfill). Plant-based plastics can contaminate other plastic recycling streams.
  • Bioplastics / plant-based plastics, like all other plastics, will breakdown slowly over time in the environment, and result in the generation of micro plastics, which can be harmful to humans and animals if ingested. Bioplastics/Plant-based plastics are therefore also no less of an issue when they end up in our natural environment and waterways and don’t present as a solution to the problem of marine pollution.
  • Some of the world’s largest plant-based plastics manufacturers make their products using genetically modified seed. These crops compete with the use of land for food production purposes and have unknown implications on the environment and human health.
Sustainable Strategy
The future

Trial and innovation

Whilst at Genfac we will continue to trial and innovate, looking at emerging sustainable material alternatives and manufacturing techniques, we are confident that our current approaches provide the best way to deliver on our suitability goals.

Genfac Plastics, in an Australian first, has become the first Australian Packaging Covenant signatory to gain approval to emboss the Australian Recycling Logo (ARL) on its take-away food packaging range.

Why choose Genfac

We build what works. Materials that perform, recycle, and matter to your business.
Why Genfac?
Contact
Address:
951 Taylors Road
Dandenong South VIC 3175
Contact:
03 8782 7900 [email protected]
© 2026
 Genfac Plastics Pty Ltd