Queensland-based tech firm BlockTexx has taken out the top honour at the InnovationAus 2024 Awards for Excellence, named the Australian Hero for its sustainable solutions assisting with the transition to a circular economy.
The InnovationAus 2024 Awards for Excellence were presented at a black-tie gala dinner at The Venue Alexandria in Sydney on Wednesday night.
The Australian Hero is the top award of the night, with the winner selected from the winners of every other category in the InnovationAus 2024 Awards for Excellence.
The Australian Hero award was sponsored by the Tech Council of Australia. The award was presented on the night by Tech Council of Australia board director and PEXA chief technology officer Eglantine Etiemble.
BlockTexx, which won the Manufacturing Innovation category on the night, has developed innovative solutions to address extreme wastage in the fashion and textiles industries.
Its solution significantly improves the ability to recycle polyester, something which is a crucial issue around the world.
Each year, about 113 million tonnes of fibre are produced, which are very hard to recycle currently.
BlockTexx has designed, built and commissioned the world’s first commercial-scale chemical recycling facility which can feed in hard-to-recycle polyester and cotton blends and deconstruct it, separating the cotton from the polyester.
This means the recovered products can then be used as an alternative to new products across a range of industries, such as agriculture and construction.
Using BlockTexx’s solution, a bed sheet made of polyester and cotton can be recycled, with two products recovered: high-grade polyethylene terephthalate and microcrystalline cellulose.
The company has teamed up with the Queensland University of Technology and the University of Queensland to test its solution.
It has now expanded its pilot facility into a factory capable of accepting 10,000 tonnes of textile waste each year.
BlockTexx works to gather difficult to recycle polyester and cotton items of clothing from numerous large companies and government agencies, which provide their uniforms, along with commercial laundries, charities, manufacturers and local councils.
The flagship Australian Hero award has previously been won by Michael Biercuk and Sam Elsom at the inaugural InnovationAus 2021 Awards for Excellence, semiconductor innovator BluGlass in 2022 and infinite recycler Samsara Eco at last year’s iteration of the awards.
The InnovationAus 2024 Awards for Excellence are supported by the Australian Computer Society, Investment NSW, Department of Industry, Science and Resources, Technology Council of Australia, TechnologyOne, National Artificial Intelligence Centre, CSIRO’s ON Innovation Program, Reason Group, Q-CTRL, University of New South Wales, South by South-West Sydney and IP Australia.
Protecting your great ideas with intellectual property (IP) rights can lead to lasting benefits for your growing business. IP refers to creations of the mind, such as a brand, logo, invention, design or artistic work. Head to the IP Australia website to find out more about IP, and how it might help your business.
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