Australian enviro-tech start-up, Samsara, has teamed up with Tennis Australia to help reduce plastic waste at this year’s Australian Open (AO).
As part of the new partnership, Samsara is collecting tennis players’ discarded single-use plastic bottles during the Open. The start-up is diverting this plastic to its Canberra recycling lab so it can be infinitely recycled.
Backed by Woolworths, Australian National University and Main Sequence, Samsara launched last year on a mission to help end the plastic pollution crisis.
The start-up says it has pioneered a new approach to infinitely recycle plastic. Using plastic-eating enzymes, Samsara’s technology breaks down plastic back to its core building blocks so it can be recreated into brand new plastic, again and again. The process is carbon-neutral, “environmentally friendly” and doesn’t require any change to consumer behaviour.
Samsara co-founder and CEO Paul Riley says his company is proud to be partnering with Tennis Australia, helping them on their mission to reduce their environmental impact on our planet.
“Tennis Australia is leading the way in using cutting-edge science to address one of the biggest problems we face, and we look forward to seeing others follow suit,” he says.
Tennis Australia Chief Strategy Officer Tim Jolley says the organisation is proud to support Samsara’s ground-breaking technology.
“We are committed to addressing the AO’s environmental impact through a diverse range of sustainability programs,” he says. “As a formal investor in Samsara, we have a genuine stake in their future success.”
During the two-week Australian Open, Samsara is expected to collect approximately 5000 single-use water bottles.
The new partnership comes through Tennis Australia’s venture arm, Wildcard Ventures, which has taken an investment position in Samsara.