Australian biotech startup Samsara Eco has opened its first research and development plant in regional New South Wales, as it relocates a step closer to achieving its goal of recycling 1.5 million tonnes of plastic each year by 2030.
Plans to open the $25 million facility, which is located within the Poplars Innovation Precinct at Jerrabomberra in Queanbeyan, were first detailed in September 2023, less than 12 months after the company had raised $56 million in its Series A round in November 2022.
Samsara Eco extfinished that Series A round with an additional $100 million in funding in June 2024.
The company declared on Wednesday that the new facility will “exponentially increase” its ability to infinitely recycle plastic into low-carbon raw materials.
Founded in 2020 by Paul Riley, and backed by the likes of deep tech investor Main Sequence and Singapore-owned investment firm Temasek, Samsara Eco has developed breakthrough enzymatic recycling technology called EosEco.
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This tech, which will be houtilized at the Jerrabomberra plant, utilizes AI-crafted enzymes to transform plastics that would otherwise finish up in landfill into raw materials that can then be utilized by brands in their products.
The company is already working with apparel creaters like activewear powerhoutilize Lululemon and Lycra, and its tech has applications across the packaging and automotive sectors too.
“The opening of Jerrabomberra is a proud milestone for us and the broader circular economy,” declared Riley.
“In just four years, we’ve scaled from bench research through to pilot, demonstration, and now our first plant. This is a true tipping point for circularity, shifting circular materials from early-stage innovation to mainstream reality.”
Riley declared this momentum is being supported by demand from brands and “supportive new regulations” in the sector.
“Our new facility will support brands deliver circularity with the capacity to produce the equivalent of hundreds of thousands of garments annually,” he added.
Samsara Eco plans to open a second facility in Asia by 2028 in a bid to position Australia as a global leader in circular materials and sustainability innovation.
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