Materials science company from Melbourne, Great coverhas launched the world’s first compostable pallet wrap.

The alternative to plastic wrap is made with food waste to combat global dependence on petroleum-based pallet wrap and plastic pollution.

Co-founders Jordy Kay and Julia Kay saw a material revolution take place around them. Everything in industry, from energy, transportation and agriculture, changed rapidly, but plastic remained the same.

They knew the technology to end plastic waste existed, but there were no products on the market they could use. And then Great Wrap was born.

The company’s factory in Tullamarine will produce 5,000 tons of compostable stretch film this year and 20,000 tons by 2025.

This will make them Australia’s largest stretch wrap manufacturer and significantly reduce the need to import plastic wrap from other parts of the world.

pallet wrap

Every year, more than 100,000 tons of stretch film ends up in landfills. Pallet film is the connector of all companies and a crucial part of the global supply chain.

Millions of pallets are packed every day to transport goods, and only a few facilities can recycle petroleum-based pallet wrap, meaning 90% ends up in landfills.

Great Wrap is compostable at home, it can reduce Australia’s carbon footprint by over 100,000 tonnes a year and reduce our dependence on fossil fuels.

This latest innovation could solve plastic pollution problems because it can be reused to make new materials and returned to the soil to improve the quality of farmland.

Jordy said they have completed commercial trials with major Australian retailers, food and beverage manufacturers and well-known brands.

“Their feedback is consistent: Great Wrap performs just as well as petroleum-based pallet wrap. We are calling on all Australian entrepreneurs to switch as the high quality product means the only shift is where they buy it,” he said.

Julia said the company had received tremendous demand from companies far and wide over the past three years.

“Most companies, whether you know it or not, use petroleum-based pallet wrap to ship and receive their goods. This product is inevitable, it is essential and it is a global problem that we are solving,” she said.

Great Wrap’s vision goes beyond producing a compostable and environmentally friendly alternative to industrial plastic wrap. In addition to the production of compostable pallet film, the company is also developing its own collection service for pallet film.