Waste Warriors

Minimising Waste

Our practice is to re-use, repurpose and recycle as much as possible – not only at our Head Office and print facility in Sydney, but throughout our Design Studios in Australia and New Zealand. In fact, we have set up a task team called Waste Warriors to regularly assess our efforts to minimise waste. Because it’s not about glossy brochures and promises. It’s about effective action.

Our Mission

As leaders in fit-for-purpose contract furnishings, we have a duty of care to set an example in the Architecture & Design industry. The Waste Warrior ‘s purpose at Materialised is clear: to make a sustainable difference as a collective, where ‘no waste’ should not just be a goal, but a way of business.  

Beyond Best Practice
2022, 2023, 2024 & 2025

We are APCO members and achieved a Beyond Best Practice overall performance level for the reporting period January – December 2022, 2023, 2024 & 2025.

This means we have received the highest performance level and made significant progress on our packaging sustainability journey.

Recycling At Materialised

• All spent print paper and cardboard tubes (cores) are reused or recycled (approx. diverting 2.5-3 tonne per month from landfill)
• We purchased a Mil-tek baler to make it more efficient to manage our recycling – this machine compresses cardboard, paper and soft plastics into bales.
• Clear soft plastics and black plastics (LDPE) are separated and picked up regularly. 0.47 tonnes was recycled in 2023*
• 2 tonnes of materials/energy was extracted from our waste for re-use, recycling or energy use in 2023*

Statistic source: EcoLogic powered by Veolia.

Waste Warrior Achievements

• We scored 84% in Intertek’s Workplace Conditions Assessment (WCA) in February 2024. This is an onsite audit that evaluates our social and labour conditions, health and safety, environmental compliance, and business ethics. It serves as a comprehensive tool to help companies identify risks, improve workplace standards across their supply chains, and ensure adherence to industry best practices and international standards for worker wellbeing and business conduct. The average country score is 80%; the average global score is 83%.
• Samples are posted from Sydney in compostable bags (from Hero Packaging and Better Packaging Co) and we now use Herotape paper tape for all sampling coming out of Head Office.
• A ‘blue bin‘ has been purchased to recycle 10 cent bottles and cans through St George Recyclers.
• Donna has created pouches to dispose of pens, cans and batteries which are emptied at waste disposal sites such as Officeworks and Bunnings.
• Introduced dedicated recycled waste sorting bins for all office staff.
• Business Clean Up Day held in October 2024. We collected 8 bags of rubbish around the local area, weighing a total of 12.5 kg.
• Through continuous checks and monitoring, we discovered that our new general waste service provider (2024-2025), who we thought was recycling our soft plastics, was dumping them in landfill. We quickly found a much better local partner that offers ethical recycling services and has already expanded our recycling efforts with a solution for black plastics and tape backing.
• We have started a recycling and take-back program for our acoustic panels, through the Textile Recyclers Group (TRG.)
• Our list of local charity partners has expanded to now include regular donations to ReLove. This means that beautiful fabrics are sorted and donated to people in need instead of just being thrown away.
• We have also partnered with TRG to recycle textiles that aren’t suitable for donation. Most of our fabric offcuts can be recycled (except faux leathers or those with metallic fibre or adhesive coating). The team remove all staples before sending to the TRG depot for shredding to be made into recycled yarn and felt.
• Our toilet paper has also received an upgrade to Yarn’n. Made in Australia, it’s 100% recycled, FSC-certified, and culturally impactful, featuring artworks and storytelling from First Nations artists. 50% of profits go to the Yalari Foundation, supporting scholarships for First Nations children in regional and remote Australia.

Charity Partners

Our mission is to avoid unnecessary landfill and so we work with many organisations who repurpose our fabric and wall covering off-cuts and samples. These are donated to local schools, churches and aged care facilities providing textile resources for craft, artwork, cushions, bags and scarves for charity auctions and raffles.

Organisations include ReLove, The Salvation Army, Darwin Community Arts, Habitat For Humanity, Boomerang Bags, Juvenile Justice Victoria, Festival Of Women / Women In North Richmond Inc., St George & Sutherland Community College and Kurranulla Aboriginal Corporation.

Donation Days

Please email [email protected] if you are keen to hear when we are next holding a donation day.

Creations Using Materialised Off Cuts & Sampling

HM Prison, Barwon – Testimonial

“Our Community Partnership Program represents an opportunity for our men in our care to give back and to encourage participation in community outreach. These programs are a privilege for us to participate in and represent a chance to participate in program that allows the men in our care to feel like they are rebuilding their lives and becoming better people.

We deliver these programs alongside the daily operations in our factory and rely on donations and goodwill from businesses such as yours to run these programs Donations from your business, Materialised have allowed the continuation of a Schools Partnership we have in place with St Vincent De Paul.

This particular project delivers Preppie Packs consisting of pencil cases, aprons, and library bags to areas of high need in the local community. Your vinyls and fabrics allow us to give disadvantaged children a chance to start their educational journey with products like their peers and would not be possible without generous donations from business such as yours.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank you sincerely for your continued generosity to HM Prison Barwon and supporting the men in our care provide community engagement programs.

Thank you.“

Dani Thompson,
Industry Supervisor,
Textiles HM Prison, Barwon