Investment Support Grant – Packaging Round 2: Information bulletin

Last updated: 30 January 2024
Share

This information bulletin provides information not covered specifically in the Investment Support Grant – Packaging Round 2.

We will update this page as we receive new questions.

Information session

We held an information session to present an overview of the fund and application criteria.

Below you will find the questions we have received from interested parties and our responses.

Eligibility

Are partnership applications allowed?

Yes, your project may be delivered through a partnership. However, there must only be one lead applicant, which should also be the grant’s main beneficiary.

Will a project qualify for funding if it diverts an eligible material from going to a recycling company to a third party that manufactures using the eligible material?

You, as the lead applicant, need to be the organisation to carry out the main activity, not a third party.

A third party that manufactures a new product from packaging waste or one that creates new packaging from recycled content would be eligible as per the program objectives.

What does "operating for 12 months" mean?

We will consider your eligibility for this requirement based on your ABN registration date and the grant closing date . As the grant closes on 30 September 2021, you will need your ABN registration date to be on or before 30 September 2020.

Will you fund projects that intend to recover compostable packaging?

As per the program guidelines, the recovery of compostable packaging is not eligible as it must divert or recover at least one of these materials from landfill – plastics, paper and cardboard, or glass.

However, projects to replace an eligible material with compostable packaging that meets the Australian Compostability Standards: AS4736-2006 or AS5810-2010 are eligible.

How does Sustainability Victoria define packaging materials?

Packaging is defined in the National Environment Protection Measures (NEPM) to mean all packaging products made of any material, or combination of materials, for the containment, protection, marketing or handling of consumer products. This includes distribution packaging.

Materials eligible for funding – where they constitute the majority of the packaging material – are plastics, paper and cardboard, and glass. Projects that do not primarily recover one of these materials (such as metals) cannot qualify for the funding.

If a project has already commenced or is completed, is it eligible for a grant?

No, retrospective funding will not be provided for activities that have already commenced or are completed at the time of signing the SV funding agreement.

Is there a minimum amount of packaging waste I need to reduce, recover or reprocess to be eligible?

No, there is no minimum amount. However, the fund does have an overall aim to divert 6,000 tonnes of packaging waste from landfill, so more weighting will be given to projects that provide better value for money (for example, using project dollar amount per tonne).

What does it mean by “preference will be given to projects that create new products”?

The panel will first assess all projects against the assessment criteria, and then rank accordingly.

If 2 projects have the same score, but one creates a new product from packaging waste, we would give preference to this project over the other.

We received a grant to support the pilot phase of a project. Are we eligible to apply for funding to create a scaled-up version of this project with new outputs and outcomes?

While Research and Development and Demonstration (RD&D) projects are not eligible for funding, if this is at a commercialisation phase, it can be considered a different project and therefore would be eligible for funding.

Eligible expenditure

Does funding have to be spent on Victorian manufacturers?

Your project must be located in and service Victoria and source more than 50% of the waste from Victoria. However, your capital purchases may come from manufacturers outside of Victoria and Australia.

The grant page says that “consultancy or contract work” isn't covered. Can you please expand on what this means?

The costs for engaging a consultant or contractor to assist with submitting your application or developing your project are ineligible for funding as they are not considered part of your total project costs.

However, costs related to completing the work (for example, a contractor installing the equipment) directly relates to the capital works and can be included as part of your total project costs.

Funding

What if the project cost ends up being different from the predicted cost I stipulated on my application (for example, if invoices don’t match the predicted cost or there is a price change in the invoice)?

If you are successful, we will only fund the project cost on a 1:1 co-contribution basis, up to the amount included in your application.

Therefore, if the final project cost is lower than the predicted cost, we will co-contribute on a 1:1 basis to the value of the new lower cost. However, if the costs are higher, we will only fund according to the amount included in your application. This is due to the total funding pool available and distribution of funds to other successful projects.