Building a post petrochemical world
- comms870
- Apr 16
- 3 min read
In episode 4 of The Skills Exchange, we speak to 2023 George Alexander Foundation Fellow and Founder of Other Matter, Jessie French, about her Fellowship journey researching alternative materials to petrochemical plastics.
Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Amazon Music.
Image Credit: The Myth of Nature – agaG1 [installation], 23rd Biennale of Sydney - rīvus, The Cutaway, Barangaroo, 12 March – 13 June 2022. Photo by Jessica Maurer.
About Jessie
Jessie French started her journey as an artist, with her artistic practice examining the implications faced when using petrochemical plastics. Envisioning what a post-petrochemical world would look like, she developed a sustainable algae-based plastic as a replacement.
From her invention, Other Matter was born, a business French founded that seeks to push forward and showcase the possibilities of working without petrochemicals.
Start of Jessie's Fellowship journey
Jessie applied for a George Alexander Foundation Fellowship in 2022, where she was at the time practicing in creative studio Hanover house with several other International Specialised Skills Institute Fellows. One being 2022 George Alexander Foundation Fellow, Ella Saddington, who told Jessie about the Fellowship and encouraged her to apply.
Jessie underlines the strong synergy between herself and George Alexander as both inventors.
Key learnings of international applied research
On her Fellowship, Jessie investigated the possibility of scaling a sustainable material into something that could be sold alongside petrochemicals as an alternative. Jessie was eager to explore new materials, particularly circular materials and how they were being received and integrated in the world. Examining new materials has changed how Jessie manages her business strategy, enabling her to move forward in her scaling plans, being able to have a much more sophisticated look from the world view she gained on her international Fellowship.
Why do we need this research in Australia?
Jessie highlights that being situated in Australia, we’re geographically quite distant from the rest of the world and that we’ve been scaling back local manufacturing for some time. Jessie believes that Australia is behind Europe in terms of sustainability policy, everyday cultural awareness and sustainability priorities surrounding materials. She notes the importance of conducting research outside of Australia in planning manufacturing for the future and understanding how potential factors such as environmental policy might come into play.
Interest in Jessie’s sustainable biopolymer
There has been significant interest in Jessie’s work. Jessie’s algae-based plastic is still handmade, but she is currently working with partners in looking at how to scale up manufacturing. Other Matter still does not yet have a product available to the general public, but Jessie emphasises the importance of working on scaling up production before releasing anything publicly.
Jessie emphasises that shifting into the first step of her vision is not just about materials, but is also about systems of government, the economies around it and the other industries that are resisting that change. Alongside the Fellowship, Jessie did a significant amount of research into what she was up against and how the petrochemical industry is majorly backed by commercial interests and subsidies.
Jessie acknowledges securing a post petrochemical future is a long game and the world might not be ready for it. After attending the CSIRO symposium on their ending plastic waste mission, a key takeaway for Jessie was that society has been in a linear economy for 300 years after shifting from an agricultural economy. Thus, the shift to a circular economy and change in mindset is not going to be an immediate change, Jessie says she is not able to introduce a whole new economic system for dealing with materials immediately but thinks prioritising alternatives in the meantime is an effective step forward to a circular economy.
Jessie’s long-term impact
Jessie highlights that there is a significant knowledge gap and lack of awareness in Australia’s public surrounding the issues with petrochemicals. In Europe, she conversed with commercial companies that already had the understanding they were unable to use PVC signage because of the EU’s regulations, whilst in Australia, Jessie is still informing others of the human harm and toxic impact of petrochemicals.
Jessie feels sharing her knowledge and filling this gap in cultural awareness will be the first step in the promotion and implementation of new material development.
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