Sika Australia has developed a sustainable fibre product using post-industrial recycled polypropylene, that performs like virgin material.
Let’s rewind to 50 years ago, when Sika was established in Australia on a mission to solve local construction problems created by its unique environments and conditions. High UV. Coastal corrosion. Temperature swings that test materials as much as they test the people working with them. What’s changed since 1976 is how far we’ve come and what we’re now able to achieve.
Local manufacturing has come a long way and so has material science. The accumulated knowledge from five decades, combined with the expertise of local Sika teams across every state and territory, means we have the capability to take on new challenges that present itself. This includes taking a recycled material and making it perform at the same level as its virgin equivalent, which is where the story behind SikaFiber®-100 Recycled PP48 Impact started.
It's Sika Australia’s first fibre product where the virgin polypropylene has been replaced with Australian post-industrial recycled (PIR) polypropylene. It performs. It’s local. And it's a tangible example of what building a better industry looks like in practice.
Why recycled polypropylene
Polypropylene fibres have a long track record in concrete reinforcement. They improve impact resistance, reduce plastic shrinkage cracking, and are increasingly replacing conventional steel reinforcement in applicable areas like slab-on-ground and corrosive environments, where their performance has been well proven.
Australia generates significant industrial plastic waste, much of which is shipped overseas for processing. Producing a construction-grade fibre from post-industrial recycled polypropylene right here, closes that loop in a way that matters both to the country and to an industry under growing pressure to reduce its material footprint.
Made in Australia, for Australian construction
Local manufacturing brings on-the-ground knowledge into the process. The understanding of how Australian jobsites work, what specifiers need, and how materials behave across the range of conditions found from the Pilbara to the Snowy Mountains. That’s not something you can import. It’s built over decades of showing up, project after project.
It also means shorter supply chains, faster access to product, and the ability to respond to the specific demands of the Australian market in a way that offshore manufacturing simply can’t match.
A lower carbon fibre solution
According to Sika’s internal studies, SikaFiber®-100 Recycled PP48 Impact carries a carbon footprint approximately 67% lower than the internal virgin polypropylene reference fibre. These are internal findings, not third-party verified figures but they reflect the direction the construction industry is heading, and the kind of meaningful difference that local material innovation can make when it’s done properly.
The industry’s sustainability demands aren’t going anywhere. Embodied carbon, material sourcing, end-of-life thinking. These are becoming standard parts of the specification conversation, particularly on infrastructure and commercial projects. SikaFiber®-100 Recycled PP48 Impact shows that specifiers do not need to trade performance for sustainability credentials. Performance and sustainability can go hand in hand.
What this represents at 50
This product is just one example of what decades of capability-building and innovation can deliver. It reflects the continued investment in local manufacturing, a genuine R&D pipeline connected to Sika’s global technology network, and the on-the-ground expertise that comes from 50 years of working in Australian construction.
From waterproofing the Gotthard Tunnel in 1910 to an Australian team producing a recycled-content construction fibre in 2026, the mission continues: to solve real-world problems.
That’s what local innovation looks like. That’s what 50 years in Australian construction with Sika has made possible.
Sika Strong. Sika Trusted - 50 Years On.