Circular economy conference kicks off this week

A conference focused on the circular economy is being held in Adelaide’s Tonsley Innovation District from today until Friday, bringing together business, government and academia to collectively work towards a more sustainable and circular economy for South Australia and the country more broadly.

‘Powering the Change to a Circular Economy’ includes a two-day conference followed by a one-day symposium, offering attendees the opportunity to rub shoulders with others interested in pursuing or fostering circular economy projects. Panels include a mix of speakers from business, research and policy.

One of the speakers at the conference is Yoshie Obara, CSR manager at South Australian skincare company Jurlique. Jurlique can speak as a local business on the importance of environmental sustainability, and the positive impact this has had on its customer engagement and broader business. In 2016 the company achieved zero waste to landfill, with 67% of waste recycled and 33% turned into an alternative fuel.

Another speaker is Andrew Sellick, head of environmental sustainability for Australia Post, who will be using the event to discuss Australia Post’s recently released white paper ‘Transitioning to a Circular Economy: Insights from the Front Line’. The paper highlights the growing importance of collaboration in the circular economy, outlining case studies featuring major organisations. For example:

• Australian consumers can recycle their used aluminium Nespresso coffee capsules by lodging them in a prepaid resealable Australia Post recycling satchel at any one of Australia Post’s 4000 post offices or 15,000 street posting boxes.
• Cartridges 4 Planet Ark provides Australians with a free, environmentally accredited way to recycle their used printer cartridges.
• Online provider GlamCorner allows customers to rent clothing for special occasions, reducing contribution to landfill.

“Logistics is critical to the success of the circular economy, but we are only just scratching the surface,” said Sellick. “Our paper also highlights that businesses need to remove barriers for participation and put the customer first.

“This means that whatever the product or service, we need to make it simple, convenient and accessible for consumers.

“Younger consumers are already expecting companies to provide options around re-use and recyclability, so we’re in a good position to explore these opportunities and make a difference.”

Conference tickets are still available and can be purchased at https://www.poweringthechange.org.au/.