We are proud to become the latest Technical Supporter of the Australian Circular Economy (ACE) Hub, the leading platform to accelerate a circular transition in Australia. The government-funded initiative was launched in November 2020 and is led by the not-for-profit Planet Ark Environmental Foundation.
Unlocking the business value of a circular economy
As a leading presence in environmental behaviour change in Australia, Planet Ark’s circular economy initiative aims to play a key role in realising the significant benefits presented by a circular economy. This includes a potential $219B AUD in present value to Australia’s GDP alone by 2048.
Jim Goddin, Head of Circular Economy at thinkstep-anz, emphasises that only a small part of this economic opportunity can be achieved through recycling, although it is considered by many to be the main or only tenet of circular economy. Barbara Nebel, CEO of thinkstep-anz, says, “The creation of ACE Hub speaks to the greater need to create a new business-as-usual based on the principles of the circular economy. We are excited to work alongside ACE Hub as their Technical Supporter to lead circular change in Australia and demonstrate the business value in doing so.”
Looking at the bigger picture
While recycling has its place in a circular economy, the greater value can be achieved by taking a step back and looking at the wider system. thinkstep-anz has the bigger picture in mind — from the earliest stages of building expertise and setting targets, all the way through to reporting on performance and Cradle to Cradle ® certification.
thinkstep-anz is excited to support ACE Hub in achieving its goal by lending the knowledge and experience of its multi-disciplinary team in areas such as:
- Circularity metrics, such as Circulytics for organisational assessment and the Material Circularity Indicator for product assessment
- Life cycle thinking, using tools such as Life Cycle Assessments and Environmental Product Declarations
- Cradle to Cradle certification process
- Sustainability strategy
thinkstep-anz’s business-oriented approach is underpinned by data and aligns with ACE Hub’s goal — to enable Australian organisations to adopt circular principles into their product and business models.
ACE Hub’s five guiding principles for circular change in Australia
Positive collaboration and networking are considered essential for a successful transition to a circular economy. The ACE Hub’s plan to facilitate and accelerate Australia’s transition to a circular economy is guided by five principles:
- Be collaborative, transparent, and inclusive
- Leverage and amplify existing resources (people, content, research)
- Prioritise initiatives that enable action and impact
- Take the lead only if an initiative scales impact at a national level
- Always make evidence-based decisions
Find out more about ACE Hub’s circular economy work in Australia and their Strategic Action Plan for the next three years here.