Start at the Top

No one, anywhere in the world has created a circular economy yet. And no organisation can do it alone. Not even governments. Because implicit in the notion of circularity is cross sector collaboration to scale economic, environmental and social outcomes that cannot be achieved alone.

The Product Stewardship Centre of Excellence is critical because producer responsibility is the second most effective lever on the road to circularity. The first lever? Adherence in practice to the higher order interventions in Waste Hierarchy. And both combine for maximum impact when schemes start at the top of the waste hierarchy to prioritise highest and best use.

There’s a peak body for every waste and resource stream in Australia, enabling governments to scale impact through collaboration, reach and influence on every producer. When every scheme starts at the top, it maximises impact and mitigates the risk of unintended or perverse outcomes. Too many schemes in the past have defaulted to recycling without considering higher order priorities. Now we know better, we can do better. Does that mean every scheme must always address over production and always include reuse and repair? No, it depends on the product. But every scheme should assess the impact of over production, and whether reuse and/or repair can be facilitated as a mandatory aspect of all due diligence and reporting of schemes in development.

One of the reassuring aspects of Charitable Reuse Australia’s role as primary project partner in the consortium for the clothing product stewardship scheme as the genesis of Seamless, was the focus on clothing reuse and a commitment to the social element delivered by charities. I am delighted Seamless appointed such a collaborative, inclusive, socially aware and values-based CEO in Ainsley Simpson, who is leading important scheme for the future of clothing.