2023 has been a busy year for the Circular Economy Team at the Hunter Joint Organisation. In May our Project Lead, Eloise Lobsey, attended the World Circular Economy Forum in Helsinki as part of an Australian delegation organized by the Australian Circular Economy Hub (ACEHUB).

The WCEF is the premier international conference for Circular Economy transition, organised annually by Nordic Innovation and the Finnish Innovation Fund Sitra. It draws leaders and practitioners from a wide range of sectors across the globe to share solutions and advance the circular economy transition movement.

As well as the two-day conference, Eloise also attended three side event sessions as well as a number of meetings with representatives from the Finnish Government and European Union.

If you would like to hear more about key learnings from this event, check out our next Hunter Circular event on the 26 October, Hunter Circular Presents International Insights for a Circular Hunter. The event will bring together leaders in the Australian Circular Economy space to share their learnings after attending international study tours and the World Circular Economy Forum 2023.

This exciting gathering will feature speakers; Nicole Garafano (Planet Ark’s ACE Hub), Eloise Lobsey (Hunter Joint Organisation), and Annie Jiang (Go Circular). For more information and to register click HERE.

We are also thrilled to share an exciting new project. The Hunter Circular Knowledge Hub project aims to create a pilot digital platform created for two distinct user groups – council staff, and the wider community. The key aim of the project is to address the inaccessibility of information and barriers to knowledge that contribute to the lack of uptake of circular services and recovery pathways in the region. This project is a NSW Environment Protection Authority Waste and Sustainable Materials Strategy initiative, funded from the waste levy.

In June, Hunter Circular hosted a Textiles Circularity Think Tank with MRA Consulting Group, bringing together 35 key stakeholders from across the textiles value chain. Together, the attendees brainstormed and provided insight into the gaps and opportunities for circularisation of textiles in the Hunter. The day culminated in the development and pitching of two key pilot projects: an educational campaign and a textiles recycling plant for the Hunter. The information shared and ideas generated at this event will help in identifying the relevant stakeholders and building the business case for a textile recovery pathway in the region.

As we continue our work in the circular economy space, we invite you to stay engaged and informed. Together, we can accelerate the transition to a circular economy and create new opportunities for growth.