In nature, waste doesn’t exist. Every element and interaction in Earth’s ecosystem has its own way of nourishing something else.

In industrialised economies, we have created harm in moving so far away from this virtuous cycle of life. The term ‘circular economy’ emerged several years ago as a response.

Circular economy, culture and innovation

One way to describe circularity is ‘making better things without making things worse’.

This is one of the many reasons I embraced the opportunity to work again with Danling Xiao of ReCo Digital, a person who makes better things in social enterprise, design and so many other fields. I heard she was working with the City of Sydney to focus on the circular economy, culture and innovation.

There is so much to love about circular models, yet it can be tricky to find local alternatives to mass-produced consumer goods. Circular Sydney exists to change all that.

Over months of experimentation and evolution, the project ultimately grew to become a free online publication featuring people and businesses leading circularity in Sydney. It was a huge collaborative undertaking and I was proud to support as a strategic advisor.

Moving beyond ‘take, make and dispose‘

There is more to circularity than a response to the three-phase ‘take, make and dispose’; a mantra of the extractive and exploitative approach of business-as-usual.

Circular Sydney elegantly reimagines this as seven phases in a cycle. Each contributes to ecological and human wellbeing: design, materials, manufacturing, logistics, consumption, re-use and recycling.

Each of these phases became a ‘chapter’ featuring snapshots of grassroots enterprises and expert interviews with visionaries across cultural, institutional and commercial realms.

The many stories in Circular Sydney connect us with passionate, inventive and determined people who have found fresh ways to re-humanise the way we make and remake things for the better.

Start your circular journey

Explore the Circular Sydney case studies archive at ReCo Digital’s website. While you’re there, investigate what it means to Re-imagine. Co-create.