Planet Ark welcomes Australia’s first National Circular Economy Framework as a transformative milestone

By Liam Taylor 24 December 2024

Australian Government’s release of its inaugural National Circular Economy Framework could represent historic turning point in the nation’s journey towards a more sustainable, resilient, and economically prosperous future.

Featuring the country’s first-ever national circular economy targets and an ambitious goal to double Australia’s circularity rate by 2035, the National Circular Economy Framework provides a critical roadmap for accelerating the transition to a circular economy.

Planet Ark has been at the forefront of driving Australia’s transition to a circular economy, through long-standing efforts to encourage collaboration, innovation, and the practical implementation of circular principles across industry, government, and the wider community. This is most evident through the launch of its Australian Circular Economy Hub (ACE Hub) in 2020 with the Australian Government as Program Establishment Partner.

It is exciting to see the strategic direction of this new Framework align closely with Planet Ark’s efforts to date to support the government in facilitating this transition.

“The National Circular Economy Framework offers a genuinely transformative vision for Australia that resonates with Planet Ark’s core mission,” said Rebecca Gilling, CEO of Planet Ark.

“It sets the stage for a future in which waste is systematically designed out of our economy, resources are continually reused, and our economy thrives sustainably. We are proud to support the Framework’s implementation and work alongside governments, businesses and communities to achieve these outcomes.”

Planet Ark welcomes the Framework’s focus on robust metrics and accountability, ensuring that circular economy principles are embedded into supply chains, product design, and resource management systems. By targeting meaningful reductions in Australia’s per capita material footprint, improvements in resource recovery and material productivity, this policy framework is poised to deliver measurable progress in the coming decade.

Planet Ark strongly supports the economic and environmental focus embedded in the framework with modelling by CSIRO revealing that achieving the targets by 2035 could add $26 billion annually to Australia’s GDP, reduce our greenhouse gas emissions by 14%, and divert 26 million tonnes of materials from landfill each year. Such outcomes demonstrate the transformative potential of a circular economy to benefit both the planet and the economy.

Planet Ark also commends the framework’s integration of the knowledge of First Nations people who have practiced a way of life that embodies the principles of the circular economy for millennia.

Planet Ark co-Founder and Chief Sustainability Advisor, Paul Klymenko, who contributed to shaping this agenda as a member of the Circular Economy Ministerial Advisory Group, commended the Australian Government’s announcement, stating the national framework and targets would have a significant impact on Australia’s environmental footprint.

“The National Circular Economy Framework will ensure more efficient and productive use of our precious resources, encourage better circular economy measurement and help reduce our greenhouse gas emissions,” he said.

“We call on businesses, governments, and individuals to embrace the extraordinary opportunities presented and collaborate to achieve the vision of a sustainable Australia where both our economy and environment thrive. We have no time to lose.”

To read the National Circular Economy Framework in full, visit: https://www.dcceew.gov.au/environment/protection/circular-economy/framework.