GOING FULL CIRCLE

According to Your Home, Australia’s independent guide to designing, building or renovating energy efficient and adaptable homes, the embodied energy of a product is the total energy used in making, sustaining and transporting that product during its entire life cycle, from cradle to grave. It includes the energy used in mining and manufacturing the materials, as well as the services that support these processes during the life of the product. Choice of materials and construction methods can significantly change the embodied energy in a building. Different materials also have different capacities to be reused or recycled, which can help recover the embodied energy at the end of a building’s life. This includes all the components that make up HVAC&R equipment.

Bigger Than Recycling

In a circular economy, products are designed for a longer life, for durability, repairability, and for ease of disassembly when their use is complete. This all helps recover more value and increase the potential for recycling into different or new products, which in turn helps to protect the environment, use natural resources more wisely, develop new sectors, create jobs, and develop new capabilities.

Head of Circular Economy Development at Planet Ark Dr Nicole Garofano says the circular economy concept is gaining traction in Australia.

“A circular economy is one that designs out waste and pollution from product design and throughout its life,” she says. “It keeps valuable materials in use for longer and at their highest value, and regenerates, or at least balances, natural resources. Recycling is one business model in a circular economy, but I would argue designing products from the start to not require recycling and to have a higher value end use is of greater importance.”

In October 2022, federal, state and territory environment ministers announced they would “work with the private sector to design out waste and pollution, keep materials in use and foster markets to achieve a circular economy by 2030”. A Circular Economy Ministerial Advisory Group was also formed, led by Minister Tanya Plibersek and Minister Ed Husic. Garofano says these moves reflect the level of government interest in transitioning towards a circular economy.

“Furthermore, local governments are incorporating circular economy business models into procurement processes and announcing circular intentions through climate and net zero strategies,” she says, “which is equally exciting to see.”

According to Garofano, a number of important initiatives are already in play across industry and government (see breakouts).

“Product stewardship is another important tool,” she says. “This places financial responsibility on the product producer to enable its recovery at end of use or end of life. The Product Stewardship Investment Fund is evidence of how far reaching this concept can be, encompassing a variety of products, from children’s car seats to agricultural plastic to end‑of‑life vehicle waste.

“As more questions are raised as to how to ensure we design products with disassembly in mind, and how to retain the high material value of products, the greater the chance of product stewardship being introduced across a range of new sectors.”

All this aside, Garofano believes the most significant shift needed to transition towards a circular economy is in how we view and participate in consumption.

“How can we plan buying decisions around function before, during, and post use?” she asks. “Being able to decide on the function or purpose of a product