Circular Hepburn - Business Toolkit

Having teamed up with Circular Economy experts Good Human in 2023 to develop a suite of Circular Economy resources for local businesses, Council is now excited to present the Circular Hepburn Toolkit for Businesses and Beyond. The toolkit consists of: an introductory booklet featuring local case studies; a set of Circular Economy Strategy Cards; and this webpage, which will be updated with news and fresh case studies as the Hepburn Shire Circular Economy community of practice grows and develops (see the bottom of this page).  

If you run or represent a business in Hepburn Shire we’d love your engagement. Click on the links below to trial the toolkit, let us know your thoughts in the “Have your say” section below, and join us in building a Circular Economy community of practice in Hepburn:

Download the booklet(PDF, 7MB)

Download the cards(PDF, 615KB)

Your input will help us: 

  • improve future versions of the toolkit 

  • populate our news feed and social media with inspiring ‘Circularity’ stories 

  • recognise and act upon opportunities to nurture and connect Hepburn’s growing Circular Economy community of practice 

If you would like to request hard copies of the booklet and cards, or have any questions about the toolkit, you can email Hepburn’s Circular Economy Officer, Jodi Newcombe at  jnewcombe@hepburn.vic.gov.au

In the dropdown sections below you’ll find a wealth of Circular Economy inspiration and resources, including links to:  

  • The ASPIRE local resource sharing platform (free to businesses with 20 employees or less) 

  • Stories from local Circular Economy Champions and Early-Adopters 

  • Circularity Toolkits from around the world. 

To keep updated and engaged with our Circular Economy work, please also sign up to the Circular Economy e-news.

Have your say: Feedback, Stories, Suggestions

Have you tried out the Circular Hepburn Toolkit for Businesses and Beyond?  Do you have feedback on how you went?  Do you have a Circular Economy case study to share?  Do you have a suggestion, an idea or particular resources to offer that could help nurture the growing Circular Economy community of practice in Hepburn Shire? 

This form will allow you to send us all of the above and more.  

Your input will help us: 

  • improve future versions of the toolkit 

  • populate our news feed and social media with inspiring Circularity stories 

  • recognise and act upon opportunities to nurture and connect Hepburn’s growing Circular Economy community of practice. 

 

ASPIRE – circular economy marketplace

Council is offering free access to the ASPIRE Circular Economy platform for all organisations and businesses with 20 employees or less. ASPIRE is essentially an online marketplace that connects businesses wanting to buy, sell or trade unwanted materials and products, demonstrating that one business's trash really can be another's treasure.  

Learn more about ASPIRE.

 

Circular Economy Resources from around the world

The development Circular Hepburn Toolkit was inspired by a range of excellent resources and communities of practice throughout the world. Here are links to some of our favourites - we thoroughly recommend that you try them out yourselves: 

Circularity Deck (Netherlands) - Sharpen your circular economy thinking. 

Danish Design Centre: Designing Your Circular Transition - One toolkit. 8 tools. Kickstart your circular transition. 

The Ellen MacArthur Foundation International Learning Hub for the Circular Economy.  

Exeter University, PA Consulting & Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s Circular Business Model Design Guide

 

We were also inspired by the following excellent home-grown resources: 

The Federal Government's Circular Economy Page

The Victorian Government’s Circular Economy Plan, with a focus on waste management.  

Victoria’s Circular Economy Business Innovation Centre, with access to case studies and grant opportunities.  

The Australian Circular Economy Hub, which is full of educational resources, policies, networks and news, including the excellent and informative Circularity in Australian Business Report 2023

Connecting the Circular Economy - Stage 1

The delivery of the Circular Hepburn Toolkit for Business & Beyond represents Stage 2 in the Council’s Connecting the Circular Economy project.  

Stage 1 (August 2022 to February 2023) took a practical approach to understanding, mapping and actioning the opportunities presented by the Circular Economy for the Shire.  

Full results from this project are available on the Participate Hepburn project page, where you can download The Hepburn Circular Economy Activation Recommendations Report which identifies areas of strength and areas where there are gaps in supporting the activation of a circular economy in the Shire.  

This engagement project was hosted by and partially funded by Hepburn Energy. Council was a major partner and partial funder. Good Human delivered the engagement process and the project outputs.  

As well as shaping the Circular Hepburn Toolkit, the findings of Stage 1 are also informing the Circular Economy Framework and Roadmap for Hepburn Shire.  

Hepburn Circularity News & Updates 

Stories and features presented here are also shared via our e-news and on the Circular Hepburn Facebook Page. Click the links to sign up to both of those.