or box that rewards ‘ kaizen ’. Something as simple as this would allow me to step back and prioritise solutions and focus on the right things .” Aaron Reinhardt from McKinna .
Program evaluation at the time of writing this article indicates that the Circular Advantage journey to date , has assisted businesses to identify operational and material savings and efficiencies . Strategic planning is now underway to apply the information gained in the program to their own business model . By way of developing a unique “ roadmap ’ for the strategic development of one or more of the initiatives identified as feasible and with a tangible return on investment , each participant is now refining a customised ‘ circular advantage ’ for their business . A good circular economy idea is of little value if the strategy is ill-conceived or poorly implemented . Strategic fundamentals needed to be understood and applied .
Businesses in both Kingston and Hume are now considering strategic adaptations to current practices :
“ Reading and reviewing this week ’ s topic has highlighted sub-optimal use of machinery as a lost resource opportunity . As a part of scaling the business our biggest lost opportunity is idle machinery outside of regular hours . This has previously been identified but should become a focus and more prevalent area to investigate resource opportunity across our 3 factories .” Aaron Reinhardt from McKinna .
“… After reviewing our use of cardboard packaging , we can make an improvement by installing a ‘ box on demand ’ machine to reduce the amount of custom size box ’ s we have on the shelf , thus reducing waste , and improving space within the warehouse . These are just a couple of the ‘ high ’ level improvements we could be making .” Peter Prodromos from Eagle Lighting Australia .
A strategy that is directed at encouraging behavioural change is a critical factor in developing sustainable kaizen approaches to resource management . There are three levels of focus ; the supply chain , internal operations and customers . Often people need to be trained and incentivized to commit themselves to a higher level of attentiveness and innovation . Through discussions on behaviour change methodology , participants examined whether problems associated with resource choice or process inefficiency , had a corresponding behavioural problem , and then explored creative initiatives to influence change in their organisation .
The Circular Advantage program pointed participants to consider an overarching goal of striving to ‘ better the lives of people and positively influence our planet ’. Four key focus areas were highlighted :
1 . Resources : Constantly re-assess how your company can better make use of resources .
2 . Processes : Commit to constantly reassessing how your company can better re-engineer processes to enhance productivity and reduce waste .
3 . Behaviours : Commit to fully engaged behaviour and elevated performance through a vision that means something to employees .
4 . Innovation : Give your people the time , the direction and the incentives to play a positive role in improving products and services on a daily basis .
“… to pursue profits with total disregard for any environmental impacts , for any business , is surely at best short-sighted , at worst , simply poor practice from both environmental and economic standpoints . Finding ways to improve a business ’ s profitability that also reduce or reverse that business ’ s environmental impact is ( to me ) the best long-term action a business can take , as it takes into consideration the bigger picture , and that business ’ s customers , their health and financial wellbeing , are part of that bigger picture .” Ryan Mischkulnig from Reimaginarium .
The foundation for innovation in the circular economy centres on ‘ out-of-thebox ’ thinking . The Circular Advantage encouraged leaders to break free of their current approach to doing business . They needed to do this in a way that ensured decisions made played to organizational strengths , competitive advantage , business philosophy and existing competencies . A starting point was through the application of design thinking strategies . Understanding that the needs of everyone involved in the ‘ use cycle ’ of their circular propositions was essential . Consideration needed to be given to the end users or customers , but also suppliers , manufacturers , retailers and others who may reuse products or materials .
“ In all my 30 + years in food production and marketing , this is one thing that irks me . WASTE . I have a passion when it comes to this and hence although it has not been on my roadmap in earlier modules where we fleshed out resources , kaizen and behavioural , I have decided that this would be my closing journey on this path and find ways to help reduce food waste . Right through from production , through to packaging , transport , retail and food service distribution to the end user and most important in our journey , the CONSUMER !” Shirley Bastian from Meat Tender .
Our local communities can also feel increasingly empowered in a circular economic model , as they will be able to see how products they recycle can be put back into the system of production , leading to an increase in recycling rates . There are plenty of innovative ways to use resources in new ways , producing new goods without depleting natural resources further .
The Circular Advantage program has helped deliver insights and competencies to lay the foundations of a circular approach to our local economy and to consider efficiencies and new revenue opportunities at a time of great economic challenge in a pandemic trading period .
REFERENCES
2 Kaizen - Kaizen is a concept referring to business activities that continuously improve all functions and involve all employees from the CEO to the assembly line workers . Kaizen is the Sino-Japanese word for “ improvement ”. Wikipedia
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Angela has an extensive background in both private and corporate business and joined Kingston Council ’ s business team 10 years ago . She initiated , and project managed the
ASPIRE online platform for material resource exchange and is now an Advisory Board member . She also established the Kingston Council ’ s Sustainable Business Network to raise awareness of resource efficiency initiatives available to business owners . Angela is passionate about preserving our natural resources and reducing , reusing and recycling our material resources . The circular economy has been a natural next step for Angela ’ s professional direction .
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