CEO Post ENVIRO Reflections…. 

As part of WMRR's Circular Economy (#2026ENVIRO) conference in Adelaide last month, I had the privilege of hosting Iain Gulland, former Chief Executive of Zero Waste Scotland, and interviewing Andrew Morlet, former CEO of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and one of Australia's leading voices on the circular economy. Between them, they have helped shape global thinking on circular economy policy, influencing governments, business and international climate discussions. 

Among the many insights they shared, one message resonated strongly with me. Australia's climate conversation is incomplete. 

Don't get me wrong. The transition to renewable energy is essential. Decarbonising our electricity, transport and industrial sectors must remain at the centre of Australia's pathway to net zero. 

But climate policy isn't just about energy. It is also about materials.  That message has never been more relevant.  

The presentation from Simon Vardy and Eleanor Lee from Deloitte, on this year's Circularity Gap Report which found that the global economy is now only 6.9 per cent circular, with material consumption continuing to accelerate while recovery rates decline. More importantly, it highlights that our current linear "take, make and waste" economy is destroying trillions of dollars in value every year by discarding materials that could remain in productive use. 

This is not simply an environmental challenge.  It is one of the greatest economic opportunities of our generation. 

Globally, around 70 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions are associated with the extraction, processing, manufacture, transport and disposal of materials. If we are serious about tackling climate change, improving productivity and building economic resilience, we must think beyond cleaner energy and start redesigning the way we use materials. 

That was a recurring theme throughout ENVIRO. 

Iain spoke about Scotland's remarkable journey from a traditional waste strategy to one of the world's most advanced circular economy policy frameworks—demonstrating how governments can create investment certainty through long-term legislation, clear direction and consistent policy. 

Andrew challenged us to think even bigger. Drawing on his work at the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and his current leadership in circular finance, he reinforced that circularity is no longer simply an environmental ambition. It is becoming an economic strategy, an investment strategy and increasingly a climate strategy. The countries that will prosper are those that keep materials circulating in their economies rather than continually extracting new resources. 

That message should resonate strongly in Australia. 

We are one of the world's great resource economies, yet every year we continue to landfill millions of tonnes of valuable materials while importing many of the products we could manufacture ourselves. Every tonne of material recovered, remanufactured and returned to productive use represents new jobs, stronger manufacturing, lower emissions and greater resilience. 

This is why the waste and resource recovery sector is so much more than a waste service. 

It is climate infrastructure.  It is manufacturing infrastructure.  It is productivity infrastructure.  And it is essential to Australia's circular economy. 

As Australia prepares to co-host COP31, we have an opportunity to broaden the global conversation. Climate leadership is not only about renewable energy and electrification. It is also about designing products differently, reducing waste, recovering valuable resources, supporting remanufacturing and creating markets that keep materials in circulation. 

That requires nationally consistent regulation, smarter product design, stronger producer responsibility, procurement that values recycled content and long-term investment certainty for the infrastructure that makes circularity possible. 

COP31 gives Australia a platform to demonstrate what modern climate leadership looks like. Not just cleaner energy.  Smarter materials. 

Because if we change the way we value materials, we won't just reduce emissions—we'll unlock billions of dollars in economic opportunity, strengthen Australian manufacturing and build a far more resilient economy. 

That's a conversation worth leading. 

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