The Green Gown Awards Australasia Awards Ceremony celebrated the inspirational projects, initiatives and individual champions represented by 33 finalists across 11 unique institutions this year. GECA is a proud supporter of this event. 

Research has shown that recycling can be a positive emotional experience for people. However, confusion and lack of knowledge around recycling can compromise our good intentions and efforts. We sat down with Planet Ark's Head of Circular Economy Programs, Ryan Collins, to unpack how we can all take steps to do better and end wishcycling.

Launched this month, the pilot TRAKS rug and furnishing recycling program will be the first in a series of collaborative programs to move the textile industry towards a circular economy.

Each year, the Minister for the Environment announces the product stewardship priority list that identifies products most in need of product stewardship action. This year for the first time, the upcoming list will be informed following a call for public nominations. We encourage all GECA stakeholders from industry and government to nonprofits and consumers to contribute their suggestions.

We’re delighted to announce that Woolworths has launched its newest and most sustainably focused collectible toy, with Woolworths Bricks set to help Australian families use creativity and play to learn more about good environmental choices.

On Tuesday 17 August, the Australasian Furniture Association (AFA) hosted a joint webinar with the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment (DAWE) and GECA to introduce the project: 'Understanding and Exploring Chemicals Management in the Furniture and Furnishing Industry'.

According to the Sustainable Development Report 2021, Australia is tracking poorly on several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including SDG 12 - Responsible Consumption and Production. But it doesn't have to be this way.

This month, the winners of a new awards program, The Circle Awards, were announced! The awards were created to celebrate and unite the businesses, organisations, projects and people shaping the circular economy in Australia and New Zealand. GECA is proud to be a supporter of The Circle Awards.

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the very urgent need for us to work together as an international community to address global environmental and social problems. At GECA, we think the stage is set for a new era that celebrates the need for and the benefits of collaboration and transparency while embracing circular economy thinking.

On 15 March 2021, in collaboration with Edge Environment and the Global Product Stewardship Council, GECA was awarded a grant by the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment to tackle the issue of commercial office furniture going to landfill. The group will use the funding to design a product stewardship scheme that will help reduce the estimated 30,000 tonnes of furniture – much of it in perfectly good condition – that ends up in Australia’s waste stream each year.

The rise of circular economy thinking is creating new ways of approaching manufacturing and product stewardship across a breadth of markets. Buying products and materials made from recycled content is a significant step to shift our economy from linear to circular.

GECA, in collaboration with the NSW Office of the Environment and Heritage and the City of Sydney, has released a new standard for Waste Collection Services in New South Wales.