Funded by Green Industries SA and delivered by Collab4Good (SA) in partnership with Start Some Good, the Circular Impact Accelerator supports people with a circular economy idea who are ready to take further action to test, validate and clarify their concept, while also and gaining access to new networks, customers and investment to bring their idea to life.
Increasingly, many members of the community have ideas that may not be a fit for traditional business incubators, but are seeking to explore ways to develop a business which helps address both environmental and social challenges set out in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, and create positive outcomes for both, through purpose-driven enterprise.
‘Circular social enterprise’ sits at the nexus of this, with products and services designed to help the shift from linear to circular when it comes to materials, and also to prioritise positive social impact and inclusion through purpose-first business models and meaningful work.
The Circular Impact Accelerator program is intended to give effect to these strategic priorities by supporting ‘business-as-unusual’ innovators and entrepreneurs who have this ethos baked into their approach, and who may find that this doesn’t fit well with traditional business incubators.
Hear from some of the 2022 and 2023 participants:
2023 participants
Cascara Stone
Cascara Stone is a composite stone material product using biological shell waste from local industry that has been designed and prototyped. This product could be used by architects and designers in product and surface design applications, creating a renewable alternative to finite, engineered, or synthetic materials.
Little Droppings
Little Droppings’ mission is to eliminate the 700kg average per baby annual waste to landfill of disposable nappies by making it easy for parents and childcare centres to use reusable cloth nappies instead of disposables. They provide a door-to-door cloth nappy loan and laundry service across Metropolitan Adelaide.
TERRESA
TERRESA provides textile recycling services to South Australian businesses and aims to establish the state's first textile recycling factory, by developing a technology capable of breaking down textile blends and respinning recycled fibers to create new garments locally.
Upcycle Australia
Upcycle Australia seeks to acquire by-products, primarily from the food and beverage industry, which would otherwise become landfill and upcycle these by-products, turning them into raw ingredients for use in the personal care industry.
Spinning Tops
Spinning Tops is a replicable system to centralise and organise the second-hand school uniform marketplace, providing motivational value for donators and convenience for buyers. This will reduce uniform waste to landfill and maximise the items' use.
PPP4GOOD
PPP4GOOD connects localised seed-savers and nurseries, the people willing and able to plant as well as the people that help fund such efforts. Implementing a social enterprise model utilising technology to facilitate fully transparent and measurable outcomes in biodiversity, climate mitigation, ecosystem restoration and healthy food for local and/or disadvantaged communities.
2022 participants
ShowMe Exchange
ShowMe Exchange is a DIY app that connects people seeking to fix things around the home with the people who know how to fix them. It has a strong focus on impact through job creation and income for people who have knowledge but face physical barriers, as well as the circular economy approach to encourage fixing, reuse and repurposing of materials around the home.
Ocean Kind (formerly Days Like This)
Ocean Kind want to turn discarded, highly recyclable fishing nets into new products through a dedicated recycling centre. Potential products will be made from nylon and polyester and include items such as leisurewear and plastic pellets that can be sold to local plastic manufacturers.
EcoCaddy Organics
EcoCaddy Organics are leveraging their fleet of zero-emission trikes to reduce urban food waste in Adelaide’s CBD. These trikes with trailers attached allow riders to navigate into small spaces to quickly and easily collect food waste from food services, and aggregate the waste for collection by a major composter.
On-Farm Food Waste Project
The On-Farm Food Waste Project will collaborate and connect with farmers to capture excess produce and redistribute it as raw fruit and vegetables, or to utilise shared infrastructure and turn the produce into value-add products, such as pickles, preserves and chutneys, that can be sold.
UP by GOGO
Up by GOGO offers a wraparound moving service to carefully move possessions to a new home, and then responsibly repurpose, rehome, or upcycle possessions that are no longer needed.
Cinch Textiles
Cinch Textiles seeks to turn commercial and consumer textile waste (think embroidered uniforms and clothing items) into a marketable product, with the aim of reducing the need and use of new materials. Through building a textiles microfactory recycling facility, Cinch will be a channel to take textile waste, process the textiles, and provide the product to local crafters and community groups as a new source of fibrefill for toys and furnishings.
