Celebrating circular innovation
- Circular economy
June 03, 2025
The fourth annual Circular Impact Accelerator Pitch Night was held on 29 May, with 8 teams from the 2025 program presenting their circular economy business ideas.
The Circular Impact Accelerator is a free six-week program, funded by Green Industries SA and delivered by Collab4Good (SA), supporting people with circular economy ideas to refine, validate and scale their concepts. Participants benefit from expert-led workshops, coaching from social entrepreneurs, and collaborative problem-solving sessions.
The 2025 program culminated in a live pitch night, where teams showcased their ideas to a judging panel for a chance to share in $10,000 of grant funding.
Congratulations to the winners:
- 1st prize ($5,000): Amber Sojenka – Local Thrift Project
- 2nd prize and People’s Choice ($3,000): Amanda Rogers – Styled by Amanda
- 3rd prize and People’s Choice ($2,000): Jeannine Malcolm – Mobius Farms
Meet the 2025 teams
Local Thrift Project – Amber Sojenka
Rewriting what a thrift shop can be.
Thrift shop done differently. Combining retail, workshops and sustainability education with a donation-bins-in-schools program that showcases creative avenues for reuse or recycling, enabling us to operate without the need to send excess overseas or to textile recyclers. Creating a replicable blueprint network for charity recycling operation standards.
Styled by Amanda – Amanda Rogers
Challenging fast fashion through education, empowerment and capsule wardrobe culture.
Educating consumers and challenging fast fashion culture, TWENTY empowers people – especially younger generations – providing extensive knowledge to build capsule modern wardrobes, appreciate slow fashion, and make more conscious clothing choices. By highlighting impacts of mindless consumption in turn sharing practical alternatives, they aim to influence towards adapting sustainable fashion habits.
L-Pod – Mobius Farms – Jeannine and Chris Malcolm
A circular innovation that transforms food waste into climate-friendly resources.
The L-Pod is the circular economy in action! Our modular, self-contained insect bioconversion unit empowers communities to tackle climate change and food security using bugs. This innovation transforms tonnes of food waste into protein-rich insect larvae and natural fertiliser, closing the loop on food waste.
Fruit Share Adelaide – Brett and Michelle Dunstone
Turning food waste into food relief.
We are a charity that harvests fruit and other produce that would otherwise go to waste, donating the produce to help feed those in need. We want to test how to make this financially sustainable while increasing the amount we harvest and donate in Adelaide and beyond.
Cribbie – Jaieyre Lewis and Reece Watkins
Tackling plastic pollution with sturdy, stylish, reusable alternatives.
Cribbie reduces harm to people and planet by replacing disposable plastic with durable, affordable metal containers. Designed for everyday use at home or on-the-go, our products help households and businesses cut waste, embrace reuse, and shift toward a circular economy through practical, non-toxic and long-lasting alternatives.
Circular Adelaide Plastic Solutions – Colin Thomas
Transforming plastic waste into durable, locally made products.
Circular Adelaide Plastic Solutions (CAPS) is a manufacturing start-up rescuing hard plastic waste, including bottle caps, and manufacturing and distributing useful, durable, recyclable products. We identify and develop better re-use paths for plastic waste, reduce the manufacture and import of virgin plastic products and increase local employment.
Boomerang School Uniforms – Rilla Hernandez and Karen Reynolds
Where circular fashion meets community care.
Boomerang School Uniforms is a second-hand uniform shop sharing profits with charities and participating schools. We will provide volunteer job opportunities for women 50+ experiencing hardship, educate students and parents on issues relating to uniform textile waste, and recycling. To ultimately guide uniform redesign towards recyclability and end-of-life solutions.
Tea on Tap – Ben Jones
Brewing up a more sustainable beverage model.
Tea on Tap is testing a circular economy model through Collab4Good by utilising bag-in-box packaging to reduce plastic waste. By promoting responsible disposal and using an existing alternative to plastic bottles, we aim to provide a sustainable iced tea solution for cafes, offices, events, and bulk home use while minimising environmental impact and packaging waste.
urthPPL – Susie Ruthenbeck
Reshaping personal care with refillable, recyclable skincare and a bold vision for a less wasteful world.
Single-use plastic packaging from personal care is over-represented in landfill. urthPPL seeks to provide effective skincare made from Australian botanicals presented in actually reusable and recyclable containers. Currently we use glass and aluminium. We collect, wash and re-use empties, but struggle with inconsistent supply. urthPPL is seeking to explore greater circularity in packaging and formulations.
