Transitioning to a circular economy requires a shift across society.
Building a shared understanding of what it is, why it matters, and how we get there is essential, alongside developing the skills people need to participate in and build this future.
Why it matters
Education helps individuals and businesses adopt circular practices, from correct bin use to reuse, repair and sustainable purchasing.
A circular economy is projected to create an additional 17,000 jobs for Australians by 2047–48, creating a need for new skills and re-skilling and up-skilling of the existing workforce.
Incorporating circular economy knowledge and skills into appropriate education and training programs, including schools, universities, vocational education and industry training will ensure South Australians have the skills needed for a thriving circular future.
Objectives for 2030
- Increase knowledge about the circular economy and develop circular mindsets
- Develop a skilled and educated workforce for new circular economy jobs, circular businesses and a circular built environment
- Increase awareness about sustainability and the circular economy to influence and foster long-term cultural and behavioural change
- Create resilient and sustainable businesses and a more resilient and sustainable economy
How we’ll get there
Community education and awareness
Community education and awareness raising for individuals, households and businesses builds understanding of how a circular economy works.
This can include providing direct information to households on how to use kerbside bins correctly, encouraging circular consumption practices around re-use and repair, and providing the information needed to make purchasing decisions which support a circular economy. It also creates norms of circular economy thinking and builds these values in the community.
Key actions
- Provide coordinated and centralised recycling and waste avoidance educational and awareness information to reduce the amount of waste generated, increase resource recovery, maximise the economic value of resources and reduce confusion.
- Deliver information to council-serviced premises on reducing waste and the correct use of kerbside recycling and organics bins, as well as other collection systems.
- Advocate for national product labelling standards and systems that:
- retain information throughout the product life cycle (such as product traceability)
- disclose materials used including, but not limited to, recycled content
- provide information to enable repair, reuse, disassembly and recycling of products.
Education and skills development
Building the skills and knowledge needed for a circular economy is essential for South Australia’s long-term transition.
These actions support leaders, businesses and communities to adopt circular thinking, strengthen workforce capability, expand education and training pathways, and share practical examples that help embed circular practices across all sectors.
Key actions
- Engage policy makers, community leaders and businesses on strategies to incorporate circularity thinking into their practices and encourage a shift towards a circularity mindset.
- Support and recognise the emergence of circular economy champions across policy, industry and community sectors.
- Share knowledge about circular economy activities, including information on circular business models and case studies on circular businesses and products.
- Identify workforce skills gaps that need to be filled to support the transition to a circular economy and develop skills and training programs to address these.
- Expand circular economy education, training and skills development, for example through circular economy vocational training centres, integrating circular economy into tertiary curricula and linking circular economy principles to secondary curricula.
- Offer ‘common core’ courses to tertiary students that incorporate circular economy knowledge and skills, providing opportunities to study interdisciplinary issues.
Learn more about Focus area 7: Develop circular economy knowledge and skills.
