Australia Post’s approach to corporate responsibility is to consider the role the organisation plays in broader society and to act in innovative ways to create new forms of economic, social and environmental value. The business is also committed to contributing to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and finding opportunities to address these through innovation and collaboration.
It is within this context that Australia Post sees the importance of playing a role in helping organisations build and evolve solutions that advance the circular economy. This is particularly relevant to supporting SDG goal 12: ensuring sustainable consumption and production patterns.
With a network of over 4,000 post offices and 15,000 post boxes, Australia Post has collection points nationwide and the processes and systems in place to move billions of items a year. Participating in the circular economy by providing logistics to underpin the movement of materials is a natural part of what Australia Post already does every day.
In November 2016, Australia Post established the Revamp Network to provide a collaborative forum for stakeholders to share ideas and participate in opportunities that help drive better circular economy outcomes.
Revamp formed following the success of a design forum organised by Australia Post in July 2016. The forum saw approximately 70 customers and key stakeholders from a range of organisations come together to identify ways to create value from unwanted materials, with a particular focus on e-waste and textiles.
To further increase knowledge and understanding of the circular economy, Australia Post is also developing research and thought leadership papers, and undertaking pilots focused on the return of high-value secondhand goods, uniforms and modems.