A few weeks back, I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to present to a group of industry professionals at the Circularity 2023 conference, in Melbourne, and join the conversation around the importance of circular initiatives. This event was hosted by Planet Ark in alignment with their mission to help people, businesses and governments reduce their impact on the environment. Planet Ark, one of Australia’s most trusted environmental organisations, is actively fueling sustainable initiatives across the country, with sustainable development goals at the forefront of their work.  

At the Circularity 2023 Breakfast event, I joined a panel of experts from across Australia where we discussed our concerns around the world’s linear consumption patterns. In particular, I discussed my rising concerns regarding the world’s E-waste production and spoke about how Mint Innovation’s technology and systems are revolutionising these traditionally carbon-intensive industries.  

It’s alarming how dependent we are on the minerals extracted from the earth, and the reality is that traditional mining techniques are not equipped to keep up with the population’s increasing demand for precious metals. Circular initiatives are imperative within the mining industry due to resource depletion and carbon emissions from traditional processes. One of Mint’s primary mined metals, gold, currently has 80% of its known existence already sitting above ground, and so with a huge portion of this sent to landfills across Australia and the world, or exported, E-waste recyclers and low-carbon processors are being called on with great urgency.  

Mint’s philosophy is that nothing new needs to be sourced when you make the most of what is already in circulation, a commonly shared belief at Thursday’s Industry Breakfast.  

The Circularity 2023 Conference is a great opportunity for the cleantech community to come together to share knowledge, collaborate and drive circular initiatives. It was a pleasure to present alongside Andy Hill (Planet Rice), Laurissa Mirabelli (Polestar), Steve Morris (Close the Loop) and Tim Lee (Utilitarian), and unite in sharing some great insights into how powerful technology can be as a circulariser.  

The conversation provided new learnings from leaders within a wide range of industries, with everything from agriculture and Andy Hill’s take on Planet Rice’s regenerative agriculture, to Laurissa Mirabelli’s insights into the world of EVs. Steve Morris also walked the group through other circular initiatives aligning closely with Mint’s precious metal preservation, and Tim Lee spoke about how the Utilitarian app is bringing consumers together with sustainable brands such as those presented at Circularity.  

It was a privilege to share my knowledge and the work of Mint Innovation with like-minded industry professionals. Mint’s circular initiatives, using biochemical formulas and technology to extract precious metals from E-waste, brought another perspective to the conversation and allowed for knowledge exchange from within a different industry entirely. Attending and presenting at Circularity 2023, sparked collaborative conversation and created an avenue for networking within industries that could support Mint’s R&D in universalising our technology.  

I left feeling hopeful, and look forward to further collaborative conversation and the continued exchange of innovative ideas at Circularity events in the future.  

Learn more about Circularity here.