The COVID-19 pandemic has had widespread economic impacts, one of the largest of which is the interruption of the supply chain. Talking to us today about Australia’s manufacturing capabilities and why interruption of the supply chain is such a big deal here, is Black Lab Design CEO, Daen Simmat.

Join us as we unpack how speed and customer-focused agility are the key levers for growing success with onshore design and manufacturing capabilities. We dive into the Australian “underdog” psyche, and how this affects attitudes towards capital and manufacturing. Hear why Daen is so focused on creating a good working culture at Black Lab Design, and why he never refuses leave requests or queries sick days.

We discuss how to get a client on your side by having their best interests at heart, and why providing helpful advice and guidance when you can’t meet the client’s needs is beneficial to your brand. We also look at the future of manufacturing in Australia, and where Daen thinks Black Lab Designs will be. When looking at the future, it's impossible not to address the impact of climate change, and we hear Daen's thoughts on using closed-loop design-manufacturing chains and how these should have a positive impact on both the environment and local communities.

Black Lab Design has stayed steady throughout the turbulence of the COVID-19 pandemic, and Daen tells us why: from competing in speed rather than price to addressing his employees needs first. We also learn about the three scenarios when convincing a client to move towards being more environmentally friendly (win-win, win-neutral, and win-lose), and what you can do to convince them of the necessity of change in each scenario. Tune in to hear all this, and more, in today's exciting episode!

Key Points From This Episode:

• How Daen entered the world of manufacturing.
• The problem with the Australian attitude: why the underdog culture is not a good one.
• Why Daen moved Black Lab Design out of sheet metal, and into other materials.
• The importance of culture within the organisation, taking care of the employees and understanding why we work.
• How to get your client to trust you by having their best interests at heart.
• Why it’s difficult to grow a capital-intensive business in Australia.
• How COVID affected Black Lab Design: using Maslow’s hierarchy of needs to help customers throughout the pandemic and how they adjusted their business model.
• Competing on time instead of competing on price and how this set up Black Lab Design for success throughout the pandemic.
• Australia's shortcomings in the manufacturing world, and why we need to start manufacturing locally.
• How Black Lab Design thinks about the closed-loop and the environmental impact of not using the closed-loop.
• Motivating organisations to be environmentally responsible in win-win, win-neutral, and win-lose situations.
• How Black Lab Design can serve as a blueprint for other companies, and what Daen feels is the most important part of his company (the people).
• Why you should choose Black Lab Design: rising to the challenge.

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Daen Simmat on LinkedIn

Black Lab Design on LinkedIn

Black Lab Design

Circulist

Host Nick Gonios
Producer Jim Lounsbury

Anyone who is involved in the fight against the climate crisis knows the familiar frustration at how there aren't system-changing requirements in place already. But there are companies that are consistently driving the push for this kind of foundational structure change, and BVN Architecture is one of these inspiring groups in Australia.

Today we are speaking to Ninotschka Titchkosky, co-CEO of this leading architecture firm, who is here to share their vision of the future: smarter, more creative, and better for the planet! BVN's core purpose is to design a better future through re-imagining the built-world using sustainable, innovative and regenerative experiences. We dive into the four pillars on which this future trajectory is based, which are regenerative practice, to eliminate waste, accelerating advanced technologies, and inspire and influence.

In this episode, you'll hear all the incredible ways in which they are already well on their journey of personifying these practices. The listener will hear about some examples of the firm's use of new and advanced technologies and how they've changed the way that BVN operates, as well as some innovative thoughts on the evolution of fees and pay structure in the architectural space. We also touch on how they recently became Climate Active certified, and Ninotschka shares the details of the systematic approach that moved them beyond carbon neutral into being carbon positive.

She also shares her take on the importance of incentivization, leadership when it comes to contracts, the living architecture model, and finally reiterates that keeping things simple is the best way to get lots of people behind the fight to save the planet. Join us now for this inspiring conversation!

Key Points Points from this Episode:

• Get to know today's guest, Ninotschka Titchkosky.
• What is the BVN journey? Ninotschka unpacks their past, present, and future.
• Experimenting and implementing new technology in-house before showing clients.
• BVN's new vision, and the four pillars on which it's based.
• The definition of a living architecture model, according to Ninotschka.
• Evolving how the fee structure works for architecture.
• Some exciting VBN projects that optimize materials, eliminate waste, and create collaborative spaces.
• About the 3 step process of getting the company carbon positive.
• Addressing the huge waste problems in the construction sector.
• How government needs to show leadership around contracts.
• Ninotschka's take on the global approach to tackling the climate crisis.
• How we don't have enough incentives for designers and contractors.
• A walk-through of the goals and design for the Atlassian headquarters.
• How it's important to not overwhelm everyone with the complexity of the problem.
• How keeping things simplified will make it easier for more people to get involved!

Quotes:

“It's about being able to experiment, and the best place to experiment is on yourself.” — Ninotschka Titchkosky [0:02:55]

“We get enamored by all the shiny new stuff but actually we've got a huge sleeping problem which is the existing building stock, and we can't have a knock-down mentality, we need to have a reinventing and adapting approach.” — Ninotschka Titchkosky [0:16:46]

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Ninotschka Titchkosky on LinkedIn

BVN Architecture

University of Sydney

Atlassian

Circulist

Host Nick Gonios
P

Episode 9: Show Notes

Steven Liaros and Nilmini De Silva are co-creators of a circular economy village concept. Together they run Polisplan, a strategic engineering and town planning consultancy, as well as their organization, Beautility Developments, where they are developing the Circular Economy Project. Listeners will hear the story of how Steven and Nilmini met, were introduced to the circular economy, and began to traveling around Australia, researching how to implement circular villages to revitalise rural areas. They also share how they realised that the idea of a network of connected villages was not so far-fetched after all, because people were already starting to seek out these connections.

You’ll learn about all about the different kinds of communities they discovered and why they have opted to replace the house as the unit of design with the village. As they work towards developing zero waste systems. with deep roots in Australia’s indigenous heritage, you’ll also find out what they envision for the project and how it has been achieved. Steven and Nilmini think of circularity as the next revolution rather than trying to recreate the past and, in today’s episode, they share what this looks like, from philosophy to logistics.

Quotable Quotes:

“We feel that a lot of people that are in this space, really thinking about ‘what’s the meaning of life?’ and ‘how can we make things better given all the crises we are facing?’, it’s usually people who have experienced some sort of crisis in their life.” — @steven_liaros [0:05:25]

“I started to think: isn’t the internet similar to the printing press in making information widely available? Isn’t there a possibility for another renaissance?” — @steven_liaros [0:08:51]

“We began to see that the idea of having a network of villages that were connected was not so far fetched because people were already beginning to look for these connections.” — @DeSilva_Nilmini [0:15:28]

“We can see this yin yang thing happening again. We think of cities as planning for people’s housing and work and you’re anchored to a place. We don’t think of it as a balance between the settled life and the nomadic life.” — @steven_liaros [0:17:58]

“So far, the unit of design has been the individual house, but it’s hard to really get proper sustainability in that environment, be it economic or social, using that means. When you think of a unit as a village, it is much easier to have these decentralised systems.” — @DeSilva_Nilmini [0:20:55]

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Steven Liaros on Twitter

Steven Liaros on LinkedIn

Rethinking the City

Nilmini De Silva on LinkedIn

Nilmini De Silva on Twitter

Nilmini De Silva

Fate or Destiny

Beautility Developments

Narratives4Change

Circulist

Host Nick Gonios
Producer Jim Lounsbury

Episode 8: Show Notes.

Today on the Circulist Quest, we are very lucky to welcome a leading industrial designer and expert in the world of innovative design! John Van Den Nieuwenhuizen has worked for a number of inspiring companies and successfully managed to springboard his career into a path as a visionary and entrepreneur, working on his own projects. In our conversation, we get to hear from John about his days after university, moving to Italy and then subsequently the US, and how he exited his day-job to focus on starting Hidden Radio, an innovative Bluetooth product company. From there, we look at John's recent work in the food and kitchen sector, and how his company, Typhur, is aiming to revolutionize the way we approach everyday cooking. There is a common thread of lifestyle products that has run through a lot of John's work and he talks about how his passion for improving everyday home life has kept him motivated. So to hear all about this journey, some thoughts on the future, and why a more circular economy is so important for us all, be sure to listen in!

Key Points From This Episode:

• John's decision to leave Australia and work abroad after graduating.
• Memories of working in Europe before moving to the US.
• Reflections on the approach to design and innovation at Motorola.
• The position that John took up in Chicago before moving to the west coast to work for HP.
• John's experiences of escaping the cubicle, and the moment he dived into his own project.
• The bootstrapping process of bringing a product to market while planning for the long-term.
• John's passion for and attraction to working on projects related to everyday living.
• Thoughts on the way that design and manufacturing are currently affecting the world.
• The future of design and conceptualizing a better tomorrow.
• Reshaping the design and engineering sector for shared benefits.
• Final thoughts from John about moving into a more circular future.

Quotable Quotes

“I think it's just a very different time right now, it's crazy the speed at which commerce moves, and the web moves.” — John Van Den Nieuwenhuizen [0:02:58]

“It was always bootstrapped. We eventually took a tiny bit of investment which was in the form of a line of credit, that was much later.” — John Van Den Nieuwenhuizen [0:18:53]

“Hardware is a money-hungry game.” — John Van Den Nieuwenhuizen [0:19:44]

“I think a big part is passion. I like to work on things I love.” — John Van Den Nieuwenhuizen [0:21:38]

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

John Van Den Nieuwenhuizen on LinkedIn

Typhur
Hidden Radio
Motorola
Sonos
Circulist

Host Nick Gonios
Producer Jim Lounsbury

Episode 7: Show Notes

We’ve all seen the horrible images showing the effect of plastic on our sealife. Today’s guest, Jordy Kay, tells the story of how he is working to introduce innovation to the plastic industry with a vision to change the global approach. Tune in to hear the story of how he and his wife met and started Great Wrap, and their mission statement to reimagine today’s materials to solve tomorrow’s problems through providing biodegradable clingwrap for home and catering wrap for hospitality. Jordy shares the story of the company’s growth and the development of their unique product, encouraging listeners to get involved in any way they can if they are passionate about building a better world. Join us today to hear more!

Key Points From This Episode:

• An introduction to today’s guest, Jordy Kay, and his story.
• The story of how he and his wife started Great Wrap together and built their business.
• The innovation he observed in other industries that was missing in plastic.
• How he met his wife, fell in love, and started a company.
• Jordy tells us about Great Wrap, the purpose and mission of the organization.
• Great Wrap’s purpose: to reimagine today’s materials to solve tomorrow’s problems.
• Which products they are providing: cling wrap for home, and catering wrap for hospitality.
• How their employees have grown from two to 30 in just a few months.
• The three capital raises they have done this year alone to facilitate their rapid growth.
• How the plastic is completely biodegradable and will degrade within 30 days in the ocean.
• Their vision not to create an alternative, but to knock it out of the park and change the world.
• Expanding to different countries to focus on local solutions, using local waste, and landing up on a local compost pile.
• Jordy encourages listeners to apply for a job at Great Wrap.
• If you’re a business, Jordy encourages you to reach out and collaborate.
• The community-based focus that Jordy has and why he invites listeners to get involved.

Quotable Quotes

“At the vineyard I took a real keen interest in the way that nature can express itself through a vine. Making wine’s quite an artistic thing, but also it is science, and it’s this beautiful hybrid of the two and I took a real fascination in that.” — @jordykayGW [0:02:40]

“All of these industries around us like energy, transport, agriculture, construction, they’re all changing really rapidly. We’re all going to drive an Easycar ten years from now and we might even get to Mars in our lifetime. There’s a crazy amount of innovation in various industries, but plastic? It was just disgusting, the lack of innovation.” — @jordykayGW [0:09:12]

“We knew that we wanted to make products from food waste. We knew that in Australia there’s over one million tonnes of food waste that goes to landfill.” — @jordykayGW [0:15:05]

“Our purpose is to reimagine today’s materials to solve tomorrow’s problems. That’s what we stand for.” — @jordykayGW [0:17:02]

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Great Wrap
Jordy Kay on Twitter
Jordy Kay on LinkedIn
Sustainable Digitalisation Project
Circulist

Host Nick Gonios
Producer Jim Lounsb

Episode 6: Show Notes.

The built environment industry has had a bad reputation for many years because of the detrimental impact it has on the planet. Although the pace has been slow for a number of reasons, the industry is now starting to change, and today’s guest is one of the people leading the charge. Michael McElligott began his career as a construction worker, which is where he began to develop his inherent passion for social development and environmental sustainability. Through a 3 month, 18-hour-a-day deep dive into these areas of interest, Michael came up with the idea for the Smart Green Group, a property development firm of which he is the CEO. Smart Green Group is on a mission to help the built environment industry transition towards regenerative, socially equitable, circular systems. In today’s episode, Michael explains the transitions that are happening (and that still need to happen) within the built environment sector in order to ensure that we are able to survive and thrive on planet Earth for many years to come.

Key Points From This Episode:

• Michael shares where his passion for sustainability and circularity originated.
• Some of Michael’s biggest milestones during his time in the construction industry.
• How Michael became involved in the creation of a digital bank.
• The transformative 3 month period of Michael’s life, from which Smart Green Group was born.
• Why Michael chose the name Smart Green Group for his company.
• Reasons that the construction industry is so slow to change.
• One of the biggest enablers of green building.
• Benefits of a framework which was triggered by results found by the Royal Commission.
• Major changes that are taking place across the world with regard to the build environment industry's focus on impact.
• Version one versus version two of the circular economy.
• Why Australia’s sustainability sector is unique, and where it fell short.
• The beauty of the circular economy, and what more we need to be doing to save our planet and ourselves.
• Five built environment principles which should shape the future of the built environment industry.
• Some of the other exciting projects that Michael is spending his time on.
• Challenges of starting a circular economy, and a strategy for overcoming them.
• The importance of global collaboration in bringing about change.

Quotable Quotes

“My real passion is market changing and society shaping.” — Michael McElligott [0:06:48]

“We won’t call it green building in 10 years, it’ll just be building.” — Michael McElligott [0:10:12]

“The world is absolutely cranking right now when it comes to sustainability, future focused development, the reshaping of the way societies view our living conditions.” — Michael McElligott [0:14:15]

“We need to create a regenerative economy which is totally taken off GDP and going from a whole new metric of how we built out this world, and we really need to take our places as custodians for the planet.” — Michael McElligott [0:18:35]

“Until people’s dollars represent their values and they're willing to talk with their pocket, things aren’t going to change.” — Michael McElligott [0:22:00]

Links mentioned in this episode:

Michael McElligott on LinkedIn
Smart Green Group
Sustainable Digitalisation Project
Circulist

Host Nick Gonios
Producer Jim Lounsbury

Episode 5: Show Notes.

Today’s guest hails from Europe, where the concept of a circular economy has been gaining traction for a lot longer than it has in Australia, his current place of residence. Elmar Kert’s sustainability journey began while he was at business school, where he wrote a thesis on overconsumption. When he finished studying he founded two start ups; one which recycled sails into Macbook sleeves, and the other which focused on reclaiming materials from buildings which were to be demolished. He continued to pursue his passion for reducing environmental degradation when he moved to Sydney by becoming the Head of Global Operations at Dresden Vision, where he developed an innovative approach to make stylish glasses out of recycled plastic. In today’s episode you’ll hear about the 6 years that Elmar spent developing innovative methods of producing affordable eyewear that uplifts local industries and causes less harm to the planet. While Elmar acknowledges that we still have a long way to go, he is hopeful that through a major collaborative effort, we will be able to solve one of humanity’s biggest crises.

Key Points From This Episode:

• Hear about what Elmar’s sustainability journey has looked like.
• Elmar shares how he ended up working at Dresden Vision, and his experience at the company.
• Waste problems in the eyewear industry, and how Dresden is working to change this.
• Conservative thinking that Elmar had to push back against with his innovative ideas.
• Some of the challenges of working with new materials in the eyewear space.
• Benefits of keeping industry and supply chains local.
• Creating custom pieces; a double edged sword.
• Quality control as an important part of Dreden’s process.
• The milestone which Dresden achieved last year.
• Enormous potential in the plastic recycling industry.
• Elmar’s current educational pursuit, and how he feels about his future.
• Comparing sustainability practices in Australia and Europe.
• The many different moving parts which need to be addressed in order to solve the climate crisis.

Quotable Quotes:

“At Dresden we had this random bunch of people that had no idea about the industry or what we were doing, but that was also the beautiful thing because we were blank pages, so we really got to reinvent how we did things.” — Elmar Kert [0:08:00]

“It was really about democratising the frame and making it accessible to anyone.” — Elmar Kert [0:10:58]

“The potential is huge. Not just the potential to clean up the environment and do the right thing and go with the movement of circularity that is really lifting off around the world, but also from a business point of view. There is a lot of monetary value in those materials .” — Elmar Kert [0:24:55]

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Elmar Kert on LinkedIn
Dresden Vision
Elmar Kert Email
Circulist

Host Nick Gonios
Producer Jim Lounsbury

Episode 04 : Show Notes.

John Gertsakis, Director of the Product Stewardship Centre for Excellence, is a sustainability and communications practitioner with over 20 years of experience in the sector. Having worked as an advocate, consultant, and research academic, John is a trailblazer in this space. In today's episode, John talks to Nick Gonios about his experience and what it was like being at RMIT at such an innovative time in the institution's history. We talk about what good design truly means. John then dives into product stewardship and why this is so important if we are to work toward truly circular economies. Wrapping up, we touch on planned obsolescence, the dangers of greenwashing, and insights on how to create better systems. Tune in to hear it all!

Key Points From This Episode:

• Get to know today's guest, John Gertsakis.
• What drew John to work in the sustainability sector.
• John's experience at RMIT during a pioneering time in design.
• Why companies were drawn to work with RMIT.
• The definition of good design, according to John.
• John's take on the state of design in Australia and whether the country has lost its way.
• The impetus for Australia's first product stewardship act in 2011.
• What product stewardship means and how this happens in Australia.
• Examples of different ways we are seeing product stewardship.
• The issue of planned obsolescence and developments that are happening in this space.
• Recycling alone is not enough for a circular economy.
• We have to get to positive and restorative outcomes.
• The importance of being weary of greenwashing.
• What the Product Stewardship Centre of Excellence is doing to get the message out there.
• Electronics contribute greatly to making a world better; we can't demonize them entirely.
• John's take on how we can create a better world.
• The pandemic has given us a great time to pause and reflect on systems that don't work.

Quotable Quotes

“The definition of good design increasingly has to address the creation of environmentally and socially-positive outcomes that are commercially successful too.” — @BlooPlanet [0:11:39]

“Product stewardship at its core is around those who place products and related services on the market taking greater responsibility from an environmental perspective, a social dimension, for the impacts and issues associated with those products they place on the market.” — @BlooPlanet [0:25:26]

“We can't talk about the circular economy if we don't deal, in real terms, with how we will prolong the life of products and materials.” — @BlooPlanet [0:32:45]

“Normality, in many respects, has been anti-society and anti-environment.” — @BlooPlanet [0:50:59]

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

John Gertsakis
Centre for Design RMIT University
TU Delft
Product Stewardship Centre of Excellence
Circulist Quest
Circulist

Host Nick Gonios
Producer Jim Lounsbury