About Us
CIRCULAR ECONOMY FAR NORTH QUEENSLAND - CEFNQ
Or Circular Economy FNQ.
REFUSE, REDUCE. REUSE. REDESIGN. REGENERATE.
OUR STORY
As a group, we were established in early 2017 and through that time we contributed to the Zero Plastic local and state conversations. We also created the foundation version of the Waste Map to identify locations that were taking sorted waste .
We were formed to create a place for many organisations and groups to have a central place to come together and share their knowledge for a common goal – the environment.
Then in 2021 Irene Portelli took over the helm as Chair and then transitioned the CFWR group to be named Circular Economy FNQ. Through 2 years of working part time pro bono hours with local circular innovators and doing a micro credential through cQU she achieved the status of Certified Social Enterprise.
In 2024 she registered, we made it - better for the planet, as the for profit company to take on the Certified Social Enterprise status so that as the innovations Irene worked 2.5 years to secure could at transition to a dynamic equity business with 60% of the profits going to the social purpose.
Which is to ensure that disadvantaged youth are at the table of the Circular Industrial Economy which will be the largest shift of wealth we will see in over 100 years. Using Doughnut Economic principles, human centred design and education frameworks like Kaos Pilot and Climate Action Schools Program to bring innovative education and the LEAN framework into sovereign manufacturing via the micro factories she has curated.
Now as our board grows with members who have done at least 300 volunteer hours and have a passion for ensuring we have diverse actors; teachers, art, business, data, environmental engineers and outside the box thinkers to create an atmosphere of thriving. Our goal this decade is to develop a hub of Circular Economy specialists and entrepreneurs in our precinct where we focus on two core principles of Circular Economy; REDUCE and REDESIGN. In that order.
Our Circular Economy goals to decentralise waste management and introduce reManufacturing into remote and regional Australia.
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We are A/B testing a roadmap to a Circular Economy in a data driven way with a First Nation lead design.
Our Roadmap To 2030
We are building and executing Circular Economy R&D projects, with data and PhD students. Our core principle of design is
Human Centred Design something that was part of our Social Enterprise journey. What we are building is a scaleable solution to resources [waste issues] for the
Circular Entrepreneurs and Scientists that we are delivering
microfactories.
Product Stewardship Certification is what we can offer as we can take products at their end of life and we remanufacture it to be regenerative. Additive Manufacturing and a global licensed tech to help product supply chain resources for the Graphene industry that is growing.
We are bringing community along with us in the form of Book Club and our private group accessible via our memberships where we have a secure and private onboard community tool where we will be sharing our Events like films, Courses that support the Green Jobs our micro factories.
We will be building passive homes out of plastic waste and producing Biochar and bio oil from tech we have a global license for. We are working towards being a Product Stewardship Certifier so that your products can be managed in a regenerative way at the end of their life.
Each micro factory cluster will come with ISO14001 certification.
The Opportunity Ahead
Every 10k tonne of waste|resources we divert from landfill creates 9.2 jobs. We believe we can increase that number to 14.2 jobs per 10k tonne through high speed On Demand sovereign manufacturing in Australia, and then every country we take our micro factory clusters to.
On Demand Manufacturing reduces costs by 88% and the impact on the environment by over 90% by using the virgin resource over and over without reducing the quality of the Polymers of the plastics.
We have a micro factory that will reduce contaminated Agriculture|Hospital or beach clean up plastics from going to landfill, without the need for chemical washing prior to our processing, reducing the Carbon Footprint of our systems considerably.
Our aim is to get the Micro factories we have curated into Regional and Remote centres to be able to process the waste in place in a regenerative and distributive way, with 60% of our profits going back to ensure disadvantaged Youth are at the table of the Circular Industrial Economy.
Promoting that you are sending your waste to our micro factories on your Sustainability Pages offers businesses to promote Product Stewardship Certification, a clear green signal for conscious consumers to clearly qualify they are supporting a business for good.
Meet Our Team - We're Growing
Irene
Portelli
President
Connector
Data Specialist - Project Manager
Disruptive Design Method in training
Profession Ruckus Human
Ann
Atkinson
Treasurer
Owner – Jim's Bookeeping Tropics
Tony McInnes
Deltur
Vice President
Senior Account Manager – FX Business Technologies,
President – Forum 4 Business Growth
Avi Chennuri
Secretary
SDG specialist, Business Development
How You Can Get Involved
The best way to support us is to join us. We are building up Citizen and Business courses for waste and lifestyle changes that will empower you do your part to reduce our impact on the planet so we keep the wildlife, the Daintree and the Great Barrier Reef around for the next generations to enjoy.
Build A Passive House - Granny Flat, Eco|Agri|Cultural Tourism or a 3brm Home
We are changing the face of the building industry by printing passive homes with a great energy Star rating that can be built in 2 weeks, low ongoing maintenance making it easier for women to be independent home owners. Being a passive home, your cost to go off grid will be lower because these houses cool themselves in Summer and are easy to heat in Winter. They are also fireproof.
Subscribe to Our Newsletter
Staying in touch is the best way to find out what's happening with inititatives and find our ways to support us on an event-by-event basis. Our Newsletter subscription is on our Contact Us page.
How To Go Circular At Work Or Home
Book Club
Join us at Book Club.
It is a monthly event at our CEO's home.
You get to enjoy #girldinner type nibbles and read books that will help feed the circular revolution we are going through.
How to use your agency to make the change we need in our communities to ensure no one is left behind.
Microfactories
We have two Australian innovations that can take contaminated plastic waste, tyre and hospital waste.
Reach out to us to start a conversation about getting one in your location.
Please ensure you
join our business memberships as the information about the microfactories are in that space.
Become A Member
Join Us
Citizens - book club and green jobs.
Businesses so we can work with you to help you transition to being a regenerative farmer or Eco Business by taking your contaminated waste from you at a low cost including Tyres.
And developers who want to build off grid communities and low cost living for the disadvantage in our community.
About Us
Circular Economy Far North Queensland is committed to making the transition to a Circular Economy that aligns with the Sustainable Development Goals and supporting Australian Innovation.
We collaborate with existing awesome humans to help bring Circular Economy Framework to life in FNQ. And share how we are doing it along the way. #bettertogether
Quick Links
Additional Information
Follow Us
JCU Ideas Lab,
Founders Space
Building D4/14-88 McGregor Rd, Smithfield QLD 4878
Circular Economy FNQ acknowledges the Traditional Owners and Custodians of the Lands on which we work and pay our respects to Indigenous Elders past, present, and emerging. We support the Uluru Statement from the Heart to achieve justice, recognition and respect for First Nations people and a referendum to enshrine a First Nations Voice in the Constitution