RMIT students are leading the circular economy movement on their own campuses

RMIT students are leading the circular economy movement on their own campuses

The areas of impact a university chooses to focus has a major influence on its student's choices when they graduate.

RMIT University's commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals is supported through the work we do in our programs, as we encourage innovation in the circular space. A recent initiative is the Circular Campus Programme run by Circular Cities Asia, where RMIT students and alumni are given the opportunity to test and implement their circular ideas and reduce waste on their own campuses.

What is the circular economy? 

The circular economy disrupts the traditional liner economy by closing the gaps between the production and disposal of a product. The circular economy model reduces waste by ensuring products and by-products do not have an ‘end-of-life' but are injected back into the system to be repurposed and reused. 

2021 Circular Campus Programme – RMIT teams

Three RMIT University Vietnam teams made the top 10 in the 2021 Circular Campus Programme. The teams, JAMB, Food Fertilizer and The Cirmitese proposed a variety of circular initiatives embracing technologies such as 3D printing and a closed loop for food waste. The four RMIT groups recieved support and mentorshipfrom Dr Majo George, an RMIT University Vietnam Lecturer in Business Innovation and Quyen Nguyen, the Director of Laiday Refill Station, Director of CEL Consulting and Co-founder of Vietnam Supply Chain . Dr Majo George and Quyen helped the teams toward their solutions by providing valuable support to the students before their final pitches.  

3D printed reusable cup called rCup, created by The Cirmitese 3D printed reusable cup called rCup, created by The Cirmitese

The Cirmitese stood out amongst the crowd, with their idea to use the advanced 3D printing facilities at RMIT to supply campus food vendors with reusable cups. The rCup, with the support of RMIT Activator and RMIT Sustainability Vietnam, is on its way to becoming a reality and being used widely on the Melbourne and Vietnam campuses. rCup has also piqued the interest of external organisations who are ready to help kick start the project. It’s always invigorating to see such dedicated and hardworking RMIT students ready to put their ideas into action and we look forward to seeing how their project advances.  

Images of team The Cirmitese including, Ngan Nguyen; Economics and finance, Linh Nguyen; professional communication and Phuong Tu; Digital marketing. Images of team The Cirmitese including, Ngan Nguyen; Economics and finance, Linh Nguyen; professional communication and Phuong Tu; Digital marketing.

Do you want to learn more about circular economy and even test out your innovation?  

The Circular Campus Programme is recruiting for 2022. It’s a two-month program designed to stimulate sustainability and circular innovation in the Asia-Pacific region. During Circular Campus, you will meet leading experts in the circular field and work within a circular innovation framework to learn the workings and principals you’ll need to brew up your very own idea.  

Be a change maker in your university and dream up ideas that could be implemented into the RMIT campus and close the loop on waste. Towards the end of the program, you will also have the chance to take part in the innovation competition and go further towards making your idea happen. 

Applications for the 2022 Circular Campus Programme are now open, so apply here before they close on 4/3/2022. 

23 February 2022

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23 February 2022

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