A More Circular SportsFit
At SportsFit Physio & Health, we strive to be progressive not only in our care as practitioners, but also in our business practices for the benefit of the local community and environment in which we operate.
Our Full Circle Story
Over the last few years, health and safety regulations in the health sector underwent many changes, which had a big impact on the way run our business. We noticed a huge increase in overall waste being produced day-to-day, which motivated us to seek more sustainable solutions, while still keeping our team and patients safe.
This is why in 2023, we took part in the Go Full Circle program supported by Stonnington Council, in order to learn about circularity and how we can incorporate it into our business. The Go Full Circle Program helped us break down our waste issue, identifying where we could make small, manageable changes. This inspired us to make a plan for a more circular SportsFit, to ensure we have a more positive impact on the environment and consequently, our local community.
So What Is Circularity?
True circularity is completely erasing the waste stage of a product or material’s life cycle – e.g. avoiding landfill where non of their value is retained!
In a circular economy, materials are taken from the earth, used, then recycled and reused infinitely. Some things can’t be used infinitely, so you try to get as much value as possible out of it, before consciously disposing of it.
Can You Go Fully Circular?
Unfortunately, complete circularity is not easily achievable for every business yet. But while we can’t yet go completely waste free, it is our goal to reduce it as much as we can. The Go Full Circle Program provided us with useful tools to achieve this goal. The 12 R’s of circularity are a list of alternative actions that we can take to avoid contributing to landfill.
Moving To A More Circular SportsFit
The first step was looking inside our bins to make a list of what was filling them up. Then we worked our way through this list and where possible, made the switch from single use to refillable/reusable/ recyclable/compostable products.
Instantly, we saw waste decrease in every bin and very soon, we were able to downsize our bins. Now, we barely fill our red bin halfway by collection day!
SportsFit’s Positive Impact On The Environment
We started small by making simple approachable changes:
Then, we expanded the scope of our changes:
Moving Forward
We still have much room for change but are doing our best to be circular. We aim to completely change how we procure all products going forward, with the goal of mindful consumption in all areas. This includes preferring sustainable packaging, asking for more options and transparency from our suppliers, and supporting local businesses, especially those that are more circular. We also dream of making bigger, structural changes to our clinic, moving beyond just the windows!
How You Can Help
Part of having a positive impact is more than just changing our own practices. Our impact will be far greater if we can help to educate our community and get everyone involved. This is why we do a 3 month long recycling drive each season, working with our community to take steps forward towards circularity.
We also want to kept accountable – ask us about our changes, ask if we are doing more, or give us ideas on how to improve!
While SportsFit cannot go entirely waste free yet, our main goal is to minimise it the best we can, and help our community to do the same. Every small act makes a difference, so we hope you will join us on our circular journey, help us care for the environment around us and create a more sustainable future!
Want To Learn More?
If you want to know more about going full circular, then get in touch today.