The fashion industry is one of the largest polluters on the planet, producing between 2-8% of global carbon emissions, and these emissions are expected to double by 2030 unless action is taken to change the prevailing production processes and business model. It is also one of the most wasteful industries with approximately 30% of the garments made each year never being sold and according to Earth.org, 92 million tons of garments and textile waste end up in landfill annually; that equates to a dump truck full of clothing going into landfill every second. The road to redemption and renewal for the fashion industry is a challenging one. However, one thing is clear. To successfully transition from the current broken system circularity must become a foundational principle. Two key approaches at the forefront of the fashion industry's transition to a circular future are Extended Producer Responsibility (a policy approach that makes producers responsible for their products along the entire lifecycle, including at the post-consumer stage) and Digital Product Passports (a technology designed to collect and share data about a product and its supply chain across the entire value chain). The CAW Sydney x FA.C.T event will demystify Digital Product Passports (DPPs) and Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), showing brands how to prepare for regulatory shifts while unlocking new opportunities in rental, resale, repair, and recycling. With upcoming legislation in the EU and growing pressure in Australia, the time to act is now. What you’ll learn: ✅ What DPPs are and why they matter for fashion brands ✅ How rental, resale, repair & recycling connect to the DPP roadmap ✅ How brands can prepare for EPR legislation before it’s mandatory ✅ What tools and technologies will help brands future-proof their supply chain Meet Our Panelists: 🔹 Ainsley Simpson – CEO, Seamless As the CEO of Seamless, Australia’s national clothing stewardship scheme, Ainsley is leading the charge in developing industry-wide solutions for clothing circularity. Her expertise lies in policy, infrastructure, and industry collaboration—helping brands navigate EPR regulations, waste reduction, and circular economy initiatives. 🔹 Anne-Marie Cheney – Senior Manager, eBay With deep expertise in resale, compliance, and sustainability, Anne-Marie plays a key role in shaping eBay’s global circular commerce strategy. She brings valuable insights into how brands can prepare for Digital Product Passports (DPPs) and Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) while unlocking the potential of the secondhand economy. 🔹 Shanya Suppasiritad – CEO, Rntr As a leader in fashion rental and circular business models, Shanya helps brands extend the life of their garments through rental and subscription models. At Rntr., she works with brands to integrate tech-driven solutions that support product traceability, sustainability, and consumer engagement—all crucial for the future of DPPs. 🔹 Paul Riley – CEO, Samsara Eco Paul is at the forefront of circular recycling technology, leading Samsara Eco’s mission to create infinite plastic and textile recycling solutions. His work focuses on how advanced recycling and material recovery fit into the DPP framework, ensuring that fashion brands can meet future EPR requirements while closing the loop on waste. 🔹 Pete Smit, CEO, Style Atlas A driving force behind Style Atlas’ mission to empower brands through technology, Pete specializes in Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) solutions that help brands track materials, streamline compliance, and scale circularity initiatives. With Digital Product Passports and EPR on the horizon, Pete will share insights on how brands can integrate these frameworks into their existing systems

This event will formally launch a network specifically to connect people passionate about arts and sustainability. This picnic-style event will enable participants to forge connections with people with similar passions. The ERA Exec Group will share the purpose of the network, explore the overlap between arts and sustainability, and share plans for 2025.

Wether you are a parent, child, scientist, house cat or spider, we’re all in this hot climate mess together. Come join us for an evening of stories told with big, beautiful pictures, stories about confronting climate change, about depression and hope, about disaster and forging ahead. Hear about invasions of Upside Down Jellyfish, about raising children and facing fears, about post-apocalyptic futures, and what it’s like to be a human in this weird, fragile, wonderful world. Read To Me is an artist-run project that puts the illustrated stories in front of live audiences. In this special edition of Read To Me, you will hear from scientists, researchers, cartoonists and illustrators, all of whom are grappling with climate change in various ways. It’ll be fun, it’ll be sad, it’ll be silly, serious, heart breaking and wonderful.

Am I allowed to do this? I'd like to promise $500 to anyone who attends, and doesn't learn at least one thing that changes the way they think about Australia, forever. (For most people, I guarantee a good handful of facts you didn't know before). Ad Long (creator) and Laura Wells (host) will introduce Cool the Country, a series of 4 short videos that examine the impact of the Heat Engine of Australia, and then look step by step at a number of simple, proven actions that Australia could take to make a huge arid region wetter, greener and cooler (without waiting for the world to act). It'll cost money, but repay every dollar over and over, forever.

Held in a vibrant and welcoming venue, the SDG panel event kicks off with an introduction by the hosts, who set the tone for an afternoon of inspiring discussions and Q & A. Colourful banners and holding slide fill the stage, highlighting the 17 SDGs and their significance. Attendees will be greeted with an atmosphere of enthusiasm and curiosity, ready to delve into the world of sustainable development The panel features a diverse group of innovators and entrepreneurs who shared their groundbreaking projects and technologies aimed at solving some of the world's most pressing challenges. From renewable energy solutions to sustainable agriculture practices, the panellists showcased how innovation can drive progress towards achieving the SDGs. The audience will hear stories of resilience and creativity, followed by a Q&A session discussing potential collaborations and new ideas.

‘More than Human Ministries’ is a speculative role-play activity for imagining new forms of governance. Current government structures are responsible for departments and portfolios that often lead to siloed thinking and inaction. This event asks: what kinds of alternative ministries, values and regenerative policies might better address the interconnected nature of the global social and ecologies challenges? Participants adopt roles as humans and more-than-human entities in alternative future scenarios. The aim of the activity is to imagine a regenerative future for all beings in an interconnected society. The session invites participants to collaboratively and critically reflect on existing forms of government, challenge established conventions, and suspend disbelief and devise proposals that inspires new ways of thinking, governing and living. Engaging in a more-than-human perspective invites participants to represent other ecological actors, not just focusing on humans. It encourages life-centred thinking and creativity, going beyond anthropocentric approaches that underpin our current crises. ‘More-than-human personas’ are used as a method to represent and communicate the perspectives of more-than-human entities and support participants to consider alternative perspectives. This session seeks to encourage us all to be more hopeful, radical, critical, empathetic, and collaborative while considering both human and wider social and ecological wellbeing. This session will run for approximately 2hrs. It will involve: - An activity briefing and experiential future scene-setting (e.g. a 2050 scenario in which the activity takes place) - Collaborating with other participants in small groups - Speculative world-building, using more-than-human personas to support creative reimagining of alternative governance, values and ways of living - An 'assembly of future ministries' to share and deliberate upon proposals for a more sustainable and just future. - Ending with a debriefing and reflections on the experience and thoughts for possible climate action

Using Solar Energy to achieve carbon zero is proved to be an effective way, especially in Australia. Added the increasing cost of electricity, this event shows how households and commercial can have easy to install solution to achieve reduction in both cost of living and carbon emission.

This event will be held in a public venue in or around Mona Vale. Attendees will be seated around a table for 15 to 25 people. Typically two or three members of the Go Solar Mackellar team will outline their experiences with installing solar / batteries. We then ask attendees to outline their situation and make suggestions as we go along. After everyone has had an opportunity to talk, there is a general discussion and if time we will normally demonstrate how to use Solar Quotes to start the process.

This panel will explore how COP31 can set new global standards for governance integrity, sponsorship transparency, and inclusive leadership. Attendees will hear from leading experts on ensuring a fossil-free, solutions-driven COP, engage in live audience polling, and contribute to shaping a credible, ambitious climate summit. Expect dynamic discussions on corporate accountability, real economy leadership, and strategies for phasing out fossil fuel influence at COP31.