ecologiQ
The ecologiQ program has delivered substantial benefits across Victoria’s infrastructure sector, recycling industries, government, and the wider community. It has furthered the transition to a circular economy, beginning with 2 of 4transport infrastructure project teams, who through Recycled First implementation can confidently adopt recycled and reused materials in design and construction. These resources have strengthened capability across project managers, engineers, designers, and contractors working to embed circular economy practices into their workflows and the confidence to trial and pursue material innovations.
One project found “completing this (Recycled First) report has helped us in identifying several opportunities … which are now included and others for us to investigate further" The program has also generated significant economic and operational benefits for the recycling and manufacturing supply chain. By stimulating strong demand for recycled products, the program supports businesses that process, remanufacture, or supply materials, helping them expand markets and build long-term commercial confidence. Cacti Conserve, a social enterprise supplying recycled safety products, quote “ecologiQ events helped build relationships leading to procurement contracts across Big Build sites, councils and utilities, find local suppliers, and form collaborations with other recycled‑product suppliers” expanding their market reach and strengthening their role in sustainable infrastructure.
Demonstrating benefit at scale, The Australian Council of Recycling state that the ecologiQ program has been "critical to building capability and confidence in procurement of sustainable and recycled materials…systematically addressing barriers to sustainable procurement". This ensures the 7 million tonnes of repurposed materials used to date don't just provide environmental benefits, but create systemic change.
The ecologiQ program leaves a legacy for Victoria by transforming how infrastructure is planned, procured, and delivered. Through the Recycled First Policy, the program has embedded the use of recycled and reused materials as standard practice across transport infrastructure, reducing reliance on virgin resources and reshaping industry behaviour toward a circular economy model. ecologiQ’s influence now extends beyond transport, with other Government portfolios—such as health infrastructure —progressively adopting the policy and applying a proposed $20 million project threshold to guide implementation in 2026. Government water, community and safety, homes, precincts and other infrastructure portfolio projects are expected to follow. This cross-sector adoption ensures that the shift toward circularity is enduring and not confined to a single department or industry segment.
The ecologiQ program has received wide praise as being an industry leading sustainability initiative, with the latest federal Productivity Commission Report (‘Australia’s Circular Economy: unlocking the opportunities’ Jan 26, p 45) highlighting the effectiveness of the program in facilitating change as a leading model for adoption to other jurisdictions. [DL1] The program’s legacy also includes sector-wide capability uplift. Through the Knowledge Hub an enduring record exists, ensuring that knowledge, best practices, and successful methodologies are shared widely across industry, enabling future projects to build on established evidence rather than reinvent approaches. Collectively, ecologiQ contributes directly to several UN Sustainable Development Goals: SDG 9 – Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure through sustainable construction practices. SDG 12 – Responsible Consumption and Production by mainstreaming recycled materials. SDG 13 – Climate Action via avoided emissions through material reuse.
This enduring shift positions Victoria as a leader in sustainable infrastructure, achieving both ecologiQ’s ambitious vision to be world leading by 2025 and providing an exemplary role model on how policy can be converted into action and outcomes.