What does a circular future look like for water, protective equipment, and packaging?

SBC SPOTLIGHT SESSION - A Silver Fern Farms and Circularity circular case study.

We’ve had the pleasure of working with Silver Fern Farms since 2022. Starting with a team from across the business at XLabs our circular economy program, working on the challenge of PPE end-of-life. Following the design sprint, Circularity was engaged to measure the circular baselines for PPE, Water, and Packaging and explore innovative future shifts to increase the circularity for these resources.

In less than eight months, the project was completed with innovative pathways for all three to improve resource circularity. We also trained the Silver Fern Farm team in the Circular Transition Measurement Tool (CTI) which enables different scenarios to be compared quickly at a business decision level, now that baseline data has been established.

We recently had the opportunity to showcase this work with Silver Fern Farms at a Sustainable Business Council Spotlight series, to drive a greater understanding of the process and key outcomes.

Here we summarise these key insights.


Businesses can play a pivotal role in driving the transition towards a circular economy by adopting circular business models and practices.

What is the CTI Tool, and how can it set new standards?

The Circular Transition Indicators (CTI) tool, created by WBCSD and Circular IQ, is a globally recognized framework that helps businesses measure and improve their circularity. It is suitable for both import and export companies. For Silver Fern Farms, it has been pivotal in providing a robust methodology and digital platform to benchmark and measure the circularity of water, PPE, and packaging.

Implementing the CTI Tool has established baseline measures, modelled improvement scenarios, validated new circular solutions for better decision-making alongside procurement and suppliers, and estimated future shifts for setting ambitious sustainability targets.


Case Studies: Measuring and Improving Circularity

Matt Harcombe,  Sustainability Manager shared the reasons behind undertaking the work in the context of Silver Fern Farms Sustainability Action Plan for a circular future: 

  • There was a need to understand the factors that cause Silver Fern Farms to create waste. 

  • They wanted to establish robust and transparent baselines to measure progress.

  • They wanted to implement tangible actions based on current technology and recovery pathways.

  • To rethink current waste streams to create new forms of value.

  • To develop clear transition pathways towards a circular future.

  • To measure PPE use, packaging, and water to initiate this transition.

Water Use presented by Alison Johnstone,  Group Environmental Manager at Silver Fern Farms

  • Assessment and Impact: Using the CTI tool, alongside a series of co-design workshops to deepen understanding of the drivers for water circularity, Silver Fern Farms tracked water consumption and identified opportunities for conservation and reuse. Innovative water-saving technologies were prioritized, significantly reducing the overall water footprint. To increase water circularity, there is a need to consider reducing water use at the source, increasing the circulation of water on site, and improving the quality of water outflows to an equal quality as the inflows. Using these three strategies enables renewable replenishment at source.

  • Result: These efforts ensured more sustainable operations and promoted responsible water management.

Protective Equipment (PPE) presented by Anne Gatenby, Sustainability Analyst

  • Assessment and Impact: The CTI tool helped Silver Fern Farms evaluate PPE usage, revealing inefficiencies and areas for improvement. By redesigning materials and processes, they can reduce waste and increase the lifespan of their protective gear.

  • Result: This initiative has the opportunity to set a new standard in the meat industry for sustainable PPE use. By 2026 Silver Fern Farms has an ambition to achieve 80% circularity by implementing closed-loop systems, smart materials, and regenerative behaviors across the PPE Lifecycle, Silver Fern Farms has the potential to make the shift to 80% by 2026


Packaging presented by Sian Menson Packaging Coordinator at Silver Fern Farms

  • Assessment and Impact: Packaging materials and methods were assessed using the CTI tool, leading to the development of circular packaging solutions that are easier to recycle and have a lower environmental impact.

  • Result: Silver Fern Farms moved closer to their goal of zero waste to landfill, with packaging solutions aligned with circular economy principles, such as improving circular inflow, recovery recyclability

Are you interested in circular measurement to understand your impact?

“Using the internationally recognized Circular Transition Indicators was essential for us to meet global standards for circularity. As a first in the meat industry, these tools helped us measure our impact on water, packaging, and PPE”

- Matt Harcombe, Sustainability Manager at Silver Fern Farms Ltd.

If you, like us, are motivated to improve your business's positive impact and want to unlock ways to measure and improve circularity - get in touch: Hello@circularity.co.nz.

Together, we are designing a better way forward.

Guest UserResponsible Business, Value Creation, Climate Action