Circular Economy Gifts: Zero Waste Packs That Create Jobs

After the success of our earlier circular economy prototypes—like the upcycled horse lamp and hand-painted plywood deer heads—we knew this was more than just a trial. Each project helped us rescue overlooked materials, unlock hidden skills, and design products rooted in purpose and potential.

Now, we’re excited to share our next initiative:

🎁 From Waste to Worth Packaging Program — a circular project that brings together creativity, sustainability, and community talent through smart packaging.

Our Trial: Circular Christmas Gift Packs

With the support of a dedicated NDIS partner organisation, we launched a unique retail concept: Multi-age Christmas Gift Packs designed using locally sourced products and zero-waste packaging.

💡 Key Features:

• Items were selected from trusted local and national suppliers, ensuring quick turnaround and supporting Australian businesses

• For packaging, we followed a strict zero-waste policy: we used our stockpile of multi-size washing bags, which were perfect for bundling the gifts

• These bags are fully reusable — ideal for washing delicate clothing in the washing machine at home

This packaging method added functionality and reinforced Deals Colony’s core mission:

Real Results, Real Reach

This project didn’t just stay in our studio. We successfully sold these circular gift packs through:🛍️ Shopping Centres

🛒 Markets & Local Events

🌐 Our Online Store

📰 Newsagency Retailers who stocked our kits as part of their locally sourced product range

These results were proof that zero-waste retail is not only viable — it's in demand.

A Beautiful Collaboration

Working with the NDIS organisation helped us pilot this packaging concept while engaging over 10 clients and staff in a real-world retail project. Together, we:

• Brainstormed product combinations

• Named each gift pack

• Created fun, colourful labels using printed cardboard slips

• Shared stories that gave meaning to each item

This collaboration demonstrated that with the right community support and intention, we can deliver real impact, save materials, and fuel creativity — without the overwhelm.

Circular Delivery in Action

This project also helped us explore the concept of circular delivery and regenerative design. We didn’t create a product for the sake of it — we built a system that reuses, respects, and reimagines what's already available.

👉 It was about designing with care, using what we already have, and turning forgotten materials into products filled with purpose and delight.

What’s Next?

In our next blog post, we’ll shift focus slightly to another exciting project:

how we created paid projects for students who helped us with stock keeping, inventory, and packaging — gaining new skills and real-world experience in the process.

Until then...

📦 Want to Work With Us?

✅ Have a circular product or upcycling idea?

✅ Want to co-create packaging and products using what you already have?

✅ Or are you a school, NDIS provider, or workspace looking to host a fun, purposeful workshop?

📩 Book Your Initial Idea Assessment

📚 Read our full Circular Economy Blog Series

🔁 Let’s build something regenerative — together.

Let’s turn skill waste into opportunity, story waste into inspiration, and product waste into purpose.