WEAVE:
Regen Economy Systems Lab
Over the past 12 months, through real-world experiments, Regen Labs has been exploring a central question, with our learning partners: What conditions support regional communities and regenerative enterprises to lead the transition toward inclusive, prosperous and regenerative regional economies?
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WEAVE learns from real-world experiments.
WEAVE Regen Economy Systems Lab is an innovation collaboration learning community, commissioned by Social Enterprise Australia, and powered by Regen Labs.
Our aim has been to innovate to build a regenerative economic future, working closely with place-based social and regenerative enterprises, policy makers, finance and subject matter experts.
Over the past 12 months Regen Labs and core partners have explored, designed and run experiments. We have shared learning around practical systemic interventions - across 3-5 places and 3 key inquiry areas:
Business model innovation
Finance innovation
Social infrastructure innovation
Our Inquiry Areas
Business model innovation reimagines the structures, ownership models, and value flows that underpin enterprise success — shifting from extractive, linear, and competitive approaches toward regenerative, inclusive, and place-based models.
Finance innovation is the redesign of capital flows, investment behaviours, and funding structures to unlock regenerative, place-based economic transformation—shifting who controls capital, how value is measured, and how risk is shared.
Social infrastructure for place-based regeneration is the scaffolding that enables regenerative enterprises to be catalytic drivers of inclusive, just, and ecological transformation at multiple scales—from neighbourhoods to bioregions.
Our Learning Partners
Place-based Partners:
Regenerating Hills and Coasts (SA)
Northern Rivers Regen Food Systems Coalition (NSW)
Highlands Home Grown Economy (NSW)
Yinhawangka Aboriginal Corporation (WA)
Learning Partners:
Regen Melbourne
Ready Communities
Digital Learning Platform:
Business for Good Network
Critical Friends
Dr Joanne McNeill, Consultant (prev. The Good Shift)
Dr Katherine Trebeck, Economic Change Lead - The Next Economy
Liam Flanagan, CEO Yinhawangka Aboriginal Corporation
Dr Jarrod Ormiston, University of Sydney (prev. UTS)
Sherryl Reddy, Network Lead Social Enterprise Australia
Why Weave? Why Now?
We have learned from working with many enterprises in regional places that our current systems of business support, economic development, finance, and policy design are not working for regional communities. They’re built for a different kind of economy — one that’s extractive, centralised, and outdated.
At the same time, we are living through a once-in-a-generation opportunity: the global shift toward net zero, circularity, wellbeing economies, and regenerative business. There is also a growing recognition in Australia of the value of place-based and community-led approaches to transition.
Regional social enterprises are uniquely placed to lead this transformation. But they need the right models, funding, and enabling ecosystems to do so. WEAVE is a response to that opportunity — and to that gap.
Explore WEAVE Resources
