Upcycling, Circle Cook Islands shows the way
“We are very, very grateful to Business Link Pacific for what they have done for Circle Cook Islands. They see the people behind the organisation and want to understand the dream or vision and really help.” What better way to start this story than that?
Circle Cook Islands evolved out of Sabine Janneck’s personal commitment to care for the environment. A self-described eco-warrior, passionate about preserving the Cook Islands environment, Sabine’s business grew out of Covid when tourism dried up and she resorted to her ‘hobby’ of upcycling rubbish to make a living.
And what a business this is. Picking up rubbish from the beach, or getting the hotels involved by supplying recyclables, and enabling people to see something other than rubbish. Sabine’s craft is creating something beautiful from waste. Even the entrance to her Rarotonga studio and showroom is decorated with recycled materials.
It’s such an interesting place that hotel mystery tours find themselves at the studio door during the week to see what can only be described as a magic show! During the course of the tour, visitors are invited to design and make a set of earrings out of recycled materials such as tyres and plastics. Sabine donates the proceeds of these tours to Te Ipukarea Society, the only non-governmental environmental organisation on Rarotonga.
In 2019, Sabine’s work was discovered by a local art gallery which sells internationally, and she held her first solo art exhibition at the gallery. The success of that exhibition led to Sabine’s one-off bags and earrings now selling worldwide from her humble studio.
The first assistance Sabine received from BLP was subsidised marketing advice which resulted in a website with a payment gate so she could receive payments directly from sales outside the Cook Islands.
Adding to her list of achievements, Sabine was recently honoured on a global scale. Selected as one of 20 winners worldwide for Global Recycling Day 2025, she received $500 USD from the Global Recycling Foundation for her impactful work in promoting recycling and sustainability through Circle Cook Islands. Sabine expressed that this recognition is not only a personal milestone but a celebration for the entire Cook Islands community. It highlights their collective commitment to the environment and their ability to amplify the voice of small islands on a global platform.
Recently Sabine applied for a Business Support Grant to develop another arm of her business. Already teaching weaving techniques for basketware, Sabine just doesn’t have enough time in the day for this as well as creating her own products to sell. Being unable to keep up with demand is a nice problem to have! The solution? An online course so people can stop and rewatch Sabine’s methods over and over, and practice as much as they need to in their own time. “It means there’s no need to get enough people to fill a classroom. The weaving technique is quite complex so this means every student can work at their own pace. They can work independently with all the support they need right in front of them.”
The grant has been used to produce the course material – filming, editing, and setting up platforms online. “BLP was excited about the proposal – it was unique, different. When we got through the various phases of the application process, I was so excited to be accepted. BLP made sure the project was worthwhile and had a good chance of succeeding.”
Circle Cook Islands’ training course is almost ready to go live. “I just can’t wait to get it up and running – we are taking names and contact details of prospective students through the website. There will be different levels of package available so students can choose how much or little they want to do, at different price points to suit.”
Curious? If you want to find out more about the beautiful products hand made by Sabine, or to put your name on the list for an online course, details can be found on Circle Cook Islands’ website – https://circlecookislands.com/. The online courses are live on the website from the 9th of April 2025.
Looking to the future, Circle Cook Islands will no doubt be employing at least one person to help with cleaning and cutting hard materials to be sent out to course participants. The relatively passive income that will result from sales of the online course will mean more Sabine Janneck one-offs in the world, and all around the world!
BLP facilitates access to business advisory services and financial support. To start your journey with BLP, you can self-assess your needs by using the free online tools available to help small- and medium-sized businesses diagnose areas in their businesses that an advisor could improve.
The first step can be the online Business Health Check. You can also check your business’s resilience to respond to crises or climate change challenges on the Business Continuity Planner and the Climate Action Sensor. If you prefer to meet a local BLP representative in person to discuss your business, get in touch with our local partners to arrange a face-to-face Diagnostic.