Strengthening Leadership on Circular Economy
Experts meeting to brainstorming on
- Face to face training
- Online self-pace module
- Tertiary education package
Strengthening Online and Offline Circular Economy and Sustainable Consumption and Production Training Capacity In Tertiary Institutions In Asia And The Pacific –funded by the European Union’s SWITCH-Asia Regional Policy Advocacy
25-26 September 2018
Meeting Agenda and Venue: Download SWITCH-Asia event page: https://www.switch-asia.eu/events/strengthening-leadership-on-circular-economy/
BACKGROUND
Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP) has been on the global agenda since its adoption as a priority during the World Summit on Sustainable Development, Johannesburg in 2002, and now as one of the 17 global agenda. The Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 12- Responsible Consumption and Production encourages efficiency in production patterns; reduction of wasteful consumption in the process of economic growth; encouraging industries, businesses and consumers to recycle and reduce waste, and shift towards a more resource efficient society. With targets like achieving the sustainable management and efficient use of natural resources by 2030, halving per capita global food waste at the retail and consumer levels and reduce food losses along production and supply chains...by 2030, and achieving the environmentally sound management of chemicals and all wastes throughout their life cycle…. by 2020, one of the other important targets is on educating and making people aware. The target reads, “By 2030, ensure that people everywhere have the relevant information and awareness for sustainable development and lifestyles in harmony with nature.”
SCP is a holistic approach to minimizing the negative environmental impacts from consumption and production systems while promoting quality of life for all. This holistic nature of SCP hence complements resource efficiency by reducing resource use, degradation and pollution along the whole lifecycle, utilizing waste as resources, and hence moving towards Circular Economy.
For SCP to be realized, it is important to involve all stakeholders such as policy makers, industries, researchers and more importantly the entire supply chain involving producers (business) to final consumers, among others. Engaging these stakeholders is possible through awareness-raising and education on responsible production and sustainable consumption lifestyle. Sustainable Consumption and Production goes hand in hand, and requires joint efforts of different stakeholders for its full realization. Thus, the producers and manufacturers need to understand and avail the technologies, practices, and approaches that lead to resource efficient, cleaner and safer production. Similarly, the consumers need to learn how to make sustainable lifestyle choices, consuming better and more responsibly. In addition, the policy makers need to facilitate the SCP through enabling policy environment integrating both production and consumption initiatives. Researchers need to contribute towards scientific, technological and innovative capacities to move towards more sustainable patterns. Therefore, educating these different state and non-state actors on various aspects of SCP through training, and formal education is essential.
OBJECTIVES OF THE PROGRAMME
The SCP Academy, online course and tertiary curriculum materials aim to respond to the SCP challenges by improving the knowledge of young professionals from public sector, private sector and civil society organizations who can contribute to the design and implementation of innovative solutions for policies, business models, technologies, financing mechanisms and practices that promote sustainable consumption and production.
A holistic curriculum on SCP should incorporate the new and complementary concepts like resource economy, circular economy and industry 4.0 and others. The proposed curriculum also includes the sectoral application of SCP, for instance, sustainable agriculture, sustainable tourism, sustainable cities, sustainable fashion, among others. The curriculum also delivers well balanced content on sustainable production technology as well as effective policy strategies catalyzing practice of responsible consumer behaviour.
EXPECTED OUTCOME OF THE ADVISORY MEETING
An advisory committee will ensure that the training materials and activities are academically sound, and aligned to international and regional initiatives on SCP so that the course can be leveraged in multiple channels and reach the maximum number of professionals. Responsibilities of the advisory committee include:
Develop procedural workplan to coordinate tertiary curricular package and training outline
- Develop procedural workplan to coordinate tertiary curricular package and training outline
- Develop technical content of training outlines
- Host virtual monthly advisory committee meetings
DEFINITIONS This comprehensive work has adopted the following definitions/descriptions of the key concepts:
- Sustainable consumption and production is the use of services and related products, which respond to basic needs and bring a better quality of life while minimizing the use of natural resources and toxic materials as well as the emissions of waste and pollutants over the life cycle of the service or product so as not to jeopardise the needs of future generations.
- Sustainable products are products that incorporate environmental and social factors and minimize its impact throughout life cycle, throughout the supply chain and with respect to the socio-economic surroundings.
- Sustainable lifestyles are patterns of action and consumption enabled both by efficient infrastructures, goods and services, and by individual choices and actions that minimize the use of natural resources, and generation of emissions, wastes and pollution, while supporting equitable socio-economic development and progress for all.
- Circular economy is an economy that balances economic development with environmental and resource conservation. It puts emphasis on environmental protection and the most efficient use of and recycling of resources. A circular economy features low consumption of energy, low emission of pollutants and high efficiency. It involves applying Cleaner Production in companies, eco-industrial park development and integrates resource-based planning for development in industry, agriculture and urban areas.
