How the circular economy can shape a sustainable future

Access to natural resources - land, water, oil, gas, minerals, and precious metals - is closely linked to the wellbeing of nations. Unsustainable resource use is a key driver to climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution.

Hear from speaker Janez Potočnik, Co-Chair of UNEP’s International Resource Panel, on how we can shift the way resources are used.

This in-person talk will explore the transition from a linear, extractive model to circular, resource-efficient societies and demonstrate how economic development and human well-being can be decoupled from increasing resource consumption and environmental degradation.

Building a circular economy is part of a broader economic, social, and cultural transformation needed to realise the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The concept of the circular economy has already gained traction in the European Union, first introduced a decade ago and later expanded through the European Green Deal.

Developing science-based targets for resource use will guide our collective efforts and transform wasteful practices toward a sustainable and circular future.

Pricing

• Free

Dates and Times

Contact

Natasha Porter

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Speaker

Janez Potočnik, Co-Chair, UNEP’s International Resource Panel

Janez earned his PhD in Economics from the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia, in 1993. He began his career as a researcher at the Institute of Economic Research and became Director of the Institute of Macroeconomic Analysis and Development in 1994. In 1998, he was appointed Head of the Negotiating Team for Slovenia’s accession to the EU. He later served as Director of the Government Office for European Affairs (2000), Minister Councillor at the Prime Minister’s Office (2001), and Minister for European Affairs (2002).

In 2004, Potočnik joined the European Commission, initially as ‘shadow’ Commissioner for Enlargement, and later as Commissioner for Science and Research, where he launched the European Research Council. In 2010, he became Commissioner for the Environment, where he played a pivotal role in introducing the EU’s first Circular Economy package, a key conceptual precursor to the European Green Deal, which catalysed the EU’s transition toward a sustainable economy and society.

After completing his mandate in 2014, Potočnik was appointed Co-Chair of UNEP’s International Resource Panel, a position he still holds. He is also a Partner at Systemiq, contributing to systemic transformations for sustainability.

Facilitator

Heinz Schandl, CSIRO Circular Economy Research

Heinz Schandl, PhD, is a senior science leader at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) in Canberra, where he directs the Circular Economy Initiative, coordinating research efforts in this area. Additionally, he is an adjunct professor at Nagoya University’s Graduate School of Environmental Studies in Japan and a member of the UN Environment Program International Resource Panel. His research focuses on social theory, industrial metabolism, and sustainability policy, aiming to advance resource efficiency, waste minimization, and circular economy principles.