Australia must change the way it generates wealth

Australia’s future prosperity is at stake as old ways of generating wealth continue to stall. In a resource-constrained world, business and policy makers need to think smarter rather than bigger and Australia must innovate to prosper beyond the boom and become a regional leader in sustainable business and technology.

Monday June 1 will see a world-first when the meeting of international leaders in business, industry, academia and government converge at the University of Technology, Sydney (UTS) for the inaugural World Resources Forum Asia Pacific. This is a rare occasion that will champion ideas for innovation and resource productivity by building bridges between policymakers, researchers, business leaders, entrepreneurs, NGOs and civil society.

Co-hosted by the Institute for Sustainable Futures (ISF) at UTS and SMaRT@UNSW, the three-day forum has attracted keynote speakers from Germany, Japan, Sweden and Finland to present new research and collaborate on new opportunities for Australia and the Asia-Pacific region, such as the ‘circular economy’.

The circular economy – an economy where we “take, make and recreate” rather than take-make-dispose – opens the door to new markets, greater resource productivity, innovation using “disruptive” technologies and new forms of collaboration, production and consumption, according to forum co-chair and Research Director at ISF, Associate Professor Damien Giurco.

“Australia should be a regional leader of the circular economy but we risk being left behind without government and industry support for this much-needed transformation.

“The World Resources Forum Asia-Pacific will address the urgency of finding new economic and business models and seek to produce new industry-government-research collaborations on the complex challenges facing people, planet and profit,” Assoc. Prof Guirco says.

Assoc. Prof Guirco will launch an Action Agenda for the Circular Economy in Australia on Tuesday 2 June (day two of the three-day forum). “We believe Australian industry can thrive if it gets behind these new models for generating wealth, which are already being embraced internationally.”

Forum co-chair, host of the 2015 International Sustainability Symposium and director of SMaRT@UNSW,  Veena Sahajwalla, says UNSW is leading the global research effort in 'green manufacturing' to reduce the environmental burden of waste through world-leading research into recycling and transforming waste materials into value-added resources.

“The symposium on June 3 brings together leading thinkers in this area so it is a very important platform to kickstart new ideas, partnerships and collaborations between university, industry, government and the community.”

The World Resources Forum Asia-Pacific is held at the Aerial UTS Function Centre on 1-2 June, followed by the 2015 International Sustainability Symposium on 3 June at the Australian National Maritime Museum. The forum is part of the Vivid Ideas program during Vivid Sydney, an event owned and managed by the NSW Government’s tourism and major events agency, Destination NSW.

Media Q&A

1. What is the World Resources Forum
   
   
   It is the global platform for sharing knowledge about the economic, political, social and environmental implications of global resource use. The forum promotes innovation for resource productivity by building bridges between policymakers, researchers, business leaders, entrepreneurs, NGOs and civil society. It is the first time this annual global event will be held in Australia, with a focus on the Asia-Pacific region.
   
   
2. When is the World Resources Forum
   
   
   The World Resources Forum Asia-Pacific is held 1-3 June and incorporates the 2015 International Sustainability Symposium on 3 June 2015.
   
   
3. Where is the World Resources Forum held?
   
   
   Aerial Function Centre, UTS on 1-2 June
   
   Australian National Maritime Museum on 3 June
   
   
4. Who is hosting the forum?
   
   
   For the first time, the Institute for Sustainable Futures at UTS is co-hosting the forum with SMaRT@UNSW, incorporating 2015 International Sustainability Symposium on June 3.
   
   As hosts, UTS are focused on bringing business, government and researchers together to produce a road map for a new, more resilient and sustainable economy in Australia
   
   
5. Why do we need to host the World Resources Forum in Australia?
   
   
   Australia’s future prosperity is at stake as old ways of wealth continue to stall. In a resource-constrained world, business and policy makers need to think smarter rather than bigger and Australia must innovate to prosper beyond the boom and become a regional leader in sustainable business.
   
   UTS have identified a suite of opportunities that business can grasp in a new, ‘circular’ economy.
   
   
6. What is Circular economy?
   
   
   An economy where we ‘take, make and recreate’ rather than take-make-dispose. These opportunities include greater resource productivity, access to new markets, innovation using ‘disruptive’ technologies and materials and new forms of collaboration, production and consumption.
   
   
7. Why do we need to change our economy?
   
   
   We believe Australian industry can thrive if it gets behind these new models for generating wealth, which are already being picked up internationally by our chief trade partners in Europe, China and Japan. We can export knowledge and technology rather than relying on volatile demand for our raw materials
   
   
8.  Who attends?
   
   
   The World Resources Forum Asia-Pacific will address the urgency of finding new economic and business models and seek to produce new industry-government-research collaborations on the complex challenges facing people, planet and profit. The forum is a ticketed event that invites participants working, studying or interested in the economic, political, social and environmental implications of global resource use. This forum will present key-research learnings, engage in workshops and open dialogue on how the region can progress towards a circular economy.
   
   
9.  What is the program focus?
   
   
   How business innovation and technology is driving resource productivity in the Asia-Pacific. This includes digital disruptors, green manufacturing, new business models, product stewardship, energy productivity, and the rise of the social enterprise.
   
   
10.  Who are the international speakers attending? 

• Reinhard Kaiser, German Federal Minister for the Environment
• Prof Masamichi Yoshimura, Toyota Technological Institute Japan.
• Mathias Schluep, World Resources Forum, Switzerland
• Rick Anthony, ZWIA, USA
• Dr Longlong Tang, NIES, Japan
• Dr Kenichi Nakajima, NIES, Japan
• Dr Thon Weinbruch, Ruhr-University Bochum, Germany
• Dr Zhongguang Ji, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China
• Prof Yasushi Kondo, Waseda University, Japan,
• Assist. Prof Eiji Yamasue, Kyoto University, Japan
• Dr Keisuke Nansai, Tohoku University, Japan
• Assist. Prof Ben McLellan, Kyoto University, Japan

      11.   What other Australian Universities are presenting / involved apart from UTS and UNSW?

• Swinburne University of Technology
• University of Queensland
• University of Sydney
• Monash University
• Australian National University 

     12.  What organisations are involved in the forum?

• Telstra
• CSIRO
• Sustainable Business Australia
• Australian Council of Recycling (ACOR)
• Austmine
• Outotec
• Sustainability Victoria
• Bluescope Steel
• IKEA
• QANTAS
• NSW EPA
• NSW OEH
• Office of Chief Scientist and Engineer