Dr Scott Valentine, Senior Circular Economy Specialist, KPMG Australia.

The circular economy, which aims to minimise waste and keep materials and products in circulation for as long as possible, is increasingly regarded as a promising model for driving sustainable and resilient economic growth in both developed and emerging economies.

The prevailing linear economic model - based on a ‘take-make-dispose’ system - has generated unprecedented economic growth but unsustainable overuse of resources world-wide.

In 2014 the European Commission adopted a zero-waste program, establishing a legal framework for an EU-wide circular economy. Denmark, the Netherlands, Scotland, Sweden and Japan set as part of their national goals to transition from a linear to a circular economy, where the ‘end-of-life’ concept will be replaced, new jobs will be created, economic growth and new business models will emerge and greenhouse gas emission will be reduced.

Why are nations overseas embracing this strategic approach to economic development? Where does Australia stand?

Join Dr Scott Valentine for an overview of the circular economy model and its benefits. Using Denmark’s Rethink Business program, he will illustrate how participating firms benefited from this capacity-building initiative – and how it has influenced the circular advantage program here in Victoria. Modelled on the Danish experience, a new program on offer to businesses in the cities of Hume and Kingston is helping firms to design circular economy roadmaps for the future.

Dr Scott Valentine is a former Professor and Associate Dean of Sustainability and Urban Planning at RMIT University in Melbourne. He is the author of Wind Power Politics and Policies (Oxford University Press), Life in the Balance (Infinity) and co-author of the National Politics of Nuclear Power (Routledge), Fact and Fiction in Global Energy Policy (Johns Hopkins University Press) and Empowering the Great Energy Transition (Columbia University Press). Scott has extensive international experience specialising in business development and organisational development and is on the editorial boards of the journals Energy Research and Social Science, AIMS Energy, Sustainability Science and CSR and Environmental Management.

This event is online only. After registering, on Thursday 23 April you will receive a follow-up confirmation email containing further details on how to join the webinar, which will commence at 5pm AEST (Melbourne, Sydney, Canberra time, UTC+10). (If you believe you have not received an email by early afternoon please check your junk folder!).

AIIA Victoria gratefully acknowledges the Walter Mangold Trust Fund for its ongoing support of our young members.

To download the pdf flyer please click here