Opening of the 2022 International Industrial Ecology Day – Reducing carbon emissions, resource use and waste in an extractive and consumer economy

CSIRO is hosting the opening event of the 2022 International Industrial Ecology Day which is an initiative of the International Society for Industrial Ecology (ISIE) and features virtual events across the globe from Sydney to Los Angeles. This year’s Industrial Ecology Day explores pathways for a net-zero circular economy and brings together experts from the science community, government representatives and industry leaders. Industrial ecology is an interdisciplinary field of research to address sustainability challenges and achieve a circular economy. The science of industrial ecology applies a systems perspective to explore how material and energy are used by society to find solutions to complex environmental problems.

Australia’s economy is characterised by a large extractive and trade exposed sector, a strong service industry in finance, insurance, education and tourism. Australia is also a wealthy and urbanised society with high levels of consumption sourced from global supply chains. There are now significant efforts to revitalise the Australian manufacturing capacity through innovation in the bio, digital, circular and low carbon economy to set Australia’s future prosperity and wellbeing on a path within planetary boundaries. In this opening session we explore opportunities and challenges for Australia on its path to reducing carbon emissions and increase circularity.