Circular Economy and the 2030 Agenda

Circular Economy and the 2030 Agenda

This course will explore the application of Circular Economy (CE) practices in the context of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Four years into the implementation of the Agenda, it is evident that ‘business as usual’ will not help us to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Systems-based approaches along with a strong commitment to deep rooted transformations and actions are vital to the reduction of humanity's footprint in our planet. Our resources are finite and the principles and practices of the circular economy will be catalytic in creating goods, processes and ecosystems that are restorative and regenerative by design.

The course will focus on ‘how’ and ‘why’ minimizing waste generation and maintaining the value of products and resources for as long as possible will be critical to achieving the goal of the 2030 Agenda - sustainable development for all.   

Theoretical, practical and case study based approaches will be used to illustrate and support the concepts. The course will be strongly application-based, with numerous real-life examples from around the world, and will include tools useful to advance CE practices. There will be inputs from high-level speakers from the UN system, think tanks, private sector as well as academia. Participants will get the opportunity to engage with the distinguished experts through live webinars. Assignments, exercises, quizzes and peer sharing across the different modules of the course will benefit the participants and add to their learning.

Objectives

Upon successful completion of this course, participants will be able to:

  • Demonstrate the interconnection between Circular Economy strategies and their potential in implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development
  • Explain the butterfly diagram of circularity through technical and biological cycles of products and resources
  • Apply a system-thinking approach to designing out waste and pollution from the life cycle of products and services
  • Understand the ways that value can be generated and retained by keeping materials and products in use
  • Recognize the value of urban ecosystems as hubs to regenerate natural systems
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