WHEN: 8 June 2022 I TIME: 14:00 - 16:00 (Bangkok Time) I Watch the Video Recording HERE
Background
The circular economy is a $4.5 trillion opportunity. It presents huge potential for global economic growth and will also accelerate society towards a sustainable future. In the agri-food sector, there is an increasing interest from agri-food businesses in Asian countries to capture this opportunity by adopting circular economy principles into their practices, innovating solutions, and integrating them into the value chain. The concept of circular agriculture is gaining momentum and it strengthens the sustainability objectives and circularity in the agri-food sector. Eradicating waste and resource inefficiencies by applying “circular models of business” may lead to enormous benefits, including increased growth, innovation and competitive advantage, cost reduction, reduced energy consumption and CO2 emissions, increased supply chain and resource security.
Mobilising this opportunity will remain a challenge until many more agri-food value chain actors switch to a “circular mindset”. Exploring how to embrace resource efficiency and the circularity of economies within the agri-food sector through the agroecological value chain approach, access to investment, disruptive technology, and commercial partnerships will leverage solutions to scale-up circular practices leading to significant benefits for the sector. Moreover, the circular economy is a new way of looking at relationships between markets, customers, and natural resources, and solutions towards food traceability, transparency, integration, and eventually, sustainability. It concerns the whole value chain – from agricultural production to processing and to, eventually, consuming. It builds upon three key strategies – a) switch of input resource towards less harmful and/or renewable, continuous circulation of the resources within consumption and production systems, and resource efficiency.
Leveraging the importance and opportunity for circular economy in the agri-food system, SWITCH-Asia SCP Facility together with key partners will host the Webinar: “Rethinking Agri-food Systems through Circular Economy and Resource Efficiency: Barriers, Innovations and Learnings” which will bring together stakeholders and practitioners across the agri-food value chain, SWITCH-Asia grant projects, development and financial organisations, and political actors to reflect on barriers, innovations, experiences and learning encountered on the pathway to render the agri-food sector more circular and resource efficient. Implementing the circular economy will help leverage innovative new business models and disruptive technologies, which are enablers to transform the linear economic model. Education and behaviour change, public policy and markets are also important complimentary approaches towards the successful implementation of the circular economy.
Objectives
The webinar will showcase innovative approaches and impacts of SWITCH-Asia grant projects and circular business models and technologies that help address resource inefficiencies in the agri-food chains. The panel session will facilitate information exchange among agri-food chain actors on business opportunities, trends, and approaches to address issues of circularity in agri-food systems, and to promote investment into new business models and disruptive technologies for the transition towards a more circular economy in the agri-food sector.
Key Insights from Speakers
