the way we design and deliver the products and services in our economy . For this reason circular economy jobs can be found through-out the economy from food and beverage manufacturing , energy supply , primary industries to service industries such as tourism and creative industries .
WHY IT MAKES SENSE FOR AUSTRALIA In a year of turmoil and disruption , some major indices have lost 30 % -40 % of their value , while many major environmental , social and governance ( ESG ) indices outperformed their markets 5 .
Figure 1 . South Australia ’ s Circular Economy ( Green Industries SA , 2020 )
the amount of materials that are used in production and distribution , reusing and repairing goods , collecting and sorting , and reprocessing and recycling , ultimately minimising the amount of disposal material , while recovering energy and materials from unavoidable landfill and reprocessing used materials into inputs for remanufacturing ( Figure 1 ).
Many of these new green jobs are in traditional waste management and resource recovery areas such as waste collection , recovery and recycling , reuse ( repair , sales of second-hand goods ) and sharing ( rental and leasing ) activities . South Australia ’ s waste management sector is a significant sector of the economy , with an annual turnover of around $ 1 billion , contributing directly and indirectly more than $ 500 million to Gross State Product ( ≈0.6 % of GSP ), and employing around 4,800 people across a wide spectrum of jobs 4 . Better waste management is not only good for the environment , it ’ s good for the economy . Recycling and reusing waste creates three times as many jobs created compared to sending waste to landfill .
While increasing recycling and improving waste management systems are an important building block , ultimately a more circular economy requires changing
Growth industries in Australia include food and wine manufacturing , creative and service industries including tourism and international education , defence and high tech manufacturing as well as health and medical industries . All of these sectors have significant circular economic opportunities as do some of Australia ’ s more traditional industries including mining , primary industries and energy production and distribution .
In a report commissioned by Green Industries SA ‘ Creating Value ; the potential benefits of a circular economy in South Australia ’ the authors found that a more circular economy could conservatively create an estimated 25,700 full time equivalent jobs by 2030 compared to a business as usual scenario , with most of the jobs in the service sectors , reflecting the need for design and technology professionals to achieve the transition , but also jobs to repair and maintain goods so that they stay in circulation for longer 6 .
Precious metal mining from electronic waste
Australia discards almost 20kg per person per year of electrical and electronic goods ( Global e-waste monitor 2017 ). While recycling rates are still relatively low , urban mining of electronic waste is starting to become a big business . Electronic Recycling Australia ( ERA ) is South Australia ’ s largest e-cycling ( electronic recycling ) facility . The business involves the dismantling of television and computers to recover valuable materials including silver , gold , copper , aluminium and palladium .
Figure 2 . Electronics Recycling Australia , Adelaide
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