Circular Economy Labs

video

What are the Circular Economy Labs?

Launched by MSDI, the Circular Economy Labs are designed to act as transition brokers, bridging the gap between ambition and action. The Labs aim to accelerate circular transitions by combining world-class research with practical tools and partnerships.

Dr Geissdoerfer envisions Circular Economy Labs as a cornerstone for this shift:

Circular Economy Labs are more than research hubs – they are catalysts for change. By fostering collaborations between policymakers, industries, and academics, we aim to scale solutions and de-risk investments in circular production."

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Current consumption trends are not sustainable

Facts and figures

  • Global waste is projected to rise 70% by 2050

    Source: OECD (2018) What a waste 2.0

    70%
  • Global raw material extraction is projected to double by 2060.

    Source: OECD (2018) Global Materials Resources Outlook to 2060

    x2
  • 80% of global waste water is returned untreated to the ecosystem.

    Source: UN Water (2018) Water Quality and Wastewater

    80%
  • Annual municipal solid waste grows from 2 to 3.4B tonnes from 2016 to 2050.

    Source: OECD (2018) What a waste 2.0

    +1.4B

Circularity can be a key part of the solution

Facts and figures

  • Adopting circular economy principles reduces global greenhouse gas emissions by 39% by 2050.

    Source: Circle Economy (2021) Circularity Gap report 2021

    39%
  • Circular Economy could unlock up to $4.5 trillion in additional economic output by 2030

    Source: UNEP (2021) Policy options to eliminate additional marine plastic litter

    $4.5T
  • Circular strategies are estimated to cut the volume of plastics entering oceans by up to 80%

    Source: Lacy and Rutqvis (2015) Waste to Wealth

    80%
  • 6 million jobs can be created by transitioning towards a circular economy

    Source: International Labour Organization (2018) World Employment and Social Outlook 2018

    6M

What is a circular economy?

five points of a circular economy

What we do

Our work is organised into three groups:

Examples of our work

Our body of work has been instrumental in helping us co-develop and implement solutions that have created real world impact.

Circularity on campus

We proudly support Monash University's own Circular Economy Framework.

Find out more

The circular economy team

Who we work with