Industrial Ecology-International

and National Roundup

Grant Musgrove, CEO

About ACOR

• Australia’s peak representative of the resource

recovery and recycling industry

• Advocate on behalf of the industry to influence

government policy and decision making

• Work closely with the Federal and the State

Government to promote a sustainable and

productive economy

Circular Production and Consumption

Benefits1. Net material savings- Estimated $1 trillion per

year globally

2. Mitigate supply risks- e.g. demand- driven

volatility

3. Job creation

- Estimated 1m

remanufacturing and

recycling jobs in EU and the

US

4. Close the loop/ Zero

waste

International- Europe

• On 2 July 2014, the EU Commission launch the ‘Green

Growth Package’

– Linking waste policy with resource efficiency through the

‘circular economy’ to reduce resource consumption, maximise

reuse and recycling

• The Resource Efficiency Flagship Initiative and the

Roadmap to a Resource Efficient recommend the EU

members to prioritise IE as an opportunity to exploit

resource efficiency

• The Ellen Macarthur Foundation and the UK’s National

Industrial Symbiosis Programme strongly push

businesses towards a circular economy

International- China

• The Circular Economy Promotion Law passed the 11th

National People’s Congress in 2008

• The Chinese ‘Circular Economy’ Initiative prioritised IE as

the key to address the existing environmental issues

– Committed US$ 1.2B in science and technology investment for

sustainable development by the Minister of Science and

Technology

• Developed the largest national Eco- industrial Park (EIP),

encompassing 15 national demonstration EIPs and 45

national trial EIPs

– E.g. the Tianjin Binhai New Area (electronic and chemical

clusters)

IE in Australia…

The concept of IE has been applied in Australia over 15

years!!

However…• Lack of initiatives and financial support by Govt

• Regulation constrains

– e.g. licencing and approvals, environmental planning

and enforcement

• Lack of certainty about planning policy

• Low community awareness

As a result…• Many of the industrial areas recognised as an IE

precincts either Struggling to Survive or DIED due to the

lack of financial support, regulation constrains and low

public awareness/ support

• E.g. Kwinana industrial area (IA), Gladstone IA, Port

Melbourne industrial park and Synergy Park QLD

(Editor: Corder, Fyfe and King 2014)

Too Little too Late? Our progress

so far…

• Federal

– Emergent funding for IE via Dept of Industry

– the 2014- 15 Product List and the additional material

streams under the Product Stewardship Act 2011

potentially create an IE system for the resource

recovery industry

• Restructure the existing industry and further increase

secondary material recovery

• NSW

– Sustainability Advantage Program

• over 530 participants, saving a combined $85m per year

– IE Business Network Support Grants Program

• $3.6m over 4 years to support medium and larger

businesses across NSW

– Round 1: 6 projects have been awarded in July 2014

– Edge Environment’s office fit out material recycle and

reuse program 2014

• VIC

– Manufacturing Productivity Network Program

• provides up to $600, 000 funding for manufacturing firms

in research and cleantech opportunities

• QLD

– Draft QLD Waste Avoidance and Resource

Productivity Strategy 2014- 2024

• recognised IE and planning as one of the strategic

priorities to optimise economic benefits from reuse,

recovery and recycling

– Draft Environmental Protection and Other

Legislation Amendment Bill 2014

• Amendment for the increased recovery of waste materials

under the Waste Reduction and Recycling Act 2011 reduces

significant regulatory burdens on secondary materials

• WA

– Red Tape Reduction 2009 aims to reduce regulatory

burdens on secondary materials

– The Oakajee Industrial Estate Development

• supported by the State Govt

• recognise and integrate IE in its Structure Plan

• SA

– $253m Tonsley Park Redevelopment Project

• The Tonsley Park Redevelopment and General

Section Development Plan Amendment (DPA) was

approved by the Minister of Planning in Dec 2003

What is Required for

Success?

What Government needs to understand

• Waste does not exist, ONLY RESOURCE!

• Support IE locally as an essential service building

a sustainable economy and maintaining

competitive advantage post mining boom and in

the non- mining states now

• Frame policy in the context of international policies

• Streamline approval process to ease the

administration costs

• Create a broad network of the IE to facilitate and

support interactions between industries

Q & A

Thank You