Harnessing the Circular Economy: A PASS-CR Scholar’s Insights from the 3rd PAGE Summer School
Alesana Malo, a PASS-CR scholar, recently attended the 3rd PAGE Green Industry Summer School-2024 in Vienna, Austria. This event focused on key issues, such as the potential of the circular economy approach as a tool for systemic transformation and its cost-effectiveness in addressing the triple planetary crisis.
Course Objectives
The Summer School is designed to equip policymakers and professionals in the industrial sector with the latest knowledge, tools, and skills related to the circular economy. The course aimed to:
Provide a comprehensive overview of circular economy principles in the context of sustainable industrial development.
Explore existing policy frameworks, identify gaps, and discuss necessary policy actions to strengthen the circular transition.
Introduce various circular business models, explore the policy measures required for these models, and discuss best practices.
Showcase cutting-edge technologies for the circular transition, evaluating their financial viability and implications for green job creation.
Offer participants the opportunity to share success stories on circular transitions that can benefit others.
Reflecting on his experience, Alesana remarked, “The 3rd PAGE Green Industry Summer School gave me invaluable insights into cutting-edge technologies, innovative business practices, and effective model design. The program’s hands-on policy exercises highlighted the critical role of the circular economy in facilitating structural transformation and the policies necessary to drive this change.”
These insights have enhanced Alesana’s ability to integrate circular economy principles into his PhD research, which focuses on agro-processing waste management. Specifically, he is working on transforming citrus peel waste into valuable materials, such as extracting pectin, a substance widely used in food products and health applications.
The Summer School also emphasised a holistic approach to environmental sustainability, underscoring the importance of real-world applications in achieving climate goals. Effective agro-processing waste management is essential for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and minimising carbon footprints, aligning with Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) aimed at combating climate change.
Alesana’s participation in the 3rd PAGE Green Industry Summer School is also highlighted in a recent PAGE story: Transforming Industries Through Circular Economy.
Alesana’s trip was funded by the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO), which enabled him to participate in and contribute to the Summer School program. The involvement of PASS-CR scholars in such significant events underscores their key roles in advancing research and contributing to the Pacific
