This is increasingly important as many elements vital for industrial production could become scarce in the coming decades. New business models such as chemical leasing help reduce chemical emissions.Today, the way we consume is wasteful. So it’s essential for best practice to be shared, common approaches coordinated, and success stories replicated. This would cushion businesses, manufacturing industries in particular, from the volatility of commodity prices by decoupling production from finite supplies of primary resources. LI Yong is Director General of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and Mr.The goal is to embed sustainability into industries which we depend on for our jobs,prosperity and well-being. If we are to meet their demands and protect the planet, we must disconnect prosperity and well-being from inefficient resource use and extraction. Action in Asia and the Pacific could make a major difference. Five Asia-Pacific countries account for over half of the plastic in the world’s oceans.The benefits for Asia and the Pacific would be huge. Hongjoo Hahm is Officer-in-Charge of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP). UNIDO is engaged across industrial sectors, from food production to textiles, from automotive to construction. Sixty per cent of the world’s fast moving consumer goods are manufactured in the region. We extract resources, use them to produce goods and services, often wastefully, and then sell them and discard them. In the next decade, 2. By 2050, the global population will reach 10 billion.. We need to learn from each other’s businesses to innovate, sharpen our rules and increase consumer awareness. Globally, transitioning to a circular economy — where materials are reused, re-manufactured or recycled — could significantly reduce carbon emissions and deliver over US$1 trillion in material cost savings by 2025 according to a report by the World Economic Forum.In Asia and the Pacific, the UN is intensifying its efforts to reducing and banning single use plastics. Over the past twenty-five years, its network of Resource Efficient and Cleaner Production Centres has helped thousands of businesses to "green" their processes and their products.

With these goals in mind, the United Nations is working with governments and businesses to support innovation and upgrade production technologies to use less materials, energy and water.Mr. And from 9 October, in India, CII Eastern Region is hosting the 2nd Green Industry Conclave.5 billion new middle-class consumers will enter the fray. The Platform for Accelerating the Circular Economy is implementing programmes to reduce plastics consumption, marine litter and electronics waste, and encourage sustainable procurement practices.The 2nd Green Industry Conclave in India is an opportunity to give scale to these efforts. However, resources can only stretch so far.The business case for making our economy more sustainable is clear. The gap between our ambition for sustainability and many business practices is significant.High-level policymakers, captains of industry and scientists gathered to discuss solutions on how to engineer waste and pollution out of our economy, keep products and materials in use for longer and regenerate the natural system in which we live.If companies could build circular supply chains to reduce material use and increase the rate of reuse,· repair, remanufacture and recycling - powered by renewable energy - the value of materials could be maximized.These imperatives underpinned the 5th Green Industry Conference held in Bangkok last week hosted by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) in partnership with the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) and the Royal Thai government.

And create a circular economy, making the shift to extending product lifetimes, reusing and recycling in order to turn waste into wealth. Let’s step up our efforts to build a circular economy in Asia and the Pacific. But to make this happen, the region needs to reconcile its need for economic growth China cosmetic bottle with its ambition for sustainable business. The region’s material footprint per unit of Gross Domestic Product is twice the world average and the amount of solid waste generated by Asian cities is expected to double by 2025. UNESCAP is identifying opportunities in Asian cities to return plastic resources into the production cycle by linking waste pickers in the informal economy with local authorities to recover plastic waste and reduce pollution. Industrial renewable energy use is being accelerated by the Global Network of Sustainable Energy Centres. And the creation of eco-industrial parks has contributed to the sustainable development of our towns and cities. The Global Cleantech initiative has supported entrepreneurs to produce greener building materials

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