12 Dec 2016

Policy Paper // The Circular Economy and the Water-Energy-Food Nexus

By Robert C. Brears. The global economy is based on a take-make-consume model where natural resources are turned into products and the waste disposed of instead of being reused as a resource. In the Asia-Pacific region climate change along with rapid population and economic growth is resulting in resource scarcity potentially leading to economic and political instability. Europe has developed policy and technological innovations that can facilitate the transition towards a circular economy where waste becomes a resource. By using existing instruments Europe can transfer its circular economy knowledge and technology to the Asia-Pacific region. This can help ensure global security, influence climate change negotiations and create jobs in Europe.

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Policy Recommendations

The EU needs to create a European Green Bank to provide financial assistance to European small and medium-sized enterprises (SME’s) developing circular economy technologies, with additional assistance provided for exporting to strategic markets in the Asia-Pacific region. In addition to providing capital, assistance could come in the form of business support, coaching and market intelligence. Increasing exports in circular economy technologies will increase jobs and GDP growth in the EU and enhance Europe’s overall economic competitiveness.
The EU must initiate Green Trade Delegations to key strategic partners in the Asia-Pacific region to showcase EU-wide circular economies, technologies and practices. Delegations to places such as China, Japan, Korea and Singapore could be used to not only increase exports of circular economy technologies. They could also be used to establish public-private partnerships in circular economy research and development, with the possibility of accessing Horizon 2020 funding. This would contribute to the wider goal of fighting global climate change and environmental challenges.
The EU needs to provide development assistance for achieving a circular economy in the Asia-Pacific region to fight common challenges such as climate change and environmental degradation. Development assistance can come in the form of education of target countries’ tertiary students in circular technologies, exchanges of scientists from the Asia-Pacific region to European research institutions and capacity-building of government officials and policy-makers on developing circular economy frameworks.
The EU needs to provide a dedicated, stand-alone research fund for universities in Europe to develop curriculum as well as conduct research in circular economy technology and practices. In particular, for the circular economy to become mainstream, economic, social and technological barriers need to be overcome. A research fund can support multidisciplinary research for economic analyses, consumer behaviour studies and research on technology that facilitates the transition towards a circular economy.

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Freie Universität Berlin e-document server
NFG Research Group “Asian Perceptions of the EU“ website

Published

2015

In

NFG Policy Paper No. 7/20 The NFG Policy Paper Series provides policy-makers with to-the-point and sharp analysis and policy recommendations based on the research results of the NFG Research Group on “Asian Perceptions of the EU”. As part of the NFG Publications, it seeks to enhance the exchange between policy-makers and scholars working in Asia and Europe as well as contributing to a better European security policy towards Asia-Pacific. The NFG Publications provide a platform for academic analysis, policy papers and other theme-related publications. The NFG Research Group “Asian Perceptions of the EU“ is an Associated Project of the KFG Research College” The Transformative Power of Europe“ and funded by the German Ministry of Education and Research.15