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The ITS Education Asia Foundation’s core mission is based on bringing sustainability education to all. We do this with a range of in-person and online activities including YCI, UNITAR Youth Ambassador Asia-Pacific Programme and school workshops.
The resources below, launched in 2022, are the first step to building a large and varied library of sustainability information, be they case studies, documents or links to many of the world’s foremost sustainability organizations, big and small. It can be used by anyone researching sustainability be it for school or university studies, or for work. As this grows, we will commit to more complex cross-referencing and indexing. For now, either browse/search the page, or use a quick link to go down to a particular section.
If you have a resource or use a resource that you think should be listed, please do not hesitate to submit to [email protected] with “SDG library” in the subject.
If you would like to link to this resource, please name & credit as follows:
Sustainability & SDG Research Library, The ITS Education Asia Foundation
My thanks at this launch point goes to the UN Systems Staff College and all my fellow course attendees of the “Circular Economy and the 2030 Agenda, 2021” who provided the inspiration and many of the first links.
Danny Harrington, January 2022
Various news/forums/issues Circular economy Sustainable business forums Sustainable business case studies Government/IGOs Sustainability education
National
Geographic Drowning in Plastic
Great edu resource by NatGeo on plastic in the oceans.
FORESTS NEWS
Operating
from the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), a non-profit scientific
institution and CGIAR Research Center, Forests News features the latest research findings
and insights from the field.
Earth Overshoot Day
Earth
Overshoot Day marks the date when humanity’s demand for ecological resources and services in
a given year exceeds what Earth can regenerate in that year. This site has education
resources, blog and more.
Sustainable diet
The global and regional costs of healthy and sustainable dietary patterns: a modelling
study published in The Lancet Planetary Health.
Modern Diplomacy -
Environment
Modern Diplomacy is a platform for assessing and evaluating complex
international issues, including the environment, that are often outside the boundaries of
mainstream Western media and academia. Provide qualitative analysis in the form of political
commentary, policy inquiry, in-depth interviews, special reports, and commissioned research.
WIEGO
Women in Informal
Employment: Globalizing and Organizing (WIEGO) is a global network focused on empowering the
working poor, especially women, in the informal economy to secure their livelihoods so all
workers have equal economic opportunities, rights, protection and voice. Lots of resources.
Soil Association
The
Soil Association is a UK charity that digs deeper to transform the way we eat, farm and care
for our natural world so we can live in a world which is in balance with nature and a future
with good health and a safe climate. As well as certifying organics, they provide lots of
insightful articles.
McKinsey
Sustainability
Lots of useful reports and insights from one of the world’s best known
management consultants.
ESG Today
Industry
specific news and articles on ESG
Eco-Business
Eco-Business
is an independent media and business intelligence company dedicated to sustainable
development and ESG performance. The platform features more than a decade-long archive of
information on sustainable development issues in the region and globally. Its content is
categorised and searchable by the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and core
sustainability topics, and it also provides a key platform for individuals and organisations
to publish jobs, events, press release and research.
The World
A US international
affairs outlet committed to human-centered journalism that consistently connects the global
to the local and builds empathy for people around the world. Key areas of focus are
global security,
women & gender, the environment, migration and public health. From
frontline diplomats to refugees in crisis, from environmental scientists in the field to
protesters putting their lives on the line and individuals grappling with the impact of
global cyberculture, The World starts with individuals at the core of a story and expands
from there.
GreenBiz
Business news
website with focus on food, energy, transportation and circular economy.
Microplastics
are everywhere — but are they harmful? (nature.com)
Compact article with some good
graphics
MDPI
Open access scholarly
articles on a range of subjects, sustainability and beyond.
MIDA
Circular
economy: where are we now and how do we even begin? By Malaysian Investment Development
Authority.
Indonesia Circular Economy
Forum
Great place to explore content for studies on Indonesia’s circularity progress.
Motivations
for a sustainable lifestyle
Interesting overview of how different people find
different reasons for following the lifestyles that they do and how this is important for
sustainability.
100
smart ways to live sustainably
Useful list in different categories for easy reference
Amazon
rainforest and circularity
Published in Nature, the Amazon hosts a large biological
and cultural diversity with a deeply established knowledge of natural resource management.
Nevertheless, many parts of the Amazon are increasingly urban, lacking basic urban services,
such as waste management. In this context, the design of new development pathways based on
the principles of the circular economy is a promising alternative to align biodiversity
conservation and urban changes. Here, based on an analysis of Carauari municipality in the
western Brazilian Amazon, is a discussion on how the principles of the circular economy can
be integrated in the Amazonian urban development frontline using the existing co-management
organizations.
The Circular Design
Guide
Design underpins all circularity. This website provides multiple resources to both
understand and begin implementing circular design.
Circular Economy
Asia
Variety of resources. Monthly magazine. Country specific Facebook pages. Case studies. Other
educational resources.
Catalogue
of best practice
Range of business examples from Spain that have been selected for demonstrating best
practice in current implementation of circularity for business.
Circular
Economy Glossary
Useful page to try and get common language on the topic from the Ellen MacArthur
Foundation.
Ellen MacArthur
Foundation - Home
Huge news, education and resource site giving access to their work on circular economy.
Life Cycle
Initiative
The Life Cycle Initiative is a public-private, multi-stakeholder partnership enabling
the global use of credible life cycle knowledge by private and public decision makers hosted
by UN Environment. It provides a global forum to ensure a science-based, consensus-building
process to support decisions and policies towards the shared vision of sustainability as a
public good. It delivers authoritative opinion on sound tools and approaches by engaging its
multi-stakeholder partnership (including governments, businesses, scientific and civil
society organizations). The Initiative facilitates the application of life cycle knowledge
in the global sustainable development agenda in order to achieve global goals faster and
more efficiently.
Circle-Economy
Circle Economy is a not-for-profit organization with a mission is to empower a global
community of businesses, cities and governments to accelerate the transition to the circular
economy through practical and scalable insights and solutions that address humanity’s
greatest challenges.
CSCP
The Collaborating Centre on Sustainable Consumption and Production (CSCP) is an
international nonprofit Think and Do tank that works with businesses, policy makers, partner
organisations and civil society towards a good life.
WEF
Good listicle of 11 top companies leading the way in circular economy.
FICCI-Circular Economy India[pdf]
Circular Economy: The Kenyan Perspective
[pdf]
Kenya has made significant efforts towards transiting to a low carbon and climate
resilient economy. This is well spelt out in Kenya's Vision 2030 development agenda and in
various laws, policies, plans and projects. The principles of circularity are key to
achieving this mission and Kenya is already in transition to a circular economy.
The Circular Economy and Benefits for Society [pdf]
Circular Economy Global Perspective [pdf]
Circular Economy in Industrial Parks Technologies for Competitiveness [pdf]
Circular Economy Plastics India Roadmap [pdf]
Circular economy in travel and tourism [pdf]
River Blue
River Blue is a documentary to link fashion, economy and climate. You can watch it hear
& learn more on the cruelties of fashion and clothing around the world. As one of the
largest pollutants and GHG emitters, the fashion industry needs to transform and produce
more responsibly. But what role do users have?
Circularity in
Canada
Circular Economy leadership Canada provides a range of reports and other resources in
the areas of: Circular North America; Circular Plastics; Built Environment; Circular Food
Systems; Metals and Minerals; Circular Business Leaders.
enel – Circular cities: Cities of tomorrow [pdf]
Circular
Economy in Europe
Good overview report from the European Environment Agency (EEA)
Towards
a Circular Economy Taxation Framework: Expectations and Challenges of Implementation
At school level there is a tendency to focus on what the direct solutions to problems
look like e.g. installing water pumps to provide clean water. But financing is a crucial
hidden element of sustainability solutions and taxation is a key area of this element as
governments are a cornerstone in the transitions required.
Problems with
bio-plastic feeding into technical material recycling chains
Great reminder of the challenges facing circular initiatives especially at the material
recovery stage.
World Business Council for Sustainable Development (wbcsd)
Range of articles and resources under a Vision 2050 agenda which encompasses circular
economy; cities & mobility; climate & energy; food & nature; people & society; and
redefining value.
EY
Sustainability
Global giant EY has a dedicated part of its website for ESG related material. Good
collection of topics covered.
Dealing
with toxic waste in agriculture
CampoLimpio(SM)* program is an environmental solution for the empty pesticide containers
utilized in agriculture. CropLife Latin America is promoting this program in 18 Latin
American countries, where the program is carried out by National Associations with the
participation of producers, importers, authorities, distributors and farmers.
Motivations adapted from sitra British Columbia [pdf]
Plastics
in healthcare
NSW, Australia case study on planning for removal of plastics in the healthcare sector
Wooden
skyscrapers
Canadian case study
Eco—i
Manual: Eco-innovation implementation process [pdf]
To introduce a methodology for the implementation of eco-innovation within small and
medium sized companies in developing and emerging economies. The intended audience of this
manual is organizations that provide professional consulting services (referred to in this
manual as the ‘Service Provider’) to inform, guide and
support manufacturing companies to improve their sustainability performance as a strategy
for developing new business models.
Business Models in the Circular Economy Concepts, Examples and Theory [pdf]
Case study of water management in Australia
Case study - the impact illegal oil refining on the environment in the Niger delta region.
Wastepickers
case study
Good article in the world resources Institute about SWaCH Pune Seva Sahakari Sanstha
(SWaCH), India’s first fully worker-owned cooperative of self-employed waste-collectors.
Microsoft Sustainability Executive playbook 2021 [pdf]
This executive playbook – commissioned by Microsoft and authored by EY – is designed to help
business leaders identify how sustainable transformation, and specifically the reduction of
carbon emissions, can benefit business as well as the environment.
Our Common Future [pdf]
C40Cities
A global network of mayors taking urgent action to confront the climate crisis and
create a future where everyone can thrive.
Eco-Industrial
Parks from UNIDO
EIPs enable benefits from greater collaboration between tenant companies, service
providers and local communities, allowing companies to transform environmental problems into
efficiency gains, by using resources more effectively and enabling companies to draw on
common services and infrastructure. UNIDO has developed a set of EIP Tools for industrial
parks and policymakers. By using the tools parks and countries can advance the
transformation of industrial parks and zones towards EIPs.
UNECE - UN Economic Commission for
Europe
UNECE's major aim is to promote pan-European economic integration. UNECE includes 56
member States in Europe, North America and Asia. However, all interested United
Nations member States may participate in the work of UNECE. Over 70 international
professional organizations and other non-governmental organizations take part in UNECE
activities which include many sustainability initiatives.
[pdf]
Eco-innovation implementation process [pdf]
Climate Change and Agriculture Impacts, Adaptation and Mitigation [pdf]
Srilanka strategy for SD [pdf]
UN Stats
A robust follow-up and review mechanism for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for
Sustainable Development requires a solid framework of indicators and statistical data to
monitor progress, inform policy and ensure accountability of all stakeholders. This is the
Sustainable Development Goal indicators website.
Circularity Gap
Reporting Initiative [CGRi]
In January 2018, the first Circularity Gap Report was published during the World Annual
Forum in Davos. This first report established that our world is only 9.1% circular, leaving
a massive circularity gap. It also provided a framework and fact-base to measure and monitor
progress in bridging the global circularity gap. Efforts to measure the circular economy
have grown into the Circularity Gap Reporting Initiative. The Initiative delivers an annual
global circularity metric that measures the state of the world economy and identifies key
levers to transition to global circularity. It also provides insights into the circularity
gap of individual countries and sectors.
International
Resource Panel (IRP)
The International Resource Panel (IRP) was launched by the United Nations Environment
Programme (UNEP) in 2007 to build and share the knowledge needed to improve our use of
resources worldwide. The Panel consists of eminent scientists with expertise in resource
management issues. It studies key questions around global resource use and produces
assessment reports that distill the latest scientific, technical and socio-economic findings
to inform decision-making.
Happiness – the development alternative
[pdf]
The Royal Kingdom of Bhutan represents a rare context for the study and
operationalization of a living development alternative that challenges GDP-metrics. The
nation is best known for the articulation and practice of an innovative alternative and
sustainable development path, exemplified in Gross National Happiness (GNH) which this paper
explores.
OECD
Both general development insights and specific sustainability topic areas provided by
the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Includes data section.
WEF
The World Economic Forum has a section of its site dedicated to circular economy.
EU4Environment
EU supported group for environment policy and initiatives in Armenia, Azerbaijan,
Belarus, Georgia, Republic of Moldova, Ukraine.
Circular
Economy Coalition for Latin America and the Caribbean
To provide a regional platform to enhance inter-ministerial, multi-sectoral and
multi-stakeholder cooperation, increase knowledge and understanding on circular economy,
provide capacity building and technical assistance for the development of public policies
for circular economy and sustainable consumption and production.
Zero Waste
Scotland
Not-for-profit environmental organisation, funded by the Scottish Government and
European Regional Development Fund to help accelerate circular economy and resource
efficiency work with SMEs in Scotland. Wealth of resources and good for use as student case
studies.
UNEP
Resource Efficiency and Climate Change: Material Efficiency Strategies for a Low-Carbon
Future
Eionet Portal
The European Environment Information and Observation Network (Eionet) is a partnership
network of the European Environment Agency (EEA) and its 38 member and cooperating
countries. The EEA is responsible for developing Eionet and coordinating its activities
together with National Focal Points (NFPs) in the countries.
The Global Initiative
for Resource Efficient Cities (GI-REC)
A cooperation platform offered by UN Environment to connect many different institutions
that are using systems approaches (specifically urban metabolism and morphology approaches)
towards building low-carbon, resilient, and resource efficient cities. plenty of resources
and info for students.
UNIDO
The United Nations Industrial Development Organization has a good resource page for
Circular Economy.
The Circular Economy and Benefits for Society, Wijkman , A. &
Skanberg , K., 2015 [pdf]
The central theme of this report is how to greatly enhance resource efficiency. The
proposition is that a circular economy, where products are designed for ease of recycling,
reuse, disassembly and remanufacturing should replace the traditional, linear ’take, make &
dispose’ model that has dominated the economy so far. It broadly explores the potential for
a significant increase in resource efficiency and
to specifically assess what the main benefits for society would be looking at carbon
emissions and employment in particular. It aims to provide valuable input to the discussion
on the Commission’s new proposal, as well as national policies, particularly in terms of
highlighting the opportunities offered by the Circular Economy for the EU’s competitiveness
and jobs agenda.
UNEP circularity
platform
Fantastic site with resources by sectors and by components of circularity. The UNEP
Circularity Platform assembles a wide array of resources on the Circular Economy as well as
its interlinkages with Sustainable Consumption and Production. If offers further details and
case studies on UNEP's Circularity Diagram.
Wastewater
as a resource - World Bank
An important paradigm shift is necessary at multiple levels to advance sustainable
sanitation services toward a circular economy in which wastewater is considered a valuable
resource rather than a liability. Energy, clean water, fertilizers, and nutrients can be
extracted from wastewater—and used to help achieve the SDGs.
In 2018 the World Bank launched the “Wastewater: From Waste to Resource” initiative in the
LAC region, to address the wastewater challenge and raise awareness among decision makers
about the potential of wastewater as a resource.
AI
in the European Green Deal
Artificial Intelligence (AI) can be deployed for a wide range of applications to promote
the goals of the European Green Deal. However, adverse environmental impacts of AI could
jeopardise the attainment of these goals. The report describes environmental potential,
clarifies characteristics and causes of environmental risks, and outlines initiatives and
best practices for environmental policies. It illustrates the need for regulatory action to
align design and deployment of AI with the goals of the European Green Deal and concludes
with specific recommendations. This document was provided by the Policy Department for
Economic, Scientific and Quality of Life Policies at the request of the Special Committee on
Artificial Intelligence in a Digital Age (AIDA).
Healthy Materials
Lab
A design research lab at Parsons School of Design dedicated to a world in which people’s
health is placed at the center of all design decisions. Raising awareness about toxics in
building products and to creating resources for the next generation of designers and
architects to make healthier places for all people to live. Lots of resources across site.
Circular
economy Club - Education
Comprehensive list of courses, forums and more to engage in CE work.
Kate Raworth ,
Doughnut Economics: Seven Ways to Think Like a 21st Century Economist
Economics is broken. It has failed to predict, let alone prevent, financial crises that
have shaken the foundations of our societies. Its outdated theories have permitted a world
in which extreme poverty persists while the wealth of the super-rich grows year on year. And
its blind spots have led to policies that are degrading the living world on a scale that
threatens all of our futures. Can it be fixed? In Doughnut Economics, Oxford academic Kate
Raworth identifies seven critical ways in which mainstream economics has led us astray, and
sets out a roadmap for bringing humanity into a sweet spot that meets the needs of all
within the means of the planet.
The Eight Manifestations of GNH- multiple meanings of a development alternative [pdf]
Doughnut Economics Action
Lab
The Doughnut offers a vision of what it means for humanity to thrive in the 21st century
- and Doughnut Economics explores the mindset and ways of thinking needed to get us there.
First published in 2012 in an Oxfam report by Kate Raworth, the concept rapidly gained
traction internationally, from the UN General Assembly to the Occupy movement. This site
builds on that work.
Yale Program on
Climate Change Communication
Yale social scientists studying the causes and consequences of public opinion and
behavior with relation to climate.
Divestment
map
Interesting visualization of who has been divesting from fossil fuels by GoFossilFree.
The Donella Meadows
Project
Dr. Donella H. Meadows, a Pew Scholar in Conservation and Environment and a MacArthur
Fellow, was one of the most influential environmental thinkers of the twentieth century.
After receiving a Ph.D in biophysics from Harvard, she joined a team at MIT applying the
relatively new tools of system dynamics to global problems. She became principal author of
The Limits to Growth (1972), which sold more than 9 million copies in 26 languages. She went
on to author or co-author eight other books. This site preserves her legacy and is a source
of great resources.
Marine Litter Vital Graphics
[pdf]
Incredible report detailing and visualizing marine litter.
GRID Arendal
GRID-Arendal
is a non-profit environmental communications centre which transforms environmental data into
innovative, science-based information products and provide capacity-building services. They
aim to inform and activate a global audience and motivate decision-makers to effect positive
change. GRID-Arendal collaborates with the United Nations Environment Programme and other
partners around the world.
UN Environment, 2018: Mapping of global plastics value chain and
plastics losses to the environment [pdf]
This report provides a comprehensive
global mapping of plastic losses to the environment throughout the plastic value chain using
2015 as the reference year. This mapping covers plastics production and processing, use of
plastics or plastic
containing products, and disposal of the products.
Stockholm Resilience
Centre
An international research centre on resilience and sustainability science at the
University of Stockholm.
SUSTAINABLE LIFESTYLES options & opportunities
[pdf]
This publication provides a sample of opportunities that can be tailored and
applied at the city level to introduce and promote more sustainable lifestyles. Its aim is
to enhance understanding of what are more sustainable ways of living and to
raise awareness of what can be done, including actions inspired by efforts in the field.
IGES – Institute for Global
Environmental Strategies
The Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES) was established in March 1998
under an initiative of the Japanese government and with the support of Kanagawa Prefecture
based on the “Charter for the Establishment of the Institute for Global Environmental
Strategies”. The aim of the Institute is to achieve a new paradigm for civilization and
conduct innovative policy development and strategic research for environmental measures,
reflecting the results of research into political decisions for realising sustainable
development both in the Asia-Pacific region and globally.
Science Based
Targets
The SBTi is a partnership between CDP, the United Nations Global Compact, World
Resources Institute (WRI) and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). The SBTi’s Corporate Net
Zero Standard is the world’s first framework for corporate net zero target setting in line
with climate science. It includes the guidance, criteria, and
recommendations companies need to set science based net zero targets consistent with
limiting global temperature rise to 1.5 C.