A new economic model that champions recycling will be in the spotlight at a ground-breaking conference to be held at Flinders at Tonsley later this month.

The circular economy proposes a system of re-use, re-purposing and recycling to spur economic growth and reduce dependency on finite natural resources.

Powering the Change to a Circular Economy, to be held on 15-17 November, will see leaders from business, government and academia come together to discuss ways to implement the circular economy, and share the latest research.

Tonsley’s setting, within a former car manufacturing plant, will provide a real-world example of re-purposing for conference attendees.

During the conference, leading Flinders academic Professor John Spoehr, Director of the Australian Industrial Transformation Institute, will discuss robotics, automation and digital technology in the context of the circular economy, presenting on the topic: Advancing manufacturing: industry 4.0 and the circular economy.

The conference is the first in Australia to be dedicated to the circular economy, and follows a South Australian government study, released in May this year, which showed how the circular economy could create tens of thousands of new jobs and reduce carbon emissions.

For more information visit poweringthechange.org.au.