What would a circular economy actually deliver for a state economy? Green Industries SA asked Lifecycles to find out. Working with EconSearch, Colby Industries and the University of Queensland, we led this study to quantify the potential impacts of South Australia moving to a more circular economy by 2030.

What we did:

• Built an environmentally extended input-output model of the South Australian economy to test how its structure changes when materials and products circulate more effectively and energy comes from renewable sources.

• Modelled four scenarios to 2030: business as usual, efficient and renewable energy, material efficiency, and a combined circular economy scenario.

• Quantified the outcomes for jobs, greenhouse gas emissions and energy use.

• Paired the modelling with local and international case studies to show what circular practice looks like in action.

Key findings:

Compared with business as usual, the circular economy scenario could by 2030:

• create an additional 25,700 full-time equivalent jobs;

• cut South Australia's greenhouse gas emissions by 27%, or 7.7 million tonnes of CO₂e;

• reduce territorial energy use by 86 petajoules, a reduction of about 20%.

Outcome:

The study gave Green Industries SA a quantified evidence base showing that a circular economy supports jobs and economic development while contributing to the state's emissions targets and energy independence.

Download the full report below. You can also dig into the method report here.