Roundtable discussion Green and Decent Jobs Patrick Schroeder London, 13 November 2017

Circular economy and the digital transformation – where’s the link? Data from: Sverdrup et al. (2012) Peak Metals, Minerals, Energy, Wealth, Food and Population; Urgent Policy Considerations for A Sustainable Society

Artificial intelligence Business opportunities Digital transformation Circular economy in development studies Circular economy practices exist across a wide spectrum of industries and sectors Artificial intelligence Product innovation Business opportunities Internet of Things Digital transformation Smart devices Informal sector Livelihoods Health and safety Inequality Child labour Marginalisation

The circular economy and employment In France, the CE represents roughly 800,000 full-time equivalent jobs, or 3% of the total French workforce (France Stratégie, 2016). In the UK, Morgan and Mitchell (2015) estimate that a “Transformation” scenario with substantial increases in recycling (up to 85%) and remanufacturing (up to 50%), 517,000 new skilled jobs could be created by 2030, compared to only 31,000 low skilled jobs in a “No new initiatives” scenario. The European Environment Bureau (EEB, 2014) estimates European CE employment opportunities ranging from 634,769 (modest scenario) to 747,829 (ambitious scenario) by 2025.

The circular economy and employment

The circular economy – can be a virtuous circle… Case studies from Brazil, Ghana, Kenya and India demonstrate how supporting (and removing obstacles to) circular economy business models can provide a triple win: increasing productivity and economic growth improving the quality and quantity of employment saving lives, by reducing environmental impacts such as water pollution, air pollution and climate change

The circular economy – can be a virtuous circle… “Virtuous Cycle” case study Automotive repair and remanufacturing cluster in Ghana The Kumasi industrial cluster in Ghana is a major automotive re-manufacturing and repair cluster in West Africa. It is a prominent example of the scale and economic benefits of circular business models in developing countries, with the extent of activity surpassing anything found in Europe: 200,000 workers are employed (up from 40,000 in the early 1980s) in more than 12,000 businesses.

Automated recycling vs livelihoods? …but be careful what you wish for! Employment from e-waste repair and recycling Automated recycling vs livelihoods?

Industry 4.0 – circular textiles industry Amazon’s “on-demand apparel manufacturing system” patent

Impacts on women employment in developing countries Impacts on low and middle income countries through disruption on textile supply chains Future trade in textiles localised production and consumption systems Traditional development pathway for low and middle income countries via textiles industry blocked - “premature deindustrialization”

Thank you for your attention! Patrick Schröder p.schroeder@ids.ac.uk