The National Cleaner Production Centre, Sri Lanka (NCPC-SL) which advocates resource efficiency and a circular economy will organise the first Sri Lankan conference on ‘Resource Efficiency and Circular Economy’ highlighting the importance of the optimum use of resources.
The Centre has been in the forefront of introducing new knowledge to support the efficient use of limited resources and strongly suggests to embark on a circular economy model instead of the linear model that is followed at present. This model will ensure better use of resources and to this end the Centre conducts seminars with local and international expertise in its effort to disseminate information, NCPC Chairman, Gamini Gunasekera said.
Explaining the purpose of the international conference, he said that the NCPC is the leading agency in Sri Lanka advocating and promoting tools and techniques applicable in circular economy during the past two decades.
The Centre has played a pioneer role in bringing the international knowledge to the country and creates an impact on ground level. NCPC has again taken up the leadership to disseminate the essential knowledge to the nation and propagate the Circular Economy initiatives mainly working with industries and businesses, he said.
NCPC has initiated the first Sri Lankan Conference on Resource efficiency and circular economy to introduce these two topics to the country. Therefore, our purpose of conducting this conference is to bring these developing topics to the attention of the Sri Lankan Industrialists as well as policy makers to get them updated to face the challenges of the era.
“The Circular Economy includes improving the resource efficiency (mainly related to water, energy and material use) throughout the value chain and resource circulation through end of life recovery, reuse and recycling.
In addition to that, the circular economy is posturing the system approach to achieve de-materialisation and shared use of resources,” CEO, NCPC Samantha Kumarasena said.
“We are hopeful that the first Sri Lankan Conference on ‘Resource Efficiency and Circular Economy’ would create an impact among masses by passing the international knowledge and updates on this topic. That would make an eye opener and lead the industries and businesses to create novel circular economic solutions for problems,” he said.
The proposed one-day international conference would have a thematic session in the morning where renowned scholar Dr. Rene Van Berkel, Head of UNIDO operations in the South Asian Region will make the keynote presentation.
Dr Malini Balakrishnan and Dr Vidya Badra of The Energy and Resource Institute (TERI) – India, Dr Rajat Badra of Stenum Asia, Markus Moller of Austria Recycling, Austria will be some of the other resource persons.
In the afternoon session, there will be parallel sessions on Resource efficiency and Cleaner Production, Resource Circulation, Life Cycle Management Sound Chemicals management and energy management.
The NCPC held a media briefing at the Organisation of Professional Associations (OPA) recently on its international conference. The international conference will take place on January 21, at the Waters Edge Hotel.