Building

UNEP, 2020. COVID-19 Materials

from UNEP
Back https://www.unep.org/covid-19

Better In this page, the latest COVID-19 related news,

stories, reports, fact-sheets, publications can be found.
The transmission of diseases, like the Novel
after Coronavirus COVID-19, between animals and humans
(zoonoses) threatens economic development, animal and
COVID-19 human well-being, and ecosystem integrity.
The United Nations Environment Programme supports
global efforts to protect biodiversity, to put an end to the
illegal trade in wildlife, to safeguard the handling of chemicals
and waste and to promote economic recovery plans that
take nature and the climate emergency into account.

Circular
Economy
and
Sustainable
Development
UNEP, 2020. On trend: sustainable fashion
in the wake of COVID-19.

https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/story/trend-
sustainable-fashion-wake-covid-19

In her native Somalia, designer Nimco Adam was known

as the Queen of Tie Dye, spending hours plunging fabrics
into vats of chemical dyes to use in her collections. Then, one
day, she lost her sense of smell.
Adam, who has designed for more than 55 fast
fashion companies including retailer Forever 21, has pivoted
away from chemicals and synthetic materials. She now
uses traditional African textiles woven from hemp, bamboo
and even tree bark. Her dyes are natural, extracted from
roots, like turmeric. Such changes have put her at the
vanguard of the sustainable fashion movement.

United Nations System Staff College 1

 UNEP, 2020. Amid COVID-19, these
Building 10 countries are aiming to kickstart
their economies by repairing nature.
Back https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/story/amid-covid-
Better 19-these-10-countries-are-aiming-kickstart-their-economies

after Fast forward to the COVID-19 crisis, and some states are
once again using restoration as an engine of
employment, especially in rural areas where jobs are badly
COVID-19 needed. This article explains how 10 states have included
restoration commitments in their pandemic recovery plans.

Circular
Economy
and
Sustainable
Development UNEP, 2020. Don't ignore economic
lessons of the Great Recession: new
UNEP report
https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/story/dont-ignore-
economic-lessons-great-recession-new-unep-report

A new report from the United Nations Environment

Programme (UNEP) says the world has a second – and
possibly last – chance to tackle climate change and other
environmental threats. Authored by Barbier, a professor at
America’s Colorado State University, it draws on lessons
from the Great Recession and calls on governments to
develop concrete strategies to combat environmental
decline as they rebuild their economies from COVID-19. The
paper, Building a Greener Recovery: Lessons from the Great
Recession, is the first in a series of UNEP reports designed to
help countries build back more sustainably from the
pandemic.

United Nations System Staff College 2

Building University of Warwick, 2020. A circular
economy could save the world's economy
Back post-COVID-19. ScienceDaily.

Better www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/10/201012124307.htm

The Covid-19 pandemic has challenged all facets of human

after endeavours, and seven months later the economic effects are
particularly being felt
COVID-19 How the world can leverage the positive and negative effects
of COVID-19 to build a new, more resilient and low-carbon
economy has been analysed by a group of academics led by
WMG, University of Warwick

Circular
Economy
and
Sustainable
Development UNEP FI, 2020. Financing Circularity:
Demystifying Finance for Circular
Economies
https://www.unepfi.org/wordpress/wp-
content/uploads/2020/10/UNEPFI_DemystfyingFinanceCircula
rity-2020.pdf

https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/press-release/new-
unep-report-lights-way-financial-institutions-shift-more

Economic disruptions during the pandemic in 2020 have

brought to light the urgency of the transition to more
sustainable consumption and production.
The report offers emerging evidence of the potential to scale
up finance to accelerate the shift away from a take-make-
waste model of resource use and pollution to a circular
economy, and practical steps to embed circularity into
financing. The insights in this report can guide financial
institutions to address the opportunities and threats offered
by the transition, providing recommendations for
policymakers for frameworks to accelerate financing for a
circular economy, with examples of measures that have
proven effective around the world.

United Nations System Staff College 3

Building UNEP, 2020. Investing in sustainability:
financing future profitability.
Back https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/speech/investing-
sustainability-financing-future-profitability
Better This speech empasizes the importance of making the finance
after sector a force for positive change.
The COVID-19 pandemic has shown us, in stark detail, how

COVID-19 exposed to shocks and risks our economies and societies are.
Risks that those of us working in the environmental field have
been calling out for some time now. The UNEP speaks of the
three planetary crises: the climate crisis, the biodiversity and
nature crisis, and the pollution and waste crisis. Driven by
decades of unsustainable consumption and production, these
crises are destroying the natural systems upon which our
Circular economies and societies are built.

Economy
and
Sustainable
Development
Jocelyn Blériot, 2020. Ellen
MacArthur Foundation. The Covid-19
recovery requires a resilient circular
economy. Medium.
https://medium.com/circulatenews/the-covid-19-recovery-
requires-a-resilient-circular-economy-e385a3690037

The Covid-19 crisis has disastrous human and

economic consequences, revealing our system’s exposure to
a variety of risks. The call for a more resilient, circular and
low-carbon economic model has garnered support from a
growing number of businesses and governments over the
past few years, and appears today more relevant than ever.
Identifying opportunities, keeping a clear sense of direction
and fostering a strong public-private collaboration will help
usher in redefined growth towards the next wave
of prosperity.

United Nations System Staff College 4

 Mayuri Wijayasundara, 2020. World Econo
Building mic Forum. Opportunities for
Back a circular economy post COVID-19.
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/06/opportunities-
Better circular-economy-post-covid-19/

after We are limited by the capacity of a system, be

it nature’s capacity to rejuvenate, or the healthcare

COVID-19
system’s capacity to treat the sick. We are forced to look
for alternatives in order to do the things that are not viable
anymore. This report explains how will a post-pandemic world
look with a circular economy.

Circular
Economy
and
Sustainable
Development ING, 2020. Covid-19: spark or setback for
the circular economy?
https://new.ingwb.com/en/insights/post-covid-19-
insights/covid-19-spark-or-setback-for-the-circular-economy

The Covid-19 pandemic and its economic fallout have

caused governments, business and households to focus on
short-term crisis management. Does that spell the end of
Europe’s efforts to develop a circular economy? Circular
economies aim to reduce environmental impact by
minimising waste and increasing re-use of resources, while at
the same time stimulating economic activity. There may be
upfront costs involved in rolling out new business models
and services, but savings for businesses and resilience to
future crises could result in considerable gains over the
longer term.

United Nations System Staff College 5

 Terry Slavin, 2020. Reuter Events. How
Building Covid-19 has brought circularity into sharp
Back focus for Philips.
https://www.reutersevents.com/sustainability/how-covid-19-
Better has-brought-circularity-sharp-focus-philips

after With refurbished CT scanners in heavy demand

from hospitals to fight the pandemic, the Dutch health

COVID-19 technology giant is seeing dividends from its drive to close

the loop on its medical equipment. In this article, Terry Slavin
speaks to sustainability chief Robert Metzke about the
confluence of climate action, healthcare and circularity.

Circular
Economy
and
Sustainable
Development
EY Global, 2020. How Europe's post
COVID-19 economy and environment can
both prosper.

https://www.ey.com/en_gl/eu-institutions/how-europe-s-
post-covid-19-economy-and-environment-can-both-prosper

Amid the upheaval, there might be a silver lining –

an opportunity for Europe to come closer to achieving
global sustainability goals.Since the emergence of the COVID-
19 pandemic, good news has been in short supply.
The enormous social and economic consequences of
the pandemic are becoming clearer by the day, and we’ll
be feeling the effects on our lives and livelihoods for decades
to come.

United Nations System Staff College 6

 Teresa Domenech, 2020. UNIDO. Why
Building innovative manufacturing and circularity
are key for a resilient manufacturing
Back industry post-Covid-19.
Better https://www.unido.org/news/why-innovative-manufacturing-
and-circularity-are-key-resilient-manufacturing-industry-post-
after covid-19

COVID-19 The COVID-19 crisis has revealed and exposed both

the significance of and the risks associated with our
current manufacturing systems. Shortages of medical
equipment and disruptions of essential commodities have
raised awareness of manufacturing’s pivotal role in both
advanced and developing economies. These shortages and
supply disruptions have also exposed the drawbacks of
Circular relying primarily on a globalized structure of production
with complex supply chains, the division of innovation
Economy and manufacturing, and just-in-time production. While there is
no denying the benefits generated by globalized
and production systems for both developed and developing
countries, they have led to an increasing fragmentation of
Sustainable knowledge along the supply chain, where the design of the
product and its production become two detached processes,
Development eroding the connections resulting from ‘learning by doing’ and
reducing the understanding of the resource implications of
final products. Not only has this disconnection
become problematic during the pandemic, the
consumer’s detachment from the manufacturing process also
has severe implications for both innovation and the
environment.

United Nations System Staff College 7

 Oriana Romano, 2020. OECD. Resilient
Building People and Places: Why cities should
embrace the circular economy to shape our
Back post-COVID-19 future.
Better https://www.oecd-forum.org/posts/resilient-people-and-
places-why-cities-should-embrace-the-circular-economy-to-
after shape-our-post-covid-19-future

COVID-19 COVID-19 has put the world on standby unlike any

other economic, social and climate crises. Can COVID-19
accelerate the transition towards a circular economy in cities?
How? This article is part of a series in which OECD experts
and thought leaders – from around the world and all parts
of society – address the COVID-19 crisis, discussing
and developing solutions now and for the future.
Circular
Economy
and
Sustainable
Development
International Resource Panel, 2020.
Building Resilient Societies after the Covid-
19 Pandemic.

https://www.resourcepanel.org/reports/building-resilient-
societies-after-covid-19-pandemic

The world is experiencing an unprecedented moment in

the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
This document provides policy recommendations
extracted from IRP research over the past 10 years to drive a
resource smart recovery, generating socio-economic value
while safeguarding the environment.

United Nations System Staff College 8

 T. Ibn-Mohammed, K.B. Mustapha, J.
Godsell, Z. Adamu, K.A. Babatunde, D.D.
Building Akintade, A. Acquaye, H. Fujii, M.M. Ndiaye,
Back F.A. Yamoah, S.C.L. Koh,
A critical analysis of the impacts of COVID-
Better 19 on the global economy and ecosystems
and opportunities for circular economy
after strategies,

COVID-19
Resources, Conservation and Recycling,
Volume 164, 2021, 105169, ISSN 0921-
3449. ScienceDirect.
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0921344920
304869

Circular The World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a

global pandemic on the 11th of March 2020, but the world is
Economy still reeling from its aftermath. Originating from China,
cases quickly spread across the globe, prompting
and the implementation of stringent measures by world
governments in efforts to isolate cases and limit the
Sustainable transmission rate of the virus. These measures have however
shattered the core sustaining pillars of the modern world
Development economies as global trade and cooperation succumbed to
nationalist focus and competition for scarce supplies. Against
this backdrop, this paper presents a critical review of the
catalogue of negative and positive impacts of the pandemic
and proffers perspectives on how it can be leveraged to steer
towards a better, more resilient low-carbon economy. The
paper diagnosed the danger of relying on pandemic-driven
benefits to achieving sustainable development goals and
emphasizes a need for a decisive, fundamental structural
change to the dynamics of how we live. It argues for a rethink
of the present global economic growth model, shaped by a
linear economy system and sustained by profiteering and
energy-gulping manufacturing processes, in favour of a more
sustainable model recalibrated on circular economy (CE)
framework. Building on evidence in support of CE as a vehicle
for balancing the complex equation of accomplishing profit
with minimal environmental harms, the paper outlines
concrete sector-specific recommendations on CE-related
solutions as a catalyst for the global economic growth and
development in a resilient post-COVID-19 world.

United Nations System Staff College 9