A radical new way of thinking about business, The Blue Economy, is set to generate 100 million new jobs in the next 10 years all inspired by nature with zero waste, according to the Blue Economy Institute founder and consultant Anne-Maree Huxley. In coming weeks Ms Huxley will present one-day workshops on this topic in Perth, Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane, tailored to business, government and community leaders. The Blue Economy enables improved productivity and sustainable growth for virtually every part of the economy. It is also shaping a new way to do business with zero waste, and represents a sustainable and competitive business framework. As outlined by its founder Gunter Pauli in his report to the Club of Rome, now in 38 languages, The Blue Economy is set to generate 100 million new jobs in the next 10 years. This highly innovative, competitive business model supports a world guided by the Kyoto Protocol and heralds a paradigm shift in economics and sustainability. It showcases cascading business models that have multiple cash flows, examines new energy and buildings options, and shares 100+ innovations that achieve zero pollution and builds social capital. To date The Blue Economy has seen over EUR4 billion in investments and the creation of an estimated three million jobs with innovation and technology that is as diverse as it is game changing. This ranges from turning thistles – yes a weed we spend millions trying to kill with expensive toxic chemicals – into valuable oils (the Sardinia Refinery has seen $600 million in revenues in its first year) to turning coffee waste into a valuable substrate to grow mushrooms, be used in a range of products to repel odors from paint to sports clothes, or in the manufacture of cosmetics and pharmaceutical products, textiles, biofuels and batteries. It has also seen investment in new industries such as growing silk for use in medical procedures as a replacement to mining titanium – which can be done at around half the cost of digging titanium out of the ground – or producing stone paper from mining and building waste – paper that uses no trees or water that can be endlessly recycled at about 40 per cent less than it takes to make paper through traditional means. Aussie ingenuity in blue So what does this mean in an Australian context, especially as we face significant competitive pressures from globalisation, commodity price and exchange rate volatility, extreme weather events and biosecurity issues? Well for some it’s going to mean a new way of looking at the products and services we produce. What we currently see as waste streams and liabilities can actually be new income streams. Natural Evolution in North Queensland, for example, has turned its waste green bananas into high value banana flour and ointment. In the Gascoyne, the Sweeter Banana Cooperative is using bananas salvaged from Cyclone Olwyn to make banana bread that is being stocked in 30 WA stores, and across Australia, thanks to a partnership with Australia Post and TerraCycle, we are also seeing individuals and community groups collecting non-traditional waste such as chewing gum and cigarette butts so they can be reprocessed into high value products such garbage bins and house frames, earning money in the process.