Learn more about us
Who we are
The International Resource Panel was launched by the United Nations Environment Programme in 2007 to build and share the knowledge needed to improve our use of resources worldwide.
The Panel consists of eminent scientists, highly skilled in resource management issues from both developed and developing regions, civil society, industrial and international organisations. Their reports distil the latest scientific, technical and socio-economic findings around global resource use.
What we do
The IRP investigates the world’s most critical resource issues with a view to developing practical solutions for government policymakers, industry and society.
The Panel’s goal is to steer us away from overconsumption, waste and ecological harm to a more prosperous and sustainable future.
News
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IRP at Stockholm+50
27 May 2022The international environmental meeting Stockholm+50 takes place 2nd-3rd of June in Stockholm, Sweden under the theme “Stockholm+50: a healthy planet for the prosperity of all – our responsibility, our opportunity”. Stockholm+50 will commemorate the...
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International Day for Biological Diversity
22 May 2022May 22nd 2022 marks the International Day for Biological Diversity. The theme of this year’s day is “Building a shared future for all life”, highlighting that biodiversity is the foundation upon which we can build back better. There is a...
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The IRP has now launched an expanded and updated version of the Global Material Flows Database!
14 April 2022The UNEP IRP Global Material Flows Database reports extraction and direct trade of raw materials, indirect trade flows (including material footprints), as well as intensities derived from these material measures at global, regional and national...
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IRP Co-Chair Janez Potočnik addresses food system resilience and sustainability
16 March 2022On March 16th 2022, Forum for the Future of Agriculture hosted the event “Transatlantic dialogue on agri-food system resilience and sustainability”. The event focused on the value of transatlantic collaboration to increase the resilience and...
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Launch of the IRP Think Piece "Urban Agriculture's Potential to Advance Multiple Sustainability Goals"
23 February 2022On February 23rd, UNEP and the International Resource Panel officially launched Urban Agriculture’s Potential to Advance Multiple Sustainability Goals - An International Resource Panel Think Piece. This Think Piece evaluates to what extent, and in...
Events
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12June2023
Bangkok
Thailand30th Meeting of the International Resource Panel
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06November2022
Sharm El-Sheikh
EgyptThe International Resource Panel at UNFCCC COP27
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17October2022
Paris
France29th Meeting of the International Resource Panel
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01March2022Virtual
Webinar: Natural Resource Management for Biodiversity Governance
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23June2022Webinar
Close the Gap while Closing the Loop?
Meet the Panel members
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Helga Weisz
Germany
Helga Weisz
Germany
Helga Weisz is an industrial ecologist. She is Full Professor of Industrial Ecology and Climate Change at Humboldt University Berlin and Affiliated Professor at the Institute of Social Ecology of Alpen-Adria University in Vienna
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Anuradha Ramaswami
United States of America
Anuradha Ramaswami
United States of America
Anu Ramaswami is an expert on urban infrastructure whose work has formed the basis for sustainable cities in the US and internationally. Her research includes integrating science and technology with policy and planning for real-world implementation.
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Maarten Hajer
Netherlands
Maarten Hajer
Netherlands
Maarten Hajer is distinguished professor of Urban Futures at Utrecht University, and a former Director-General of the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency. He has published widely on environmental politics and urban planning.
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Anders Wijkman
Sweden
Anders Wijkman
Sweden
Anders Wijkman is co-president of the Club of Rome, chairman of the Swedish Association of Recycling Industries, senior advisor to the Stockholm Environment Institute. He is co-author of Bankrupting Nature (2012).
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Paul Ekins
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Paul Ekins
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Paul Ekins is Professor of Resources and Environmental Policy at the Institute for Sustainable Resources in the Bartlett School of Environment, Energy and Resources at University College London. He has a PhD in economics from the University of London
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Stefan Bringezu
Germany
Stefan Bringezu
Germany
Stefan Bringezu is Director at the Centre of Environmental Systems Research at Kassel University. He is pioneer of material flow analysis and a founding member of the International Society for Industrial Ecology.
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Ester van der Voet
Netherlands
Ester van der Voet
Netherlands
Trained as a biologist, Ester van der Voet has vast experience as a lecturer, researcher and editor in the field of Industrial Ecology. She is full professor of Sustainable Resource Use at the Institute of Environmental Sciences at Leiden University.
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Bruno M.C Oberle
Switzerland
Bruno M.C Oberle
Switzerland
Bruno Oberle is the former Director General of the International Union for Conservation of Nature. He was a professor at EPFL and Secretary of State for Environment, helping to set up the Global Environment Facility and the Green Climate Fund.
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Keisuke Nansai
Japan
Keisuke Nansai
Japan
Keisuke Nansai is Head of the International Material Cycles Section, Centre for Material Cycles and Waste Management Research, National Institute for Environmental Studies, Japan. His expertise includes environmental input-output analysis.
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Reid Lifset
United States of America
Reid Lifset
United States of America
Reid Lifset is a Research Scholar and Resident Fellow in Industrial Ecology at Yale University.
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Saleem Ali
Australia, Pakistan, United States of America
Saleem Ali
Australia, Pakistan, United States of America
Saleem Ali's research interests are in the causes and consequences of environmental conflicts in the mineral sector. He teaches environmental planning. conflict resolution and industrial ecology, and is a member of the Governance Working Group.
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Michael Obersteiner
Austria
Michael Obersteiner
Austria
Michael Obersteiner is Director of the Ecosystems Services and Management Program at the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis in Austria. He has worked for national and international organizations, writing over 100 scientific papers.
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Mark Swilling
South Africa
Mark Swilling
South Africa
Mark Swilling is Distinguished Professor of Sustainable Development at Stellenbosch University. He has vast experience in policy analysis, has published widely, and has coordinated large projects. He holds the Aspen Institute Faculty Pioneer award.
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Seiji Hashimoto
Japan
Seiji Hashimoto
Japan
Seiji Hasjimoto’s research interests include assessment methodologies and system design for sustainable resource and waste management, from extraction of resources to disposal. He is a Professor at Ritsumeikan University, Japan.
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A. Erinç Yeldan
Turkey
A. Erinç Yeldan
Turkey
Erinç Yeldan is Acting Dean of the Faculty of Economics, Administrative and Social Sciences at Bilkent University. His recent work focuses on development macroeconomics and economics of climate change, with emphasis on the Turkish economy.
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Bing Zhu
China
Bing Zhu
China
Bing Zhu is Professor and Director of Institute for Circular Economy at Tsinghua University. He is an expert in circular economy assessment, techno-economic analysis and industrial park green development.
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Heinz Schandl
Australia
Heinz Schandl
Australia
Heinz Schandl is senior principal scientist at Australia’s CSIRO, where his research includes measuring and modelling sustainability to explore the links between public policy and social theory and metabolism as a path to SCP and green economy.
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Jeffrey Herrick
United States of America
Jeffrey Herrick
United States of America
Jeff Herrick works at the US Department of Agriculture and has adjunct appointments at New Mexico State University and the University of Colorado. He is expert in resistance and resilience in arid and semi-arid ecosystems and in land management.
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Izabella Teixeira
Brazil
Izabella Teixeira
Brazil
Izabella Teixeira is Co-Chair of the International Resource Panel. She is an expert in environmental management, impact assessment and licensing. She is the former Environment Minister of Brazil and was named a Champion of the Earth in 2013.
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Dominic Kniveton
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Dominic Kniveton
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Dom Kniveton is Professor of Climate Change and Society at the University of Sussex. His research spans issues of development, climate change, disaster risk, complexity and decision-making, migration and health.
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Eeva Primmer
Finland
Eeva Primmer
Finland
Eeva Primmer is the Research Director of the Finnish Environment Institute, SYKE. Her research interest is in the governance of nature, ecosystem services and natural resources.
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Stefanie Hellweg
Germany
Stefanie Hellweg
Germany
Stefanie Hellweg is professor of ecological systems design at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zurich, where she is working on modelling, evaluating and improving the environmental impact of products, technologies and consumption patterns.
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Steve Fletcher
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Steve Fletcher
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Stephen Fletcher is a marine scientist with extensive experience in coastal and marine science policy. He currently heads the Marine Programme of UN Environment’s World Conservation Monitoring Centre, and has published over 85 peer-reviewed papers.
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Nabil Z. Nasr
United States of America
Nabil Z. Nasr
United States of America
Nabil Nasr is Director of Golisano Institute for Sustainability at Rochester Institute of Technology. His fields of expertise are sustainable production, remanufacturing, cleaner production, and sustainable product development.
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Hans Bruyninckx
Belgium
Hans Bruyninckx
Belgium
Hans Bruyninckx is the Former Executive Director of the European Environment Agency. He is expert in European and international environmental policy, the effects of globalization on the governance of environmental issues and sustainable development.
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Ashok Khosla
India
Ashok Khosla
India
Ashok Khosla has served on the boards of numerous global environmental organizations, including the Club of Rome, the International Institute for Sustainable Development and the World Conservation Union. He is a former co-chair of the IRP.
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Steve Hatfield-Dodds
Australia
Steve Hatfield-Dodds
Australia
Steve Hatfield-Dodds is an honorary Professor of Public Policy at the Australian National University (ANU). He has a distinguished track record of working at the intersection of sustainability research, public policy and business strategy.
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Joanna Kulczycka
Poland
Joanna Kulczycka
Poland
Joanna Kulczycka is Professor at the AGH University of Science and Technology, Director of The Highway to Technology, the Innovation Institute and President of the Waste Management and Recycling Cluster – Key National Clusters in Poland.
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S. Vijay Kumar
India
S. Vijay Kumar
India
S. Vijay Kumar has directed India’s National Wastelands Development Programme and the National Rural Roads Development Agency. He was also Permanent Secretary of the Ministries of Rural Development and Mines. He is now Distinguished Fellow at TERI.
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Anthony Chiu
Philippines
Anthony Chiu
Philippines
Anthony Chiu is a specialist in industrial engineering, sustainable consumption and production, eco-industrial development, and resource efficient and cleaner production.
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Janez Potočnik
Slovenia
Janez Potočnik
Slovenia
Janez Potočnik is Co-Chair of the International Resource Panel. Among other roles, he is Partner at SYSTEMIQ and advisor to thought-leading institutions such as the European Forest Institute. Before, he was European Commissioner for the Environment.
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Edgar Hertwich
Austria, Norway
Edgar Hertwich
Austria, Norway
Edgar Hertwich lectures and researches life-cycle assessment, sustainable production and consumption, trade and environment, and risk analysis. He has co-authored more than 50 peer-reviewed journal articles, and has led multiple IRP reports.
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Elias T. Ayuk
Cameroon
Elias T. Ayuk
Cameroon
Elias T. Ayuk is the Director of Policy Advisory Services at CHAINT Afrique Academy. He has published widely on the social, economic and policy dimensions of natural resource management, on poverty analysis and institutional capacity building.