The Opportunity

A study of 110 global cities has shown that aligning climate targets between cities and businesses can amplify emissions reductions by 67%

Nature Sustainability volume 8, pages 54–65 (2025)

Australia is at risk of lagging behind in the global net zero transition due to structural gaps in industry, policy, and market readiness.

No single industry currently has the capability to lead the net-zero transformation, and existing sectors operate in silos, limiting the cross-industry collaboration necessary for large-scale change.

A new industry model - built at the intersection of energy, infrastructure, digital innovation, and circular economy - is needed to create new markets and unlock Australia’s competitive advantage. Without this, Australian businesses will struggle to capitalise on net zero innovations that drive economic growth, job creation, and long-term sustainability that are maturing in other economies.  
There is a significant opportunity for Australia to lead in the renewable energy transition by leveraging its natural advantages to accelerate circular economy innovation and digital systems at the city scale. Through strategic use of its resource base - including critical minerals, renewable energy capacity, and prosumer-driven models - Australia can unlock scalable, place-based solutions for net zero cities.

However, the absence of a robust industry-city partnership weakens our ability to deploy scalable solutions, placing our cities at risk of falling behind global counterparts in attracting talent, investment, and innovation.
International examples, such as the EU’s 112 Net Zero Cities initiative, demonstrate that the city scale presents a unique opportunity for transformational industry acceleration.
The research programs within the Net Zero Cities CRC bid have been deliberately designed to be cross-cutting, focusing on key areas such as circularity, digital innovation, policy, finance, and behavioural change.  

Since November 2022, the bid team has conducted extensive industry consultations to identify key challenges and define the scope of a major net zero collaboration.
These efforts have culminated in a $122M CRC bid, with a revised submission in 2025.  

With insights drawn from industry workshops and impact modelling work, the revised bid emphasises the design of cross-sector digital and circular innovations for the new Net Zero economy.

The consortium brings together over 55 partners from industry, government, community, and research to drive Net Zero Cities innovations over the next 10 years.
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