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The World Circular Economy Forum (WCEF) 2023 is coming to Helsinki, Finland, and so are Circle Economy’s experts! From the 30th of May to the 2nd of June, we will be joining circular game changers to discuss circular solutions for nature and the economy. This year, we’re proud to be co-organising two plenary sessions and participating in a number of Accelerator sessions. To make the forum accessible to everyone in the world, WCEF 2023 will be live-streamed online. Check an overview of our sessions below, pick your favourites and don’t forget to register!
Accelerating the circular transition will require much more public and private capital than is currently available. How can we engage the financial sector and enable more funding for the circular economy? This parallel session, co-organised by Circle Economy and the European Investment Bank, will discuss roadmaps as a tool to tackle challenges and de-risk investments in circular initiatives globally. Representatives of multilateral banking institutions, the private sector, national governments and local decision-makers will share their insights on investing in our circular future.
Date and time: 30th of May, 13:30-14:45 EEST (UTC +3)
Organisers: Circle Economy, European Investment Bank, GIZ, PREVENT Waste Alliance, Ministry of Infrastructure & Water Management of the Netherlands
CE Speakers: Marvin Nussack (Strategist)
Event page: https://wcef2023.com/sessions/unlocking-finance-for-a-circular-and-regenerative-economy/
The conventional education system can’t keep up with the world’s scale and speed of change. But how can we design educational programmes fit for current and future challenges? Our Circular Jobs Initiative Lead, Esther Goodwin Brown, will join inspiring speakers in this eye-opening session to discuss education enabling the circular transition. Panellists from practical and academic backgrounds will debate circular skills and explore how to deliver them to everyone.
Date and time: 30th of May, 15:15-16:30 EEST (UTC+3)
Organisers: Alto University
CE Speakers: Esther Goodwin Brown (Circular Jobs Initiative Lead)
Event page: https://wcef2023.com/sessions/new-education-for-a-changing-world/
More and more companies are adopting circular principles to reduce costs, manage risks and create positive impacts on society and the environment. Despite these benefits, investments in linear business models still surpass funding allocated to circular initiatives. This plenary discussion will demonstrate that the circular economy holds a huge untapped potential. A panel of experts from multilateral institutions and investment banks will examine actions needed to prompt a systemic shift in corporations and investors.
Date and time: 31st of May, 9:00-10:00 EEST (UTC +3)
Organisers: Circle Economy, Sitra
CE Speakers: Marvin Nussack (Strategist)
Event page: https://wcef2023.com/sessions/money-talks-what-enables-a-systemic-shift-for-corporates-and-investors/
The roundtable featuring our Head of Global Value Chains, Hilde van Duijn, will focus on bridging together the Global South and the Global North and breaking cultural and lifestyle barriers through circular policies, economic incentives and business models. It will spotlight deep-rooted circular economy practices in the Global South and argue that the ‘one size fits all’ concept of sustainability cannot be applied worldwide. The International Council for Circular Economy will also highlight the role of the Global South in enabling a global circular transition.
Date and time: 31st of May, 16:45-18:15 EEST (UCT+3)
Organisers: International Council for Circular Economy
CE Speakers: Hilde van Duijn (Head of Global Value Chains)
Event page: https://ic-ce.com/upcoming-events/
This session will deep dive into game changing regulatory developments within the European Corporate Sustainability Directive, which companies are affected, and how they can prepare most effectively to report on the new circular economy and resource use standards.
Date and time: 1st of June, 14:00 EEST (UCT+3)
Organisers: Nordic Innovation, Regnskap Norge, KPMG, the Danish Business Authority and Circle Economy
CE Speakers: Jacco Verstraeten-Jochemsen (Business Solutions Lead)
Event page: https://wbcsd.my.salesforce-sites.com/GuestEventPageV2?aId=a5s5p000001Ue6v
The circular transition starts with rethinking value chains in key sectors such as plastic, packaging, textiles and electronics. This Accelerator session will share key takeaways and analyse scalable circular economy models implemented under two EU-funded projects. Join us for an interactive session and put your knowledge to the test with the ‘Circularity Game’ experience on Plastic or Textiles, aiming to assess and raise awareness of the circular economy among suppliers. Please bring your phone to access the Game online!
Date and time: 1st of June, 9:00-10:45 EEST (UTC +3)
Organisers: Unido SwitchMED and Switch2CE projects, in collaboration with Circle Economy and Chatham House, with financial support from the European Union and the Government of Finland
CE Speakers: Hilde van Duijn (Head of Global Value Chains)
Event page: https://wcef2023.com/sessions/switchcolab-consultative-forum-on-circular-economy-solutions-for-industries/
The event, organised by the Circular Buildings Coalition (CBC), will consist of two sub-sessions. In the first sub-session (10:00-12:00 EEST), the CBC will present insights from its research into the current state of the European built environment and share scalable strategies to accelerate its circular transition. The second sub-session (12:00-13:00 EEST) will discuss the role of cities in the transition towards a circular economy based on lessons learned from the ICLEI City Loops project.
Date and time: 1st of June, 10:00-13:00 EEST (UTC +3)
Organisers: Circular Buildings Coalition, Circle Economy, ICLEI Europe
CE Speakers: Samy Kazemi (Built Environment Lead), Sreeja Raghunathan (Junior Consultant Built Environment)
Event page: https://wcef2023.com/sessions/accelerating-the-transition-towards-a-circular-built-environment/
What do we mean by a ‘circular built environment’? Why does it matter? This session will launch ‘Our Shared Understanding’, a set of guiding principles to help stakeholders in the built environment align policies, strategies and initiatives to accelerate the transition to a circular economy. A panel of world-leading experts will explore and discuss the findings and what they mean to their organisations.
Date and time: 1st of June, 13:30-14:30 EEST (UTC +3)
Organisers: Circle Economy, Collaboration of Leading Figures in Built Environment
CE Speakers: Martijn Lopes Cardozo (CEO), Samy Kazemi (Built Environment Lead), Sreeja Raghunathan (Junior Consultant Built Environment)
Event page: https://wcef2023.com/sessions/our-shared-understanding-the-circular-economy-in-the-built-environment/
How can we promote decent work opportunities in the circular economy? This Accelerator session will investigate solutions for a just and inclusive circular transition grounded in a joint research project of Circle Economy, the International Labour Organisation and the Solutions for Youth Employment (S4YE) Programme of the World Bank. The event aims to equip a diverse audience, including national governments, civil society organisations, industry leaders and practitioners, with the knowledge and tools needed to shape decent employment in the circular economy.
Date and time: 1st of June, 16:00-17:30 EEST (UTC+3)
Organisers: Circle Economy, International Labour Organization, Solutions for Youth Employment Programme at World Bank
CE Speakers: Esther Goodwin Brown (Circular Jobs Initiative Lead)
Event page: https://wcef2023.com/sessions/ensuring-a-just-and-jobs-rich-transition-to-a-sustainable-future-for-all/
The energy transition is metal-hungry, with many low-carbon technologies requiring vast quantities of metals and minerals. To address possible metal shortages and supply chain disruptions, all parts of the metals value chain should collaborate and amplify their circularity. But how? This workshop will feature diverse stakeholders bringing about creative solutions to promote circularity in the metals value chain—from miners to manufacturers and policymakers.
Date and time: 2nd of June, 9:30-11:30 EEST (UTC +3)
Organisers: Circle Economy, Columbia Center for Sustainable Investment (CCSI), ICMM
CE Speakers: Tamara Veldboer (Business Strategies Lead)
Event page: https://wcef2023.com/sessions/imagining-the-metals-value-chains-of-the-future/
We would be happy to see you at these events! To watch the live stream of the main programme, please register via this form. To join the Accelerator sessions, please register separately via the sessions’ pages provided above.
