EIT Climate-KIC at the World Circular Economy Forum

EIT Climate-KIC will be participating in several events at this year’s World Circular Economy Forum organised by Sitra in Helsinki, including a talk on circular economy in cities from Chief Executive Officer Kirsten Dunlop, on 3 June at 14:30. Our multiple interventions at the conference demonstrate how circular economy can be used to catalyse the rapid systems change needed to transition to a net zero carbon society.

Below you will find our full list of activities at the World Circular Economy Forum. Are you interested in attending the WCEF? Please contact nordicsinfo@climate-kic.org for further information. 

• What? Circular Economy in Cities – Parallel session II
• When? Monday 3 June 2019, 14.30 – 16.00 in the Helsinki Hall

This parallel session is co-organised by EIT Climate-KIC and will feature a talk by Climate-KIC Chief Executive Officer Kirsten Dunlop. The session will focus on various topics for circular economy in cities, including insights in how cities can lead the change towards circular economy, how to adapt to resource scarcity and new opportunities and what new economic opportunities can arise from circularity. 

Official WCEF2019 Programme

• What? Innovative Circular Procurement in Cities endeavour
• When? Tuesday 4 June 2019, 11.00-12.30

Circular procurement can be the instrument to leverage many of the pressing waste and circular challenges facing growing cities today, including reducing waste, rethinking resources and creating green growth. The circular transition also holds the potential to create new jobs and improve the livability and attractiveness of cities.

But what are the more concrete benefits of incorporating circularity as a planning instrument at city- and district level, and how can these, as well as potential negative effects, be assessed? What needs to be done on a municipality level to turn theory into practice and what hurdles need to be overcome? How can current policies, alongside business and civil society initiatives, contribute to the transition?

This side-event comprises brief presentations and panel discussions of expertise around ‘circular procurement’ and how urban generated waste, either the entire product of its components and raw materials, should be returned to the city or company of origin to either be reused, repaired or redeveloped into a new product. Views and experiences are shared on the rationale for and approach to circularity in cities.

As part of the Circular Cities project, a white paper will be launched at the side-event with a specific focus on ‘Circular procurement’, showcasing how cities can build circular procurement into ownership and contractual relations in which the products are often delivered as a service so resources can remain in circulation as long as possible.

The session will furthermore include a dynamic gamification session where the audience will provide feedback on how circular procurement can represent a mechanism through which circular economy can be embedded into municipal operations via its procurement processes and what effects need to be considered. 

Register to the session

• What? Circular Business Models: from theory to practice
• When? Wednesday 5 June, 9.30 – 12.30

There is increasing acknowledgement that business models are vital to the circular economy. There is growing literature on how new business models can – at least theoretically – promote greater circularity. It is time to put the theory into practice! At this event, leading European research institutes will share their first-hand experience of working with companies to develop and implement circular business models. The audience will participate in discussions on outstanding business innovation needs and challenges, and on how best to collaborate to co-create solutions.
 
This event is organised by ECERA – the European Circular Economy Research Alliance. EIT Climate-KIC will join a panel discussion on circular business model innovation.

REGISTER HERE

• What? Improving resource efficiency through industrial symbiosis – Opportunities for SMEs
• When? Thursday 6 June, 8.45 – 17.00

Industrial symbiosis is an industrial ecosystem where unused or residual resources of one company are used by another. This results in mutual economic, social and environmental benefits. Industrial symbiosis promotes cross-sectoral collaboration and supports local and regional growth. It also creates jobs and fosters industrial clusters that share a mutual interest in resource efficiency and circular economy.
 
This event, organised by the European Resource Efficiency Knowledge Centre (EREK) and Motiva, seeks to answer questions such as:

• What are the key drivers for success in industrial symbiosis and how to resolve possible barriers?
• What can we learn from each other to succeed even better?
• What’s in it for businesses and especially SMEs?

The workshop will be interactive and will focus on insights gained from experiences with promoting industrial symbiosis. It will connect business intermediaries from the public and private sector, as well as policymakers with responsibilities for resource efficiency, industrial symbiosis, and circular economy.

Climate-KIC will present a session at 10:00 on key drivers, enablers and intermediaries to scale up industrial symbiosis in Europe, from findings of the Horizon 2020 SCALER Project.

REGISTER HERE

EIT Climate-KIC will host an exhibition booth at the Expo Area in the Finlandia Hall located on the 2nd floor. Come meet us there to find out more about all our work in Circular Economy, and pick up our brand new Climate Innovation Insights (Series 3)!

The World Circular Economy Forum will be held in the Finnish capital Helsinki at the Finlandia Hall in the centre of the city. The Finlandia Hall was designed by world-renowned Finnish architect Alvar Aalto and is one of his most iconic buildings.

Venue for side session: Veranda Hall, Finlandia Hall

The third World Circular Economy Forum (WCEF) will be held in Helsinki, Finland on 3-5 June 2019, hosted by Sitra. The forum will have a strong emphasis on the next era of circular economy and scaling up the transition, bringing together more than 2,000 business leaders, policymakers and experts to present the world’s best circular economy solutions. Scaling up the transition involves growing investments into circular economy businesses, spreading and adopting new technologies and making significant regulatory changes that enable the circular economy to flourish. 

The Forum will introduce 17 plenary and parallel sessions including keynote speeches, thematic discussions and ample networking opportunities. EIT Climate-KIC is an official partner of the WCEF2019. 

Go to WCEF2019