Towards the Circular Economy
The last hundred years have brought an unprecedented increase in natural resource use. This trend is likely to continue in the coming decades. Global resource use is expected to double by 2030. For Europe, these developments raise major concerns . Europe's economy depends on an uninterrupted flow of natural resources , metals, minerals, energy carriers and other raw materials , with imports providing a substantial proportion of these materials in many cases. Increasingly, this dependence will be a source of vulnerability, as growing global competition for natural resources has contributed to marked increases in price levels and volatility. Uncertain and unstable prices disrupt the industrial sectors that are dependent on these resources. At the same time, rapid increases in extraction and exploitation of natural resources are having a wide range of negative environmental impacts, particularly in Europe. Air, water and soil pollution, acidification of ecosystems, biodiversity loss, climate change and waste generation put economic and social well-being at risk. Creating a circular economy in Europe can help to address many of these challenges, and further improve the efficiency of resource use. It will have obvious economic benefits, reducing costs and risks while enhancing competitiveness. European leadership in the transition to a circular economy also offers opportunities securing first-mover advantages in the global economy.
The conference will address the issues impacting the transition from the linear take-make-consume-dispose economic model that currently dominates to a circular model that represents a fundamental alternative and explore the huge challenges and business opportunities in a circular economy. The conference will include presentations and panel discussions featuring renowned researchers within circular economy and leading Polish businesses presenting relevant projects and views on why and how the circular economy is introduced in their factories. It will bring together industry leaders, authorities and city planners, technology providers, business consultants, researchers and inventors, all with the common goal of driving innovation in new materials and better, more economic products and services and securing first-mover advantages in the global economy.
Key topic areas for discussion will include:
- What’s the current state of play of the circular economy ?
- Potential and barriers for the circular economy in Europe
- Business models for a circular economy
- Innovation in a circular economy through European collaboration
- How can waste generation and material inputs be minimized through eco-design?
- Digitalization, including Internet of Things and Blockchain technology, as a facilitator for the transition to a circular economy
