Welcome to Circularity 19! Our opening will set some context, frame the program and offer suggestions about how to get the most out of your week at Circularity 19. 

What do we mean by "circular economy," and where are we on the path towards more circular systems? Ashima Sukhdev,  government & cities program lead at the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, will help set the scene for the days to come and bring us up to speed on the story so far. 

By 2030 the circular economy is estimated to be worth $4.5 trillion in economic output. But what if that’s an underestimate? For the last three years, Google has been working to make circular principles a reality across infrastructure, operations, and products, from data center servers to food waste in its cafes. But what does it take for a company with Google’s scale and complexity to become a circular business? And can technology speed our journey to a circular future? Hear from Kate Brandt, Google Sustainability Officer, on the global tech company’s plans to transform Google, and offer others the chance to do the same, as the circular economy becomes reality.

What will it take to sieze the current moment, leverage the buzz around the circular economy and scale circularity across value chains and regions? This conversation will explore how the circular economy movement is playing out globally, and what’s likely to happen in the coming months and years. 

Plastic – miracle material or environmental scourge? It’s changed our lives, in many ways for the better, but it has also inadvertently become a problem of an almost unimaginable scale. It’s a problem that’s global, visible, harmful AND solvable. This presentation will set the context of the current plastic waste crisis and the urgency and opportunities to tackle the problem.

Biomimicry accelerates the kinds of breakthroughs we need to achieve a circular economy. But getting those breakthroughs all the way from concept to commercialization is a difficult journey. That’s why, with the help of the Ray C. Anderson Foundation, the Biomimicry Institute created the Biomimicry Launchpad, an accelerator that supports biomimicry entrepreneurs as they take early-stage, nature-inspired solutions to market, deploying the circular, regenerative solutions we need right now.

Seven international teams have spent the past year working with experts and mentors to bring their biomimicry innovations closer to market. These teams will take the stage at Circularity 19 to find out who will win the world’s premiere biomimicry design award, the $100,000 Ray of Hope Prize®, sponsored by the Ray C. Anderson Foundation. A $25,000 second prize from an anonymous donor will also be awarded.

Join us live at Circularity to meet the seven teams who are pioneering new, nature-inspired climate change and sustainability solutions and find out who will bring home the grand prize!

Click here to find out more about the seven teams who will compete for the Ray of Hope Prize at Circularity 19.

A Circular Economy is only good when it circulates “goods.” Join William McDonough as he discusses the importance of first ensuring that materials are safe and healthy when designing for circularity. McDonough will describe how applying “The Five Goods” of Cradle to Cradle Design™ to molecules, products, the fashion industry, buildings, landscapes, cities and ecosystems – even global crises such as plastic pollution – can productively and intelligently transform design to make sure when we recycle, we are not in a state of circular “retox.”

Learn about how C&A created the most circular jeans in the world certified to Cradle to Cradle Gold level. This conversation will explore the challenges to create such a product including what is needed to deliver more scale. We will cover the ways to achieve apparel that is 100% non toxic and biodegradable, 100% designed for its next life, 100% produced with renewable energy, 100% produced with recycled water or water discharges of drinking water standards and 100% social fairness. Lastly we will discuss the role of collaborative platforms like Fashion for Good and how open source is essential to impact and scale.

Welcome to day 2 of Circularity 19! 

Managing food waste often presents a challenge to cities and hospitality businesses in them due to large volumes of food, uncertainty of demand, and weak infrastructure for recovery.

The region of Las Vegas presents a unique and surprising contrast to this present day norm. Food waste of all types is often up-cycled to the right destination not down-cycled to lower value. Learn what happens in Vegas: MGM Resorts, the predominant hospitality player in the city is ready to share.

What will it take to capitalize the circular economy? Circular supply chains offer investors an opportunity to reduce costs, provide pricing stability, mitigate risk and protect the environment. To unlock the $4.5 trillion economic opportunity promised by circularity, it will take alignment with the traditional finance community, big banks and investment decision-makers to finance and accelerate new, often unproven models. Hear about how stakeholders are beginning to unlock value and create a lasting positive impact on the environment as they pivot towards circularity.

What if the limitations to realizing a circular economy lay not only in new and innovative approaches, but also in enabling cultural conditions critical for them to take hold? What if, in our quest for more, better, faster, prettier, newer… we lost the thread between who we are and what is happening around us? What if the role of business needs to start, not just with circular practices, but with designing for connection between people? These are some of the questions we are exploring as we consider how to design for the the cultural conditions for a circular economy - be it within cities, neighborhoods, businesses or for a given product or service. 

Hear from Alexis Ludwig-Vogen, Best Buy’s Director of Corporate Responsibility & Sustainability as she shares how Best Buy has built the circular economy into its business model.

Nothing happens without water. Although it's a basic building block of every economy, water is becoming increasingly scarce, threatening supply chains, communities and business as usual. According to U.N. estimates, the world will face a 40 percent freshwater deficit by 2030 if nothing changes. However, applying circular economy principles to water management may be the key to turning scarcity into abundance and regenerating watersheds in the process.

Join the host of Marketplace Tech, Molly Wood, and Ecolab Chairman and CEO Doug Baker for a conversation about the state of the world’s water and how industry can serve both the environment and the bottom line by getting smart about water. Last year, Ecolab managed more than 1.1 trillion gallons of water for customers around the world in a wide range of industries, helping them reduce, reuse and recycle water, saving 300 billion gallons along the way. This interview will explore the future of circular water management, the technologies that will help close the loop on water usage, and shed light on real-world solutions that are available to companies today.

Sarah Chandler is leading the effort to achieve Apple’s ambitious goal to one day use only recycled or renewable materials in its products and packaging. Hear how innovation has been the cornerstone of Apple’s success in reducing its environmental footprint — from Apple's iPhone disassembly robot and state-of-the-art Material Recovery Lab, to its custom-engineered recycled aluminum alloy. 

How do you get an entire company thinking about circular economy principles at the “drawing board” phase? 3M and Target are among the organizations that are actively prioritizing factors such as durability and reuse potential far earlier in the product development cycle. Top executives share their insights on how they’ve trained employees — from engineers to brand managers — to think differently; the key role of small, nimble partners; and how circularity is creating whole new categories and revenue opportunities.

Accelerate at Circularity 19 is a fast-pitch competition featuring entrepreneurs with innovative technologies, products and services advancing a circular economy. Selected finalists will pitch from the main stage. 

Finalists:

Matthieu de Gaudemar, CEO, Kudoti

PeterMajeranowski, CEO & Co-Founder, Tyton BioSciences

Tinia Pina, Founder & CEO, Re-Nuble

Chantal Emmanuel CTO, Co-Founder, Lime Loop

Forrest Carroll, CFO, Revolv

Joanna Chen, CEO, Gibbon

Michael Martin Founder & CEO, r.Cup

Welcome to the final day of Circularity 19! 

Is recycling broken? Dead? Worth it? Hear from the co-presidents of a local non-profit social enterprise recycler explain their vision for the evolution of recycling and key role it can play in stabilizing the climate, creating strong local economies, and supporting healthy communities. Recycling may need some attention, but wasting is our crisis.

Take a look inside an ambitious industry initiative to holistically address the global marine debris crisis. 

Envisioning a fully circular city, we imagine a zero-waste, innovative city of the future that is resilient and healthy, with opportunities for all. But, practically speaking, how can the city get there?

Circular delivery models will require not just innovation in packaging but a reimagination of supply chains, partnerships and the consumer experience. Learn about a groundbreaking new approach to reusing packaging at scale, and hear how large consumer product companies, retailers and TerraCycle are partnering to enable a durable supply chain while maintaining affordability and convenience, and improving the customer experience.

Resale is now a reality. While legacy marketplaces and startups have tapped into this $24B market, brands have been slower to react. As the market is expected to grow to $51B in just 5 years, brands are beginning to realize that owning their own resale market is essential to grow sales, loyalty and new customers. The plenary will focus on this changing landscape for brands, insights and learnings from those brands forging this new ground.

Are average Americans really beginning to catch onto how much plastic they use and trash every day? Are they seeing all the press, the Nat Geo covers, the YouTube videos? Are they disgusted in themselves…brands…plastics makers…lawmakers? And what will they soon be demanding…who should solve this problem? Will they begin seeking out products not packaged in plastics? Will they shun brands that use plastic packaging? Will they demand that their lawmakers impose bans? Will they get loud on social media the way they have for other social issues? Based on new research, Suzanne Shelton will offer up profiles of the Americans who are awake, aware and activated on plastics and the profile of those who are still dormant and asleep.