What is the opportunity for implementing remanufacturing initiatives, and what would it take for your company to embrace this model?

Manufacturing accounts for 25 percent energy consumption and 22 percent of the greenhouse gas emissions in the United States alone, not to mention the raw materials used to manufacture products. With that level of embedded energy and value, it makes good sense to keep products and equipment in use as long as possible through remanufacturing. While remanufacturing is commonplace for automotive parts and aircraft components, not all industries have tapped into this opportunity. What financial, social and environmental benefits do these initiatives afford, and how can your company reap the rewards? What are the critical design decisions for products and equipment to be remanufactured? Join this session to dive into these questions with leaders and innovators in remanufacturing

Connect with like-minded participants in this interactive virtual discussion around a hard question or hot topic within the circular economy. Select your topic of interest to join a group discussion led by a moderator. The group will then be split into breakouts — allowing for deeper conversation around the topic you care about most. Bring your own challenges, questions and ideas to these interactive discussions. Cameras on!

How can your company's procurement strategy advance the transition to a circular economy?

As we pursue a more sustainable economy, procurement and supply chain leaders hold a unique and powerful position. With the strength of a purchase they can advance markets and accelerate a circular transition by purchasing products as a service or prioritizing repairable, durable, recyclable products as well as ones constructed from more sustainable or recycled materials. What does a circular-advancing procurement strategy look like, and how can you verify the circular, sustainable claims of the products your company purchases? Join this session to learn how diverse organizations are advancing the circular economy with the power of procurement.

What role should advanced or chemical recycling play in the future of materials management, and what are its benefits and limitations?

Chemical recycling, also known as advanced recycling, has been heralded as a promising, innovative technology that holds the key to recapturing value and transforming the “broken” recycling system into a perfectly circular one. Chemical recycling has also been scrutinized as expensive, environmentally misleading and not viable, with few examples of pilots achieving scale and most losing value as examples of downcycling. The reality is somewhere in between. If no silver bullet solution exists for waste and recycling, what role should this nascent process play in material management today and in the future? What applications have proven successful for chemical recycling, and where is there still room for growth and advancement? This session will explore the state of the chemical recycling market, highlighting the potential and limitations of this oft-debated technology. 

What are the benefits and limitations of plastic credits, and what will it take to scale, track and standardize a market for plastics offsets?

In an effort to reduce plastic footprints and improve public perception, some companies are turning to plastic credits and offsets, a system akin to carbon credits that funds the collection of plastics from the environment in exchange for the claim of plastic neutrality. From verifying and tracking plastics credits, to on-the-ground projects and partnerships with nonprofits and informal waste collectors, several organizations are leading the charge for a plastic credit ecosystem, yet skepticism remains high. Without an industry-wide standard for plastic credits, can this nascent system prove reliable? When purchased by plastic producers and polluters, do crediting schemes equate to greenwashing and enable unchecked primary production? Will credit purchases delay critical action in the reduction and recovery of plastics before they reach the environment? Join this panel to explore plastic credits as we distinguish a true market from marketing.