Skip to main content

VERGE

Main menu

Main menu

  • ConferencesToggle submenu for Conferences
    • VERGE Circular
    • VERGE Energy
    • VERGE Transport
  • ProgramToggle submenu for Program
    • VERGE 18 Program
    • VERGE Circular
    • VERGE Energy
    • VERGE Transport
    • Program for Building Stakeholders
    • VERGE Accelerate
    • Schedule
    • Community Engagement
  • SpeakersToggle submenu for Speakers
    • VERGE 18 Speakers
    • VERGE Circular
    • VERGE Energy
    • VERGE Transport
  • SummitsToggle submenu for Summits
    • Summit Series Overview
    • Circular Plastics Summit
    • Fleet Electrification Summit
    • Microgrid Summit
    • REBA Summit
  • ExpoToggle submenu for Expo
    • Interconnect Expo
    • VERGE Accelerate
    • Call for Artists
    • Partner Events
    • Startup Showcase
    • Community Engagement
    • Clean Energy Equity Showcase
    • Microgrid
    • Solutions Series
  • VirtualToggle submenu for Virtual
    • Virtual Registration
    • Virtual Program
  • AboutToggle submenu for About
    • About VERGE 18
    • Host Committee
    • Sustainability
    • Subscribe
    • Networking App

VERGE 18 Program

VERGE Energy Program

VERGE Circular Program

VERGE Transport Program

VERGE Circular Program
VERGE Energy Program
VERGE Transport Program
Download Printable Program
  • Monday
  • Tuesday
  • Wednesday
  • Thursday
Filter by Track: 
  • All VERGE Circular Tracks
  • Design & Materials
  • Food & Water Systems
  • Business Model Innovation
  • Logistics & Infrastructure
See the Full VERGE 18 Program

Business Model Innovation

Tuesday, October 16th, 2018
8:30am to 12:15pm
More Details

Circular Economy 101

Tutorial

This tutorial is now full. Space may become available, so please plan to arrive early on Tuesday, October 16, to join a queue for available seats. In the meantime, we recommend pre-registering for your second-choice tutorial.

This half-day tutorial, designed for attendees from all sectors and backgrounds and presented by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, will provide a foundational understanding of the circular economy — a model that fundamentally reimagines the traditional “take-make-waste” linear industrial model in favor of a system that designs out waste and pollution, decouples economic growth from natural resource consumption, increases resource productivity and regenerates natural systems. 

The first part of the tutorial session will tour through our circular economy journey to date. From theory through to action, The Foundation team will start by explaining the guiding principles and then take participants through a series of case study examples which illustrate circular design spanning products, business models, and system level innovations.

To some, the circular economy concept can feel academic and detached from reality. The second part of the session will take a more in depth look at how we can 'sell in' and convince stakeholders to invest in circular economy initiatives. Much of the work concentrating on the circular economy to date has centred on deep analysis of the broader economic opportunity. Translating the theory into practical opportunities for colleagues working at the coal-face of operations, or executives faced with competing priorities, can present a critical challenge.

Fortunately,  the circular economy is a big idea with many entry points. Significant work has already been completed by many diverse organisations of all sizes to demonstrate that the theoretical upside can be translated to real commercial opportunities today. Some of these organisations are already taking giant leaps towards circular economy models. 

Dragon Rouge, an award-winning global creative agency and CE100 member, spoke with several of those leading organisations to understand what is working, and launched a report on the topic. During the second part of the session, The Foundation Team and Dragon Rouge representatives will distil insight on how you can effectively 'sell' the circular economy into different parts of your organisation.

Tracks

  • Design & Materials
  • Food & Water Systems
  • Business Model Innovation
  • Logistics & Infrastructure
  • All-Access Pass Required
  • Sign-up Required

Speakers

  • James George
  • Joe Murphy
  • Joe Iles
  • Dorothy Mackenzie

Share

  • Twitter logo
  • Facebook logo
  • LinkedIn logo
More Details

Regenerative Futures Lab: Imagining the Unimaginable

Tutorial

Understanding regeneration requires moving beyond fragmented problem-solving and towards realizing new potentials within whole, complex systems. 

The more we understand planetary life cycles of birth, growth, death, decay, and regeneration, the clearer it becomes that human civilization is dependent on and inseparable from them. Given the countless unintended consequences and existential threats we face, it’s easy to catastrophize the future.

Is it possible to reverse the impacts of these threats? For many of us, this is an unthinkable thought. Yet the role of foresight tools are to help us radically reimagine the future. Which begs the question: What paradigms and assumptions are informing foresight processes and our understanding of sustainability? 

To date, the field of sustainability has been largely dominated by a mechanistic interpretations of natural resources, assets, and the commons, tacitly informed by models of competition and scarcity. How might we re-envision these - and explore potential futures - from a regenerative perspective?

This interactive workshop reframes how shared assets are imagined. Are they perpetually scarce (fixed and diminishing) or potentially abundant (living and regenerative)?  How can we invest in assets - and communities - to increase their capacities and capabilities over time?

Featuring aerial photography of Oakland by Stephen Loewinsohn. 

Pre-register to ensure access to your first choice of tutorial. Select “Already Registered?” here and enter your email address and confirmation number to log in. Then, click the “Modify” button to add a tutorial to your registration.

Tracks

  • Design & Materials
  • Food & Water Systems
  • Business Model Innovation
  • Logistics & Infrastructure
  • All-Access Pass Required
  • Sign-up Required

Speakers

  • Dawn Danby
  • David McConville
  • Nicole Boyer
  • Adam Flynn

Share

  • Twitter logo
  • Facebook logo
  • LinkedIn logo
Wednesday, October 17th, 2018
8:30am to 9:30am
More Details

A Thoughtful Conversation about the War on Plastic

Breakout

Is plastic the problem, or plastic waste? Is it all plastics, or just some? Is it all products, or only a few? As a global war on plastic escalates, more companies and cities are being asked to take actions to limit its use and waste. However, plastic is ubiquitous and cheap and continues to play a vital role in ensuring health, safety and product delivery and longevity. This session will break down these key issues and explore the conflicting perspectives and priorities when it comes to navigating the plastic challenge.

Tracks

  • Business Model Innovation

Speakers

  • Jeff Wooster
  • Lynn Hoffman
  • Del Hudson
  • Andrew Falcon

Share

  • Twitter logo
  • Facebook logo
  • LinkedIn logo
More Details

Economy First: Scaling Investment in Circularity

Breakout

Circular economy solutions will only scale when the economics are sound, and a divergence from the existing linear model will require new and innovating financing. Hear from investors about what it will take to finance circularity. And learn about the market signals that will guide investment opportunities.

Tracks

  • Business Model Innovation
  • Logistics & Infrastructure

Speakers

  • Ellen Martin
  • Emily Landsburg
  • Scott Jacobs
  • Sarah Dearman

Share

  • Twitter logo
  • Facebook logo
  • LinkedIn logo
9:45am to 10:45am
More Details

Push or Pull? How Companies, Consumers and Cities Drive Circular Change

Breakout

Consumers demand an end to plastic straws, cities ban single-use bags and companies voluntarily move towards circularity. What are the most effective drivers of systems change? This session will explore the various levers of change, including policy, consumer pressure, corporate advocacy and partnerships, as well as the interplay of these factors and the impact of collaboration amongst industry partners to meet circular economy goals.

Tracks

  • Business Model Innovation

Speakers

  • Kate Daly
  • Monique Oxender
  • Ian Olson
  • Dylan de Thomas
  • Jack Macy

Share

  • Twitter logo
  • Facebook logo
  • LinkedIn logo
11:15am to 12:15pm
More Details

Meaningful Metrics for New Models

Breakout

Many companies are enthusiastic about the potential of circular business models, but how do they assess the benefits of new business models, such as product takeback or leasing? As industries innovate, they will need a common framework for evaluating the impacts and making credible claims. This conversation will focus on work being done to establish methods for measuring the environmental and social impact of circular business models.

Tracks

  • Business Model Innovation

Speakers

  • Minal Mistry
  • Eliot Metzger
  • Bill Hoffman

Share

  • Twitter logo
  • Facebook logo
  • LinkedIn logo
More Details

Turning Carbon into Value

Breakout

This session will explore the burgeoning market for carbon capture technologies that transform atmospheric CO2 into materials that can be used in the production of cement, plastics — and more. This dialogue isn't just about drawing down emissions, it's about creating entirely new revenue opportunities.

Tracks

  • Design & Materials
  • Business Model Innovation

Speakers

  • Noah Deich
  • Mark Herrema
  • Kate Gordon
  • Molly Morse

Share

  • Twitter logo
  • Facebook logo
  • LinkedIn logo
Thursday, October 18th, 2018
8:30am to 9:30am
More Details

From Start to Finish to Start: Strategies for Extending Apparel Lifecycles

Breakout

As product lifespans shrink across industries, some companies are exploring innovative approaches to capitalizing on a product's embedded quality through reuse cycles. From partnerships and industry-wide collaboration, to reimagining the end of a product's life as the start of a new one, to leveraging connectivity and technology to bridge the essential communication gap between stakeholders— this panel will provide a prototype for powering circularity at scale, with triple-bottom line impact. 

 

Tracks

  • Business Model Innovation

Speakers

  • Annie Gullingsrud
  • Jeff Denby
  • Natasha Franck

Share

  • Twitter logo
  • Facebook logo
  • LinkedIn logo
12:15pm to 4:30pm
More Details

Circular Plastics Summit

Summit

The Circular Plastics Summit is a half-day, invitation-only working session convening 100 key stakeholders to focus on how to redesign the plastics value chain to eliminate waste. 

Refer to our Circular Plastics Summit page  for more information and to request an invitation.

Tracks

  • Design & Materials
  • Business Model Innovation
  • Logistics & Infrastructure
  • Invitation Only

Share

  • Twitter logo
  • Facebook logo
  • LinkedIn logo
1:30pm to 2:30pm
More Details

Getting your Company to Zero Waste

Breakout

What will it take to achieve "zero waste" for your company, and what does it mean to get there? This session will explore differing approaches, pathways and tactics to curbing waste production. Hear from experts at Wegmans, HP Inc. and Rubicon Global on how they have defined, navigated and achieved their zero waste goals. 

Tracks

  • Food & Water Systems
  • Business Model Innovation

Speakers

  • Jason Wadsworth
  • David Rachelson
  • Lauren Phipps
  • Mary Curtiss

Share

  • Twitter logo
  • Facebook logo
  • LinkedIn logo
3:00pm to 4:00pm
More Details

Operation Take-Back: Models, Markets & Reverse Logistics

Breakout

What does it take to successfully reclaim a product and ensure the transition to its next life rather than an end of life? As companies begin to rethink waste, product take-back programs are an increasingly strategic approach for capturing previously untapped value. This session will explore these new business models, identify the market incentives and regulations that could help inspire higher rates of product returns and discuss the challenges of implementation from the economics of reverse logistics to engaging customers as partners in enabling circularity.

Tracks

  • Business Model Innovation
  • Logistics & Infrastructure

Speakers

  • Scott Breen
  • Ann Starodaj
  • John Atcheson

Share

  • Twitter logo
  • Facebook logo
  • LinkedIn logo

Footer menu 1

  • GreenBiz 21
  • GreenFin 21
  • Circularity 21
  • Code of Conduct

Footer menu 2

  • All Events
  • Executive Network
  • GreenBiz.com

Footer menu 3

  • About GreenBiz Group
  • Contact Us
  • Subscribe
  • VERGE is a registered trademark of GreenBiz Group
Twitter
Facebook
Instagram
LinkedIn
This site (RSS)
GreenBiz

Secondary Footer menu

  • Privacy Policy
© 2021 GreenBiz Group Inc. GREENBIZ® and GREENBIZ.COM® are registered trademarks of GreenBiz Group Inc.