Tuesday, September 19, 8:15am-12:15pm

Santa Clara, California

The notion of a “circular economy” — systems of commerce that produce no waste or pollution, and where products, components and materials are designed to reenter the biosphere safely or be returned to industrial production cycles — is becoming mainstream. Dozens of the world’s largest companies are now engaged in rethinking their products, services and business models with the goal of eliminating waste of all kinds.

In many cases, advancing circular models is hindered by current materials, notably many plastics, textiles and building materials, which contain problematic ingredients on the front end and are difficult to reuse, depolymerize or recycle after their use. At the same time, a “materials revolution” is taking place, harnessing carbon fiber, green chemistry, ceramics, biomaterials and other innovations. Aligning these innovations with the goals of circularity, and doing so at scale, requires the involvement of an entire ecosystem of players.

Participation is by-invitation and will be limited to no more than 125 people including but not limited to:

• Architects, engineers, and designers
• Materials scientists
• Supply chain executives
• Product strategists
• Logistics managers
• Procurement professionals
• Policy makers and city government officials
• Investors
• Service providers

Summit is closed to press.

Agenda

The Summit begins with an opening breakfast to establish the focus and frame for the session. Participants will then engage in a series of facilitated discussions focused on exploring challenges and promising solutions to accelerate more circular economies. The Summit is designed to be an interactive, roll-up-your-sleeves experience, with a limited number of speeches and slide presentations.

Potential Topics

• Creating new materials from waste
• Distributed and additive manufacturing
• Using nature as inspiration
• Breaking through institutional barriers
• The role of standards
• The repair, refurbish and upgrade economy
• New business models
• Designing waste out of products
• “Closing your own loop” to use more of your own materials

Industries we will address:

• Automotive
• Aviation
• Buildings
• Chemicals
• Electronics
• Energy
• Health Care
• Fashion
• Packaging
• Pulp and Paper

What You Can Expect

• Deep learning about what technologies and new models are on the cutting edge of advancing circular economy design, and what’s needed to scale them
• Focused networking with a diverse group of leaders who can be powerful and effective allies and potential partners
• Collaborative investigation of key actions you can take, individually and through your organization, that can move the needle