Side events related to the WCEFonline can be arranged between 1 September and 31 December 2020. These can be organised either as virtual or local events, depending on possible restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 situation. The topics addressed in WCEFonline Side Events can be specific topics related to the circular economy or related to WCEFonline’s theme: rebooting the economy with circular solutions. The side events can have several organisers.

All WCEFonline  Side Events are independent events and require a registration. Click the heading of the side event to read more. The organisers are responsible for all practicalities and expenses related to organising the event, including the virtual event platform or possible venue, programme, invitations, registration, marketing and communications. The WCEFonline host Sitra will promote the side events on the WCEFonline website, in newsletters and on social media. Sitra is not responsible for any practical arrangements and costs.

Tuesday 8 September

Nordic Circular Hotspot: building the next era of the circular economy in the Nordics

This virtual event will present the next steps for the Nordic Circular Hotspot, which was launched at the WCEF in 2019. Key findings of the first Nordic Circular Economy Network Map will be revealed as well as the current circular state of play in each of the five Nordic countries.

Time: 11:30-13:30 UTC+3
Organiser: Nordic Circular Hotspot

Monday 21 September

Creating a circular city: what is next for Glasgow?

The city of Glasgow is at the forefront of Scotland’s transition towards a circular economy and will host the UN Climate Change Summit COP26 in November 2021, placing the city under a global lens. Join the event to discuss how Glasgow can reach its climate change targets and build resilience for future crises by shifting to a circular economy.

Time: 12:00-13:00 UTC+3
Organiser: Glasgow Chamber of Commerce

Making the circular economy work

This session brings together sustainability professionals and businesses that have successfully contributed to a circular economy transition in Cornwall, Scotland and the Netherlands. The workshop’s aim is to drive best practice knowledge exchange and develop solutions for future collaboration.

Time: 14:30-16:00 UTC+3
Organisers: Tevi and University of Exeter

Tuesday 22 September

Measuring circularity

Measure the circularity of your business by using new circular economy tools. By increasing their circularity, businesses can increase the resilience of their operations. We will present three fresh circularity metrics tools from Finland and across the world. The event will be mainly in Finnish.

Time: 9:00-10:45 UTC+3
Organiser: Sitra

The future of furniture: circular solutions for a post-COVID-19 world

This transnational event as part of the Interreg North Sea Region ProCirc project will explore why circular economy approaches to office furniture are beneficial for the environment and society, as well as the financial benefits for the organisations that buy in this way and how procurers can adapt to meet the challenges.

Time:  11:30-13:00 UTC+3
Organisers: Business in the Community, Zero Waste Scotland, The Norwegian Agency for Public and Financial Management

Affordable circular housing

The whole world is interested in circularity in the housing sector. The event will focus on material use, design considerations, technology and affordability, with panellists from Australia, India and Sri Lanka. Please note: you can make an input to the event here.

Time: 12:00-13:30 UTC+3
Organiser: One Planet Network Sustainable Buildings and Construction Programme

Circular @ Oslo Innovation Week

In three interactive tracks, this event will explore the role of innovative business models, smart regional solutions, collaboration and data in driving the transition to build back better with place-based circular economies.

Time: 15:00-17:00 UTC+3
Organisers: Circular Oslo – Circular Regions, Norwegian Center of Circular Economy, United Nations Global Compact Norway and Ashoka Nordics

Wednesday 23 September

Breaking barriers towards circularity in the building sector and beyond

The first steps towards a circular economy have resulted in many innovations and pioneering projects in construction and real estate. A panel of front runners and strategic thinkers from the Netherlands discusses what is required for the next steps towards scale, covering adjustments in finance, accounting and even taxes.

Time: 16:15-17:00 UTC+3
Organiser: ABN AMRO

Wednesday 23 and Thursday 24 September

Sustainable materials: innovating our future beyond the pandemic

Panellists from academia, industry, government and NGOs will explore possibilities for sustainable materials and innovative technologies for a green recovery. Discussion topics include sustainable materials, carbon footprint reduction, innovation and commercialisation, as well as the circular economy, policy and consumers.

Time: 23 September at 20:00-01:00 (UTC+3) and 24 September at 20:00-01:00 (UTC+3)
Organiser: Bioproducts Discovery and Development Centre, University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada

Monday 28 September

Putting the circular city into practice

The session will showcase examples of how cities from different regions have put circularity into practice through cross-sectoral collaboration (e.g. city-business partnerships, public participation and city-research co-operation), and discuss the challenges and how to overcome them.

Time: 15:00-16:30 UTC+3
Organiser: ICLEI and the City of Turku

Reflections from Canadian circular cities during a pandemic

The circular economy teams from the City of Toronto, City of Guelph, City of Montreal and the Vancouver area will reflect on how the global pandemic impacted how we deliver circular programs and the implications for our circular city transitions.

Time: 19:00-21:00 UTC+3
Organisers: City of Toronto, City of Guelph, City of Montreal and representatives from the Vancouver area

Tuesday 29 September

The Walrus Talks at Home: circular economy – shared prosperity for the long term

The Walrus provokes new thinking and sparks conversation on matters vital to Canadians. This public event will feature four speakers, each talking for five minutes from a different perspective on Canada’s role in the circular economy. The presentations are followed by an interactive Q&A session with the audience.

Time: 2:00-3:00 UTC+3
Organiser: The Walrus

Circular building solutions from the Netherlands

Circularity in the building sector is a theme where the Netherlands is one of the frontrunners both with ambitious targets and solutions to global challenges. The event puts the built environment into the spotlight, presenting solutions by Madaster, Circular IQ, Future Insight, Blue21 and Turntoo.

Time: 13:30-14:30 UTC+3
Organisers: The Netherlands Embassy in Helsinki and Regional Business Development Team Nordics & Baltics

SWITCH to circular economy value chains

Coherent application of circular economy practices requires action by everyone in global value chains, from SMEs to leading companies. This event focuses on the close cooperation required for multinational companies and SME suppliers in developing countries to meet their circularity goals.

Time: 13:30-14:45 UTC+3
Organisers: UNIDO and the European Commission’s Directorate-General for International Cooperation and Development (DG DEVCO), with contributions from Circle Economy and Chatham House

Circular economy opportunities for building resilience in Latin America and the Caribbean post-COVID-19

At this event the authors of a new Chatham House paper, The circular economy in Latin America and the Caribbean: opportunities for building resilience post-COVID-19, discuss how building an inclusive circular economy in Latin America could support resilience in the post-COVID-19 world.

Time: 16:30-17:45 UTC+3
Organiser: The Royal Institute of International Affairs, Chatham House

Driving public policy to create a resilient circular economy in the EU and North America

Public policy is key in creating large scale change towards a circular economy. Join the event for an interactive dialogue with business leaders about what green businesses are already doing and what more can be done to accelerate the shift.

Time: 16:30-17:45 UTC+3
Organisers: American Sustainable Business Council and Ecopreneur.eu

Wednesday 30 September

The circular hotspots of the world: catalysing the circular transition

This virtual event will provide a venue for circular hotspots in Europe and around the world to exchange knowledge and experiences and to increase collaboration between the hotspots locally, regionally and internationally.

Time: 11:30-13:30 UTC+3
Organisers: Nordic Circular Hotspot and Holland Circular Hotspot Foundation

Building a circular economy in Latin America

Fostering the implementation of the circular economy globally requires attention to regional diversities, allowing an inclusive transition to this new economic model. This event will discuss the opportunities and challenges to establish a circular economy in Latin America.

The two panels of the official WCEFonline programme, Partnering through change: new momentum in the emerging circular economy and Enabling the circular economy: the role of policy and finance will also be transmitted with simultaneous translation into Portuguese and Spanish.

Time: 14:30-19:15 UTC+3
Organisers: Federation of Industries of the State of São Paulo (FIESP) and National Industrial Training Service São Paulo (SENAI-SP)

Thursday 1 October

Accelerating the transition to circular cities

Cities are key players in tackling the global climate crisis and public servants play a crucial role in shifting cities towards a circular economy. This event will explore our progress towards circular cities, reveal the most inspiring global leaders and address the role public servants play in accelerating this shift. It will also present the key outcomes from WCEFonline fresh off the press.

Time: 13:00-13:50 UTC+3
Organisers: Creative Bureaucracy Festival, Sitra and Volans, in collaboration with BMW Foundation

Tuesday 6 October

FEDARENE webinar: introduction to the circular economy

Most early-stage circular economy initiatives would benefit from investments and progress monitoring. Covering industries from biogas to recycling, this event offers inspiration from local and regional EU initiatives and experts.

Time: 12:00-13:30 UTC+3
Organiser: European Federation of Agencies and Regions for Energy and the Environment (FEDARENE)

Wednesday 7 October

Kangaroos and koalas: a circular economy snapshot down under

This panel session analyses the challenges associated with catalysing circular economy adoption in Australia, with a special focus on understanding how culture and politics have influenced the transition approaches to circularity. Please note: you can also give input to the event here.

Time:  11:30-13:00 UTC+3
Organiser: RMIT University and One Planet Network Sustainable Buildings and Construction Programme

Mining for circularity

This session will focus on the role of mining in the circular economy. Topics include, for example, opportunities to apply zero waste and low carbon circular economy principles in mining businesses as well as practical examples where circular economy practices are currently being applied.

Time: 18:00-20:00 UTC+3
Organiser: Circular Economy Leadership Coalition, Coreo and Natural Resources Canada

Monday 12 October

Financing the circular economy 

This virtual event organised during Circular Week will focus on how to finance circularity and the transition from a linear to a circular economy in practice, with leading Nordic and international speakers and experts.

Time: 12:00-13:00 UTC+3
Organiser: Nordic Circular Hotspot

Tuesday 13 October

How circular is your city? Measuring progress

This event will present how cities are measuring their progress towards a circular economy, based upon a recent report by the OECD. It will discuss the different drivers and obstacles that cities face, and how they are overcoming them. Guest speakers are Oriana Romano, OECD Head of Unit for Water Governance and Circular Economy and Janet Ågren, the Deputy Mayor of the City Umea in Sweden, one of the case study cities in the OECD report.

Time: 14:00-15:00 UTC+3
Organisers: Ellen MacArthur Foundation and OECD

Implementing sustainable IT, today

This session will show that getting started on sustainable IT is easy, fun and rewarding – and that organisations already have reuse possibilities as well as ways to be compensated for their waste. During the event, experts from different organisations will enlighten how they have made use of the diverse concepts of practical circularity in an appealing way.

Time: 17:00-18:15 UTC+3
Organiser: Closing the Loop and Global Enabling Sustainability Initiative

Thursday 15 October

Circular economy services – enabling a global transition through international trade

For the circular economy transition to emerge at scale, trade and trade policy will be in a key role. Sitra and IISD – supported by the Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs – have undertaken a pilot study on how services solutions supporting the circular economy are traded across borders and how their trade and international spread could be facilitated.

Time: 20:00-21:30 UTC+3
Organisers: Sitra, IISD and the Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs

Monday 19 October

Bioeconomy Ireland Week

Bioeconomy Ireland Week is an annual week-long event held in October to highlight and raise awareness of Ireland’s rapidly growing bioeconomy sector. It is a collaboration of events involving industry, local communities, producers, researchers and students throughout Ireland.

Time: 10:00-19:00 UTC+3
Organisers: BiOrbic Bioeconomy SFI Research Centre; Irish Bioeconomy Foundation; Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine; Department of Communication, Climate Action & Environment

Tuesday 20 October

Biomimicry and the circular economy

Join Circular Tayside and Dundee University’s Botanic Gardens and Art and Design department to explore the link between natural and human systems. The event will go over the benefits of using biomimicry principles for design – from policies to products!

Time: 13:00-14:00 UTC+3
Organiser: Dundee and Angus Chamber of Commerce

State of play for circular built environment in Europe, Middle East and North America

The event will share key findings on the current situation of the circular built environment in Europe, Middle East and North America. Circularity assessment linked with the UN 2030 Agenda targets and indicators will also be debated. Please note: you can make an input to the event here.

Time: 16:00-17:30 UTC+3
Organiser: One Planet Network Sustainable Buildings and Construction Programme

Circular economy in motion online bootcamp

This multidisciplinary two-part bootcamp explores capacity building for circular economy entrepreneurship in emerging economies with a focus on Latin America, from Mexico to Chile.

Time: 17:00-23:00 UTC+3
Organisers: University of Exeter, University of West Scotland, Fomento Mexicano, 3Vectores and Innodriven

Wednesday 21 October

Circular economy futures – stop, revive, circularise!

This event with the theme Circular Reboot marks the two-year anniversary of hosting Australia’s first and largest circular economy meetup. Join Christine Blanchard, Waste Coordinator from Lockyer Valley and Joyanne Manning, Circular Economy and Waste and Resource Recovery Leader from ARUP, to discuss what the economic reboot could look like in Australia.

Time: 11:00-12:30 UTC+3
Organiser: The World’s Biggest Garage Sale

Putting circularity metrics to work in business

There are already many ways to measure circularity, but which are relevant for your business and customers? This event focuses on circularity metrics co-developed and tested with businesses and reflects on the benefits to measured circularity.

Time: 16:30-18:00 UTC+3
Organiser: RISE Research Institutes of Sweden, Sustainable Business

Tuesday 27 October

A circular plastics economy strategy for India

In the event, a new report launched by CII on the strategy for managing plastics in India based on circular economy principles will be the subject of discussion. The panellists will include representatives from industry, academia, research organisations and civil society.

Time: 12:30-13:30 UTC+2
Organiser: Confederation of Indian Industry’s ITC Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Development

The circular economy: global discussion on Brazilian learnings

The event will engage companies from different sectors within the E4CB Circular Economy HUB and other guests interested in the learning. The event will witness the publication of a new book with guest speakers including Beatriz Luz, former Minister Izabella Teixeira, Ladeja Godina Košir and Guido Braam.

Time: 14:00-16:15 UTC+2
Organiser: Exchange 4 Change Brasil

Breakfast for bioneers: Finland and US cooperate on clean technologies and the circular economy

Finland has partnered with two US states to promote the development of modern bioeconomy and clean technologies, boosting the competitiveness of the transatlantic economy. Join a conversation featuring Finland’s Minister of the Environment and Climate Change, Krista Mikkonen; Finland’s key US partners; and leading Finnish cleantech companies.

Time: 15:00-16:30 UTC+2
Organisers: Consulate General of Finland in New York, Embassy of Finland in Washington DC and Business Finland

Powering the circular economy: the role of hydrogen

One of the great assumptions about the circular economy is that it will be net zero. However, for this to happen, every component of supply chains must meet this criteria. Our hypothesis is that Blue Hydrogen is a viable solution to power long haul transportation and high heat industrial processes for North America’s emerging circular economy.

Time: 19:00-20:00 UTC+2
Organisers: Circular Economy Leadership Coalition and Energy Futures Lab

Wednesday 28 October

Circulytics 2.0: improving measurement of circular economy performance

Circulytics is the most comprehensive tool for measuring the circular economy performance of companies. This session marks the launch of Circulytics 2.0, which builds on the first version of the tool launched in January 2020 and used by over 600 companies.

Time: 17:00-18:00 UTC+2
Organiser: Ellen MacArthur Foundation

Friday 30 October

The Canadian plastic recycling landscape: standard based solutions, regulations and research

This event will explore the four important factors hindering the use of post-consumer plastics in new products: supply, demand, cost and quality. It will provide an overview of the key barriers currently being experienced by industry stakeholders throughout the plastics supply chain, based on CSA Group’s plastic research report.

Time: 19:00-20:00 UTC+2
Organiser: CSA Group

Monday 2 November

Buying the change you want*

An exploration of how procurement can be used to advance the circular economy, and in particular, its use as a tool to build greater resiliency in a post-pandemic reality.
*This event is part of the Circular Procurement Virtual Series 2020.

Time: 18:30-20:00 UTC+2
Organisers: Circular Innovation Council and the Recycling Council of Ontario

Monday 9 November

Webinar on Finnish and Japanese bio and circular solutions

This event introduces Finnish and Japanese bioeconomy ecosystems and solutions, showing case examples on co-operation between the two countries. Japanese-English simultaneous translation is provided.

Time: 8:30-11:00 UTC+2
Organiser: Business Finland

Wednesday 11 November

The path towards a new plastics economy in Spain

This event shares the achievements of the Circular Economy Business Action Group and successful business cases of its members focusing on plastics. It will present the state-of-the-art plastics industry and analyse the possible future scenarios from a business perspective.

Time: 12:00-13:30 UTC+2
Organiser: Forética

Circular buildings benefit circularity, the climate and beyond

The European Environment Agency is organising a side event on circular construction. The event will reflect on the benefits of circular construction to the establishment of a circular economy in Europe, but also to other policy areas such as climate mitigation.

Time: 14:00-15:30 UTC+2
Organiser: European Environment Agency

Thursday 12 November

How to create a national circular economy road map?

This event discusses the role of national road maps in the global transition towards a circular economy. It will also feature a practical guidebook compiled by Sitra based on the experiences from the Finnish national road map process.

Time: 14:00-15:30 UTC+2
Organisers: Sitra and the European Commission

How can circular economy solutions help bridge the climate and circularity gap on national and regional levels

While the specific role for the circular economy in closing the global emissions gap is just being charted out now, this event aims at exploring what tangible actions could be pursued at a national or regional level to close both the circularity gap and the emissions gap.

Time: 16:00-17:00 UTC+2
Organisers: Circle Economy and Holland Circular Hotspot

reciChain: capturing the value of plastics in the circular economy

During this event BASF Canada, together with its partner Deloitte, will share the results of reciChain, a plastics circularity pilot project that aims to prove physical circularity through a blockchain enabled track and trace technology.

Time: 20:00-21:30 UTC+2
Organiser: BASF Canada

Monday 16 November

Innovative projects for a sustainable blue economy

European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) projects will present innovative solutions to tackle key challenges for our seas and oceans, and show how investing in the blue economy contributes to the EU Green Deal’s objectives and to a sustainable circular economy.

Time: 15:30-17:30 UTC+2
Organisers: Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (EASME) and the European Commission

Selling change*

This event showcases circular business models and innovative products and services, simultaneously examining the negative environmental, economic and social outcomes of linear consumption and traditional procurement practices.
*This event is part of the Circular Procurement Virtual Series 2020.

Time: 18:30-20:00 UTC+2
Organisers: Circular Innovation Council and the Recycling Council of Ontario

Wednesday 18 November

Why, what and how: integrating circular economy solutions in business

To navigate the journey of Japanese companies to integrate the circular economy into their business, the event explores the global trend through Sitra’s recent report and discusses views of progressive companies, governments and NGOs. The event is held mostly in Japanese.

Time: 6:00-9:00 UTC+2
Organiser: Monitor Deloitte Japan (Deloitte Tohmatsu Consulting)

Water-smart economy to enable circularity and support the recovery plan

Water circularity is a key sustainability enabler in the context of the European Green Deal strategy and the Recovery Plan for Europe. The event will present EU funded innovation projects and clustering initiatives, showcasing water circular solutions, innovative decision support and governance systems.

Time: 11:15-13:00 UTC+2
Organiser: Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (EASME)

A brave conversation: leveraging COVID-19 to transition to circular plastics

This solutions-oriented interactive event focuses on plastics packaging pathways to achieve a circular plastics economy in Canada. Thought leaders will share the latest in upstream innovation processes and requirements. Participants will then be invited to explore innovation processes for circular plastics together.

Time: 20:00-21:00 UTC+2
Organisers: Circular Economy Leadership Coalition and Canada Plastics Pact

Thursday 19 November

Building a circular North America

This event will focus on the opportunities, issues and challenges associated with advancing North America’s circular transition. The interactive event will support networking and community building through plenary and break-out sessions with brainstorming. A discussion paper will be shared to guide dialogue.

Time: 20:00-23:00 UTC+2
Organisers: Environment and Climate Change Canada, United Nations Environment Programme, MIT Solve, Ellen MacArthur Foundation and the Circular Economy Leadership Coalition

Monday 23 November

Start solving the dark sides of today’s plastics

This event will give an update on TNO’s latest insights into how we can end the take-make-dispose economy of today’s plastic age, and how we can accelerate the transition to a circular world with the use of circular plastics.

Time: 14:00-15:00 UTC+2
Organiser: TNO, the Netherlands Organisation for applied scientific research

Tuesday 24 November

Promoting Ghana’s circular plastics economy

This event highlights Ghana’s National Plastic Action Partnership’s work to develop a circular economy framework as the main vehicle for reducing plastic waste and pollution through a collaborative approach that brings together civil society and the public and private sector.

Time: 15:00-16:30 UTC+2
Organiser: Ghana National Plastic Action Partnership

Circular economy report from Canada

Canadians have been environmental leaders for over fifty years. There are many Canadian circular economy initiatives, but the label is not always used. Six speakers will review Canada’s progress and the role of the MOU between the Canada and Holland Circular Hotspots.

Time: 18:00-19:30 UTC+2
Organiser: Canada Circular Hotspot

Nordic and Canadian circular economy hackathon

The 24 November talk opens the 3-day event by outlining the competition case study. This hackathon will feature a mixed group of Nordic and Canadians brainstorming and developing innovative circular solutions for the Greater Toronto Area.

Time: 18:00-19:00 UTC+2
Organisers: Danish Trade Council, Business Finland, Business Sweden and Innovation Norway

Wednesday 25 November

Circular economy opportunities in African cities

This event co-creates a discussion paper Circularity in African cities and invites all to contribute in the drafting and publication process. Following the publication of the paper, suggestions will be proposed for future research, advocacy, policy development and community engagement.

Time: 12:00-14:30 UTC+2
Organisers: African Circular Economy Network and ICLEI Africa

Thursday 26 November

Circular Innovation Fair for pitching and networking

Join a pitching and networking event for co-developed innovative circular design concepts and ideas by Aalto University, Geological Survey of Finland, Natural Resources Institute Finland, Finnish Environment Institute and VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland. This event closes the Circular Design Challenge Competition.

Time: 13:00-17:00 UTC+2
Organisers: VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, Aalto University, Geological Survey of Finland, Natural Resources Institute Finland and the Finnish Environment Institute

Nordic and Canadian circular economy hackathon

The 26 November talk closes the hackathon with teams presenting their solutions and an announcement of the winner. This hackathon will feature a mixed group of Nordic and Canadians brainstorming and developing innovative circular solutions for the Greater Toronto Area.

Time: 18:00-19:30 UTC+2
Organisers: Danish Trade Council, Business Finland, Business Sweden and Innovation Norway

Sustainable lifestyles and the circular economy: Canadian insights on consumer motivations

This event explores consumer profiles shedding light on what motivates Canadians to engage in actions aligned with the circular economy, sharing behavioural learnings made during the COVID-19 pandemic. This Canadian project is an adaptation of Sitra’s study on smart consumption profiles in Finland, as well as their insights project on market-shaping youth.

Time: 18:00-19:30 UTC+2
Organisers: OneEarth, Share Reuse Repair Initiative, Vancity Credit Union, Sitra’s Shift 1.5 Network and Circular Citizen

Circular economy of energy: power-to-X and hydrogen

With the aim to intensify North American-Finland-EU innovation and business interests, this event presents Finnish ecosystems and RDI spearheads, Finland’s hydrogen roadmap, EU’s hydrogen strategy, North American power-to-X initiatives, and examples from companies.

Time: 18:00-20:00 UTC+2
Organisers: Business Finland’s Smart Energy Finland programme and Team Finland

Thursday 26 and Friday 27 November

Nordic Circular Summit: levelling up circular opportunity across the region

This two-day event will host digital and physical events in the Nordic countries and explore the tremendous circular opportunities that the region has to offer. It will also focus on knowledge sharing, matchmaking and collaboration, with a regional and international audience.

Time: Thursday 26 to Friday 27 November 2020 at 11:00-17:00 UTC+2*
*See also social programme during the evenings
Organiser: Nordic Circular Hotspot

Monday 30 November

Identifying circular economy procurement opportunities*

This event investigate show circular procurement can be implemented with the help of policy and strategy. The event also explores how to identify pilots and opportunity according to spend category, as well as the key stakeholders required to support circular ambition.
*This event is part of the Circular Procurement Virtual Series 2020.

Time: 18:30-20:00 UTC+2
Organisers: Circular Innovation Council and the Recycling Council of Ontario

Tuesday 1 December

Best circular economy solutions from Finland

By combining world-class competence and technology with favourable long-term policies, the Finnish industry clusters have already produced out-of-this-world innovations that are changing the future. Join us to learn about the solutions for the present and the future.

Time: 10:00-11:30 UTC+2
Organiser: Business Finland

Leveraging the full power of ecosystems: transitioning to a circular Nordic region

The event focuses on how circular transition across value chains and ecosystems is happening – and can be accelerated – in the Nordics, and what are the key factors in this process. It also discusses which policy instruments should be employed to help companies’ transition.

Time: 14:00-15:15 UTC+2
Organiser: Nordic Innovation

Circular economy research and innovation for a green recovery

Recovering from COVID-19 calls for a global community effort. This event explores funding priorities and investments in a circular economy, with the aim of bringing sustainable transformations and economic recovery.

Time: 11:00-12:30 UTC+2
Organiser: EIT Climate-KIC and Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (EASME)

Wednesday 2 December

Lagos State roundtable on the circular economy

This event highlights the economic, technical and business aspects of a circular economy transition in the Rebuild Lagos initiative that acts as a model for Nigeria and Africa at large. The aim is to leverage the circular economy on the post-COVID-19 recovery agenda, learn best practices from other countries and engage the private sector.

Time: 15:00-18:00 UTC+2
Organisers: Circular Economy Innovation Partnership (CEIP) and Lagos State Ministry of Economic Planning and Budget

Thursday 3 December

Rethinking ownership: the role of ownership in the circular economy

Ownership is changing. What benefits does it bring and why should companies care? This event explores the role of ownership in a circular economy and presents key findings from Sitra’s study Rethinking ownership (to be published in November 2020).

Time: 14:00-15:30 UTC+2
Organisers: Sitra and SYSTEMIQ

Thursday 3 and Friday 4 December

Closing the loop on bioeconomy innovation: the reverse pitch

Fuelled by a projected USD240 billion bioeconomy opportunity in Canada, a significant innovation and technology marketplace has emerged. The Reverse Pitch connects real-world industry challenges with leading cleantech innovators, closing the loop on innovation.

Time: 19:00-22:00 UTC+2
Organisers: Foresight Cleantech Accelerator Centre in partnership with Natural Resources Canada

Monday 7 December

Labour implications of the circular economy transition

This event will highlight the possible opportunities, pitfalls and limits that circular policies may have on employment, also in the context of a circular green recovery from COVID-19. It will discuss how modelling can help elucidate the expected labour effects.

Time: 15:00-16:30 UTC+2
Organiser: OECD

Measuring success*

A primary benefit of the circular economy is the ability to target environmental, economic, and social outcomes. This webinar will show how to identify key performance indicators, measure their effectiveness, and incorporate them in the procurement process.
*This event is part of the Circular Procurement Virtual Series 2020.

Time: 18:30-20:00 UTC+2
Organisers: Circular Innovation Council and the Recycling Council of Ontario

Tuesday 8 December

Promoting circularity in transition economies: the role of trade and economic cooperation

This event will focus on the circular economy transition in UNECE’s 17 programme countries in Central Asia, Caucasus and the Western Balkans. For example, some Central Asian countries agreed in 2019 on the Principles of Sustainable Trade to address some of the most serious challenges of climate change and social development.

Time: 13:00-14:30 UTC+2
Organisers: United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, Economic Cooperation and Trade Division (UNECE ECTD) and the Geneva Trade Platform

Circularity showcase: the product circularity data sheet

The promotion of products’ circular properties is hindered by several data-related challenges. The session introduces a framework that enables circular property reporting throughout value chains.

Time: 15:55-16:55 UTC+2
Organiser: Ministry of the Economy of Luxembourg, Luxinnovation and +Impakt

Wednesday 9 December

Circular economy solutions to accelerate SDG implementation

The COVID-19 pandemic has pushed back development, disproportionately affecting marginalised communities. Accelerating the implementation of the SDGs will be critical in rebuilding better. This event will discuss the pathways of the creation of local circular economies as a key driver of growth and resilience.

Time: 18:00-19:00 UTC+2
Organiser: Green Hope Foundation

Thursday 10 December

Circular organisations show how to adapt and thrive in times of COVID-19

Join this event to hear from local Circular Tayside (Scotland) organisations that during the lockdown managed to not only survive but thrive. Through adapting, reimagining and reshaping their business and offering, these organisations give a great circular example to follow!

Time: 16:00-17:00 UTC+2
Organiser: Perthshire Chamber of Commerce

Enabling circularity in Canada through the UN Sustainable Development Goals

During this event members of the Enabling Circularity for Plastics Working Group led by BASF Canada and GCNC will present best practices on mapping the plastics value chain, common incentives across the value chain, and key considerations required to set up circularity pilot projects with multiple participants.

Time: 21:00-22:00 UTC+2
Organisers: Global Compact Network Canada and BASF Canada

Friday 11 December

Circl: a virtual reality tour showcasing circularity in practice

Circl pavilion in Amsterdam is the most comprehensive showcase of circularity in practice yet. This virtual reality guided tour through the building inspires with applied innovations. No VR glasses needed; you can follow the tour on your device screen.

Time: 17:00-18:00 UTC+2
Organiser: ABN AMRO

Monday 14 December

A just transition to a circular economy – employment trends and visions for the future

This event focuses on the future skills and employment needed for the circular economy. The event will introduce three recent studies on the topic followed by a panel discussion with leading experts.

Time: 15:00-16.30 (UTC+2)
Organisers: Sitra, IISD and Circle Economy

Tuesday 15 December

Circular Economy Initiative Germany: overview and selected deep dives

The Circular Economy Initiative Germany (CEID) consists of more than 50 institutions from business, academia and society. This event gives an overview of the initiative that aims at developing a target vision and a concrete plan on how the transformation towards a circular economy in Germany could be achieved.

Time: 10:00-11:30 UTC+2
Organisers: Acatech and SYSTEMIQ

Circular economy masterclass: from strategy to revenue

This event identifies the drivers and opportunities of circular innovation. It includes a “plastics challenge” case exercise focussed on identifying innovation opportunities and what is needed to succeed, as well as an introduction to a climate-based incubation hub.

Time: 18:00-20:30 UTC+2
Organisers: Circular Economy Innovation Partnership (CEIP) and Lagos State Ministry of Economic Planning and Budget

Wednesday 16 December

LOOP-Ports final conference

This event disseminates the results of the tasks carried out during the LOOP-Ports – Circular Economy Network of Ports project, putting special emphasis on the analysis of the barriers faced by the maritime-port sector when implementing the circular economy in their strategies.

Time: 10:00-13:30 UTC+2
Organiser: Fundación Valenciaport (Spain)

About

WCEF Side Events are part of the World Circular Economy Forum concept. The organisers of these side events have an opportunity to present their circular economy solutions and engage an international and local audience. They also get to highlight their work in supporting the development of a circular economy.

Previously, side events have been organised in close proximity to the annual WCEF conference. The WCEF concept is currently being updated and selected additional events will be held between the annual WCEF conferences. The first of these will be the virtual WCEFonline event which will take place on 29 and 30 September 2020, making use of the momentum originally reserved for the WCEF2020.

At the moment, countries all over the world are struggling with an economic downturn caused by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. To keep people inspired and the discussions around the circular economy ongoing, a number of WCEF Side Events will be organised during the autumn of 2020.