Circular Economy

Piloting innovative sustainability ideas for increased adaptability, relentlessly

Bronagh Loughlin — Wed, 23 Aug 2023 19:37:26 +0000

Piloting innovative sustainability ideas for increased adaptability, relentlessly

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Circular Economy

Sustainability

Sustainable Development Goals

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Sustainability

Circular Economy

Axfoundation is an independent, non-profit organisation based in Sweden, working concretely and practically toward building a sustainable society.

Together with more than 300 partners across industries and sectors, the Foundation tackles local and global sustainability challenges based on practical issues related to what we buy, the food we consume, and the resources we utilise.

The organisation sees itself more as a ‘do tank’ as opposed to a think tank and innovates and accelerates solutions within Circular Economy, Future Food, Sustainable Production and Consumption. They believe entrepreneurship is a powerful force for change and use business to accelerate long-term transformative change.

Their current projects stretch across 15 industries, including textile, waste, fishing, food, retail, recycling, agriculture, and technology.

The home of many projects they run is the Torsåker Farm, Axfoundation’s test and development centre for sustainable food systems, located 30 kilometres north of Stockholm, Sweden.

The environment at the test farm is ideal for evaluating sustainable farming methods, identifying waste streams for circular solutions, and test growing both new and old crops.

Torsåker Farm - Axfoundation’s test and development centre for sustainable food systems in Sweden. Image: Axfoundation

At the farm, actors across industries and sectors come together to take on complex issues in real-world conditions and explore solutions that would be impossible to test alone. They then bring the results from the fields and the lake for processing in the test kitchens.

The Farm contributes to the increased use of sustainable animal husbandry and agroecological farming methods while also fuelling the efficient and circular use of resources and reducing the use of antibiotics for food-producing animals.

Another interesting project led by Axfoundation with the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) was a pilot-scale infrastructure to convert waste from the Swedish food industry into quality raw protein material for animal feed.

The result was Sweden’s first green rainbow trout fed with a circular-based fish feed composed mainly of insects. The project ended in 2022, and the life cycle analysis revealed a decrease in greenhouse gas emissions by 70 per cent compared to conventional fish feed. The next step was to take the lessons learnt further by testing circular feed for chickens, pigs, and laying hens.

Embracing an underutilised fish species, the Swedish bream, is part of Axfoundation`s work. Image: Axfoundation

Although sometimes innovation comes from simply realising what is missing.

That was the case with embracing an underutilised fish species, the Swedish bream, to get more recognition.

With a from-lake-to-plate approach, they created the Minced Bream – a versatile product with a neutral, fine taste that has received positive reactions from school students and chefs.

A circular project led by the Foundation is the Swedish Wool Initiative, paving the way to zero waste since 2020.

Sweden imports more than 1,700 tonnes of wool annually; meanwhile, less than 50% of all the wool produced by Swedish farmers is used.

Teaming with 20 partners, they set out to develop a new yarn made from previously discarded wool and enable brands within fashion, outdoor, and home textiles to access qualitative and competitive wool easily.

A circular project led by the Axfoundation is the Swedish Wool Initiative. Image: Axfoundation

Axfoundation took on another challenge in the field of agriculture about using tonnes of residual product generated from oat drink production.

The Over & Oat project was launched to explore how to turn oat drink residues into new food and materials in a sustainable and economically viable way.

Looking at global issues, such as plastic consumption, predicted to quadruple in the coming century, the organisation launched the Plastics Progress Tools initiative to support companies on their journey toward more responsible use of plastics.

They designed a digital tool that will compile and analyse plastic data, which can form a basis for strategic prioritisation and decision-making. Further embracing digital tools, they took the lead on the ProPare project under the Sustainable Production and Consumption branch.

This technology aims to act as a global standard for digital product passports. It is perfectly timed as the EU is expected to implement new legislation requiring nearly all products available on the European market to have a digital product passport.

These passports will offer sustainability data to help drive the adoption of the circular economy. Axfoundation is on the journey to prove that turning great ideas into practical solutions by pivoting can help address large-scale sustainability challenges immensely.

They may not always go as planned, but that is the point and a crucial part of the learning curve. To innovate sustainable solutions and achieve transformative change, failure must not be feared but embraced.

These pilot projects are telling us, clear and loud, that ideas with great potential deserve a fighting chance because they could have a real, genuine impact when scaled up and implemented.

Headline image: Unsplash

This article is an extract from content originally published in the Circular Economy in Action special edition of the Profit with Purpose Magazine - you can read the full article and other features in the magazine.

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In pursuit of changing lives

Szilvia Szabó — Tue, 01 Aug 2023 20:23:56 +0000

In pursuit of changing lives

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Social Entrepreneurship

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Insights from social entrepreneur Lucia Dal Negro, Founder of Kokono, on building a socially and environmentally conscious enterprise in Uganda.

Kokono is a project started by De-LAB, an Italian social enterprise, designed to address the challenge of keeping infants safe in their first year after birth in Africa.

We produce unique cradles from biodegradable materials to protect children from 0 to 12 months from major health and safety risks, including the malaria mosquito.

From the very beginning, I have worked with a team, and we did not only want to work in the health sector and 'settle' for helping people. We also wanted to do it in an environmentally responsible way. Besides, we thought about logistics and optimised the shape of the cradle in a way that saves a lot of space and makes it easy to stack them up.

Kokono produces unique cradles from biodegradable materials to protect babies from major health and safety risks. Image: Kokono

Moreover, the product is sold without packaging to avoid polluting a country with no actual plastic and waste disposal system.

The next edition of Kokono will also be produced with 50 per cent recovered plastic, which will help decrease its environmental footprint while giving us a chance to raise awareness about the circular economy. It has been a bumpy road since the first design came to life to make this a reality.

The Covid pandemic obviously resulted in a major setback, and there was a grasshopper invasion in East Africa in January 2020, which did not help. We had to adapt not just our business plans but the product’s design. Kokono was originally supposed to be made from banana fibres, but then the grasshopper invasion destroyed all the plantations, so there was no way to use that material.

After rethinking the project, Covid forced us to stop for almost a year because Uganda had the longest lockdown in Africa, and nothing could be done. But luckily, there were also some exceptional positive moments, including the first sale to a private hospital of 40 cradles.

One of the most inspiring moments was when we got the result of the Social Impact Assessment on the first user group of Kokono.

I remember the amazement and pride I felt as I saw that not one of the first 20 children had caught malaria in the six months of using the cradle.

There I realised that we had a future, and it was worth fighting for. It took countless hours of work, patience and dedication to get where we are now.

There was a time when if I had given up, people would have still applauded me anyway because everything was so terribly difficult.

Instead, perseverance won, and thanks to the collaboration with Italian and local partners and the encouragement of the Ugandans, while seeing this idea manifesting and helping people, I did not give up.

To the many social innovators out there trying to make a difference, I would say never to let difficulties get you down: no one ever told us it would be easy.

We are currently looking for equity investors to expand our project, which has succeeded in the proof of concept and market testing phase. Uganda is a huge country, and the demand is massive here and elsewhere as well. With the capital investment, we could support the distribution network and start selling the product on a large scale.

Another thing that impressed me was getting to know the single mothers of the Kawempe slum in Kampala. After the pandemic, their numbers have increased dramatically.

Here you would meet 14-15 years old girls who need to be educated about childcare.

They welcomed the product as if it were a solution 'dropped from the sky'.

It was touching, especially since I expected more resistance towards something new and unknown.

Instead, they were overjoyed. Sometimes understanding each other is much easier than we think and happens profoundly. This experience gave me much strength to go on.

Kokono was first introduced in Uganda, and looking to expand in the next years. Image: Kokono

Having the opportunity to work in the field and interact with people using our solution really keeps me grounded and more determined to raise funds and expand our operations.

In addition to having funds, I would like to have a network of companies that see this as a project for the future and would support us with expertise and vision in other African countries.

Ugandan birth and infant mortality rates are no different from those of other countries on the continent, and the potential to make a significant impact is enormous.

Lucia Dal Negro Founder of Kokono in the middle

I enjoy spending about a month twice a year in Kampala supervising the operations and working with the team. I extricate myself entirely from European and Italian problems and finally connect to the local set-up, feeling the atmosphere.

This society is made up of a young population full of vitality, which dares to dream big even if it does not have the means....and, above all, never complains.

What gives me the energy to keep going is the fact that Kokono really works, saves the lives of children and gives hope to mothers struggling to juggle work and bringing up their kids.

Working with local partners who believe in it and look to us for guidance on moving forward is another factor in making this work.

Finally, I think that if we, as a very small organisation, have made it this far, who knows what larger and more structured companies could do.

There are too many opportunities offered by circular models that must be exploited....it is no longer the time to stand by, and we at De-LAB are ready to build partnerships with those who think like us!

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Impulses on the path to accelerating sustainability in business

Business Spirit News reporting — Wed, 28 Jun 2023 08:49:24 +0000

Impulses on the path to accelerating sustainability in business

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Business Sustainability

Event

Sustainable Development Goals

Topic

Business Sustainability

Europe's largest B2B annual event for sustainable transformation, the IMPACT FESTIVAL, is returning for its third edition on 13 and 14 September in Germany with top-class speakers to provide visitors with inspiration, knowledge and concrete solutions for embracing a sustainable economy.

The two-day event will present keynote speeches, panel discussions, start-up pitches and performances on three main stages focusing on the six innovation areas derived from the EU Green Deal and the Sustainable Development Goals.

Speakers will include Dr Med. Eckart von Hirschhausen, delivering a keynote on "Healthy Earth - Healthy People. What we can now achieve with assets - and what it costs us to do nothing".

Sustainability expert Maja Göpel will discuss the meaning of value in the 21st century, while Godo Röben, former managing director of vegan food production company Rügenwalder Mühle will share his vision on the future of food.

The IMPACT FESTIVAL offers knowledge exchange, networking and inspiration to innovators to embrace sustainability.

Visitors can also expect networking sessions, the next edition of the IMPACT AWARD, music performances, and how an artist will create a live art object from banners and signs used in the previous two IMPACT FESTIVALs.

Different tickets are available for students, businesses and investors to join the event.

The event first took place in 2021 and has grown into a movement that offers opportunities and content all year round as a platform for key stakeholders of the sustainable transformation to network and exchange ideas.

The IMPACT FESTIVAL is a project of the neosfer GmbH, an early-stage investor and innovation unit of Commerzbank Group that investigates future technologies relevant to business and society while promoting and developing sustainable and digital solutions.

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How to get your impact story featured in media?

Anonymous — Fri, 19 May 2023 11:14:40 +0000

How to get your impact story featured in media?

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Annual plans and New Year`s resolutions are probably behind you by now, but that shouldn`t hold you from exploring some untapped potential in boosting your impact.

Why not make 2023 the year when you get your stories in the spotlight to raise awareness and engage with your audience?

Writing a press release that catches attention, having a practical media toolkit that helps you spread news or delivering an engaging interview could give your message an extra boost, helping you to achieve your goals.

Why social innovators are not covered more in media?

The answer might be plainer than you`d expect.

Besides handling the everyday challenges and neverending to-do lists, one of the most typical reasons is the lack of confidence and knowledge of using media relations and tools correctly.

In addition, nervousness naturally kicks in when it comes to public speaking, giving an interview or even writing content.

However, with some learning and practising, you could make the leap and use the power of communication to advance your agenda.

Learning opportunities to boost your message

Using media communication tools can give you a headstart in raising your profile, reaching and activating a wider audience while increasing your impact.

Here are a couple of simple steps you can take:

Do media training for impact innovators, where you learn how to handle situations like speaking at a podcast, giving an interview, engaging with media at events or making the most out of press releases. Getting the hang of media communication is like learning ice skating - you start out a bit wobbly, but after practising, you start gliding and smiling.

Learning media and Impact Writing skills could significantly amplify your message.

Change your approach to writing and publishing your impact report, as it has so much communication potential that you don't want to miss it. Haven`t you published one yet? Maybe the time has come to start advancing your agenda by start sharing your impact in a professional manner.

Make it easy to find and use information about your work, campaign, or else about your mission. It might sound very basic, but in reality, this is the most typically missed step to unlock potential in media communication. The best way to do that is to prepare and start actively using a professional media toolkit.

It is easier than you might think to utilise opportunities in PR and other forms of media communication, including public appearances, which can be nerve-wracking.

There are various learning options, such as attending programs and sessions held by the Impact Writing Institute, where you can harvest the benefits of working with expert trainers whether you are joining as an individual or have tailor-made training at your organisation.

This is not about you getting famous but shining a light on issues that need to be addressed and enabling people to get involved.

What really matters is to get confident about speaking up and be ready to share your story in a way that engages and mobilises your audience.

Giving yourself a chance to learn and expand your horizon using media communication should definitely be on your radar for boosting your impact in 2023 and beyond.

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Using tech for transparency in fashion

Bronagh Loughlin — Thu, 18 May 2023 13:26:02 +0000

Using tech for transparency in fashion

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Clothing and textiles are a fundamental part of our everyday lives and a vital sector within the global economy.

However, our current means of making, consuming, wearing, and discarding clothing is evidently no longer working. According to Business Wire, sustainability is rated as a vital purchase criterion for 60 per cent of consumers across the globe while they are demanding transparency from brands and looking for green credentials.

However, according to the Fashion Revolution 2022 Fashion Transparency Index, 50 per cent of the world’s biggest fashion companies disclose little or no information about their supply chain.

Only 12 per cent of fashion brands across the globe offer information concerning their raw material suppliers.

Without transparency, shoppers struggle to assess a brand’s environmental and social footprints and determine whether its statements are genuine or greenwashing.

What could bridge the transparency gap between eco-conscious consumers and fashion brands?

Can it be as simple as a QR code?

An Irish start-up, Ecode, thought so when they came up with the idea to empower consumers through their app to scan, learn, get rewards, connect, repair, recycle, and ultimately, change fashion.

Ecode was founded by three students, Elise Vens, Emmet Lowry and Nathan Gaborieau.

The three met during their Master’s in Sustainability at Trinity College Dublin (TCD), where they extensively studied the fashion supply chain's detrimental social and environmental effects.

Ecode founders Elise Vens, Emmet Lowry and Nathan Gaborieau.

They make an international team as Elise is from The Netherlands, Nathan is from France, and Emmet is Irish.

Elise Vens, Co-Founder of Ecode, explains how their initial idea took off: “We immediately pinpointed circularity as the driver of change and started working on a tool that would give shoppers more insight into what they're buying while empowering the consumer to be an actor of the change.

We realised this greatly benefits fashion brands in determining the lifespan of their items and increasing their products’ durability.

By gaining insight into these life cycles, Ecode has the power to help brands monitor their CSR improvements. Hence, our slogan became ‘enabling circularity in fashion’.”

In November 2021, the Ecode team participated in Trinity’s Provost Challenge, a three-day hackathon whereby students were challenged to ideate and develop a business idea where they came second.

Speaking on why they chose to focus on fashion specifically, Elise says: “For one of our courses, we had the opportunity to research the social and environmental impact of the fashion industry.

We were shocked to find out that this industry is the second-largest polluter on earth after the oil industry. A few weeks later, Trinity’s Provost Challenge was announced with the theme ‘How do you combat fast fashion?’.

We immediately realised this was our cue and submitted our idea for Ecode. Ecode can fundamentally change the fashion industry for the better, from a linear consumption towards a circular model of doing business.

We’ve recognised that the barrier to transformation is frequently not a lack of will but rather a lack of accessibility and connections between actors.”

Ecode`s solution is based on using QR codes in fashion items to increase transparency and circularity. Image: unsplash

Elis adds: “Ecode aims to integrate the entire landscape of actors in circularity. We connect stakeholders such as brands, consumers, recyclers, repairers, and resellers.

Ecode is not only offering a QR code, but an entire ecosystem that can collectively create change by interacting with one another, bringing the option of circularity to everyone’s doorstep.”

Afterwards, they decided to apply for Trinity’s LaunchBox Student Accelerator 2022 and were awarded the first prize, which provided immense validation for their project. In January of 2023, they received the Acting for the Environment Prize from Enactus France, an international social entrepreneurship project presentation competition for university students.

Currently, their biggest challenge is developing a BETA version of their application that can be replicated and quickly implemented in different companies to kickstart their revolution towards circularity in fashion. However, the team plans to overcome this hurdle and has big hopes for the project’s application.

Elise explains their plans further:

“Our goal is for Ecode to become the first thing that pops into the mind of consumers when they have to purchase, recycle, and repair clothing.

By making these processes easier for the consumer, we aim to drastically change consumer behaviour. In the next three years, we hope that everyone in Ireland and the rest of Europe will have heard of Ecode and that we will have a growing number of users.”

The amount of textile waste in the EU has doubled over the past 20 years.

With Ecode, the team hope to increase the number of clothes put back into circulation by up to 60 per cent in stores.

They also wish that by informing consumers about the impact of products, they can indirectly reduce the pressure on the planet by placing more environmentally sound products in the spotlight.

Headline image: unsplash

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Szilvia Szabó ⬤ Author

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Bringing a four-day celebration of the Circular Economy to Ireland

Bronagh Loughlin — Thu, 18 May 2023 11:26:16 +0000

Bringing a four-day celebration of the Circular Economy to Ireland

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Circular Economy

Ireland

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Circular Economy

For the first time, Dublin is hosting the Circular Economy Hotspot on 29th May-1st June, placing Ireland’s capital in the epicentre of European Circularity.

The application for Dublin to host this prestigious international event is a result of the close collaboration of strategic partners led by The Rediscovery Centre with the Department of the Environment, Dublin City Council, the Eastern & Midlands Regional Waste Management Planning Office (EMRWMP), and CIRCULÉIRE.

“The Circular Economy Hotspot is an opportunity to bring together some of the best minds, thinkers and activists around circular economy and social economy,”

says Mary Mac Sweeney, Executive Manager Acting of Culture, Recreation and Economic Services, Dublin City Council.

The Circular Economy Hotspot Dublin 2023 event will take place on 29th May- 1st June 2023.

The event provides a great chance to learn from, network with, and be inspired by the very best actors working in this field.

Attendees can learn about the practical steps and resources to take home and implement through conference talks, tours, workshops, and topic deep-dives.

The event brings together policymakers, entrepreneurs, pioneers, researchers, students, industry, and citizens from Ireland and further afield.

It is a time to highlight ground-breaking circular economic initiatives, best practices, and innovation, with each host country putting together a programme showcasing how their country or region contributes to the transition towards a circular economy.

This year the Hotspot will establish a global dimension as two other global regions are also participating as hosts: Lagos, Nigeria and Santiago, Chile.

Speaking on the areas that will be explored, Dr Sarah Miller, CEO at the Rediscovery Centre, shares: “Dublin is home to some of the world’s greatest circular economy leaders and innovations.

As a host of Circular Economy Hotspot Dublin 2023, the city will showcase circular economy progress made in design and manufacturing, food systems and the bioeconomy alongside social enterprise activity.”

Dr Sarah Miller, CEO at the Rediscovery Centre

She adds: “Tackling Dublin’s housing crisis through circular solutions will also be explored, going beyond green building materials to look into additional benefits that can be designed into our city to improve well-being and encourage carbon-positive lifestyles.

The Circular Economy Hotspot Dublin is a cross-sectoral and public engagement event, providing the perfect platform to present the circular economy as a positive framework for the city to demonstrate adaptation and growth within planetary boundaries.”

Dublin will not only represent Irish circular economic innovation in 2023 but become a focal point of circularity across Europe while building on the momentum of recent developments, harnessing the cultural influences that are unique to the city.

Dr Joanne Rourke, Resource Efficiency Officer, EMRWMP, shares: “What we’re hoping to do is to build on the momentum of earlier Hotspots in other capital cities, but also to build on the momentum that is happening now in Ireland.

We envision the Hotspot will act as a spark to start the circular economy fire.”

Now in its seventh year, the Circular Economy Hotspot initiative has become a flagship event on the calendar for many leaders and experts across industries and policy.

The Netherlands first organised it in 2016, and the event has spread much further since to Catalonia, Luxembourg, Belgium, Germany, and Scotland.

Dublin city balances a local village feel with the buzz of a vibrant and modern capital city at the heart of European life. Since 2020, Ireland and its capital have witnessed a significant drive to share knowledge, invest, and foster the circular economy.

Irish support for European initiatives also remains amongst the highest in the EU.

As a capital city, Dublin can showcase the impact of these recent flagship circular economy policy funds and measures led by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications (DECC).

Dr Geraldine Brennan, CIRCULÉIRE’s Lead and Head of Circular Economy at Irish Manufacturing Research, remarks:

“Ireland is ripe for innovation, and a lot of circular economy excitement is bubbling up.

What is genuinely exciting about this year to Dublin is the fact that over the last number of years, Ireland has pivoted towards embracing the circular economy as an economic development model.”

Dr Geraldine Brennan, CIRCULÉIRE’s Lead and Head of Circular Economy at Irish Manufacturing Research

The opportunity to host the Circular Economy Hotspot is a value-based partnership as Dublin has a lot to offer as a host, and equally, the event has a great deal to bring Ireland in turn.

The event will bring global visibility to circular economic initiatives here in Ireland and establish global opportunities for Dublin.

It will also pay homage to the strengths Ireland has to offer the circular economic community.

Ultimately, the Hotspot will bring the circular economy to life, making it part of the day-to-day lives of citizens and event attendees from the public sector, policymakers, industry, and start-ups alike.

This content is originally published in the Circular Economy in Action special edition of the Profit with Purpose Magazine.

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Europe's largest business event for sustainable transformation is back for its third edition

Business Spirit News reporting — Tue, 24 Jan 2023 14:36:05 +0000

Europe's largest business event for sustainable transformation is back for its third edition

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Sustainability solution providers, users and investors are coming together for networking and knowledge exchange.

The IMPACT FESTIVAL offers targeted networking and knowledge exchange for start-ups, investors and companies to accelerate sustainability innovation on 13-14 September 2023 in Germany.

For the third annual event, organisers aim to highlight innovative solutions provided by start-ups and scale-ups that can contribute to sustainable development and economic growth.

“We offer companies the opportunity to be at the forefront of current developments, learn about the latest innovations, and take away concrete starting points for their own business,"

said Co-Lead, Linda Köpper about the focus of this year’s event.

Attendees will have the chance to visit an extensive exhibition area and connect with innovators while learning about specific application possibilities.

Linda Köpper, Co-Lead of IMPACT FESTIVAL, the biggest B2B sustainability event in Europe.

Talks, discussions and workshops will take place, including experts, visionary innovators and practitioners from related fields such as sustainable finance, circular economy, clean tech and more.

Maria Steinbrenner, the other Co-Lead of the event, highlighted:

“This year, more than ever, we want to focus on companies that are looking for concrete solutions and best practices for their challenges or want to network and position themselves in the field of sustainable transformation.”

IMPACT FESTIVAL provides opportunities for enterprises to directly promote their sustainable products and services to potential clients, users and investors to advance their business ambitions further.

IMPACT AWARD winners in 2022 received recognition and supports. Image: IMPACT FESTIVAL

The IMPACT AWARD will be awarded to European start-ups addressing the most pressing societal challenges through sustainable technology and innovation.

This two-day annual event first took place in September 2021 and has grown from strength to strength ever since developing an extensive all-year-round supporting program, including IMPACT WEEK, webinars, podcasts and an online magazine.

The registration of interest to purchase tickets is available on the event`s website.

IMPACT FESTIVAL is a project of the neosfer GmbH, the early-stage investor and innovation unit of Commerzbank Group, aiming to accelerate sustainable transformation.

Its purpose is to investigate future technologies relevant to business and society while promoting and developing sustainable digital solutions.

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Leading global sustainability summit returns to Lisbon

Business Spirit News reporting — Mon, 17 Oct 2022 10:12:47 +0000

Leading global sustainability summit returns to Lisbon

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Sustainable Development Goals

Innovation

Social Innovation

Portugal

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Sustainable Development Goals

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Lisbon

Climate Innovation

Changemakers and impact innovators from every corner of the world to meet in Lisbon.

The Planetiers World Gathering is back as an in-person and online event to bring together changemakers and impact innovators from every corner of the world to meet in Lisbon, Portugal, on 22-26 October.

The focus of this global event is to put sustainability and regeneration in the spotlight, showcasing green and inclusive innovations while elevating impact innovators and igniting system-level change.

Sérgio Ribeiro, CEO and Co-Founder of Planetiers and Co-Founder of Planetiers World Gathering, describes “Planetiers to be the ones who do not just break the system but transform it and make it better, fair and sustainable”.

“Planetiers acts as a call to mobilise companies, government organisations and civil/political decision-makers in the battle to build a sustainable planet for generations to come.”

The summit will be held at the Parque Eduardo VII and Pavilhão Carlos Lopes, Lisbon, focusing on topics such as ecology, climate change, health, poverty, education and peace.

Planetiers World Gathering 2022 edition brings together impact innovators and stakeholders to achive the Sustainable Development Goals. Image: Planetiers

With over 30,000 people from 90 countries expected to attend the event in person and online, it aims to bring together a diverse range of speakers and attendees, driven by the notion of contributing to a sustainable and inclusive transition.

Speakers include Chris Kroll, Founder & CEO of Ecosia and World Fund Investor, David Simas, President of the Obama Foundation and Ursula von Der Leyen, President of the European Commission, among others.

The event's ultimate goal is to help changemakers connect and highlight long-term sustainable solutions amid the impending climate crisis and accelerate a system transformation that can enable us to reach the UN Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.

Sérgio Ribeiro, CEO and Co-Founder of Planetiers and Co-Founder of Planetiers World Gathering. Image: Planetiers

“We’ve seen people joining this movement and claiming they are “Planetiers” mainly because they have found a community that brings a constructive narrative of cooperation and hope,” adds Sérgio.

Discussions will highlight the sustainability challenges of our time and raise awareness of the need for long-term solutions to counteract pressing global issues.

Sessions will cover a diverse range of topics, such as Cities for the future, Ocean Innovation, Inclusive green tourism and Sustainable investment and finance.

Showcasing the latest in sustainable technologies, innovative businesses and governance models, the 2022 Planetiers World Gathering will be bolstered by partnerships with several high-profile organisations, such as the European Commission, Tourism of Portugal and Lisbon Municipality.

Various ticket options are available, from daily tickets to all-inclusive access to match attendee’s interests.

Besides the conference program, there will be exhibition areas and interactive workshop sessions.

Planetiers was launched in 2017 as an online platform, and since it has become a leading event, a momentum, and even a symbol for people believing we still have a fighting chance to create a society that works for people and all other creatures on Earth.

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Celebrating social and circular enterprises in Dublin

Business Spirit News reporting — Sun, 02 Oct 2022 12:15:49 +0000

Celebrating social and circular enterprises in Dublin

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Social Entrepreneurship

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A new initiative led by Dublin City Council aims to shine a light on social enterprises and circular economy players.

The SoCircular event will take place in Dublin on 5th October to bring together social and circular enterprises and other stakeholders to connect, learn and build connections.

This new initiative is driven by Dublin City Council in collaboration with strategic partners from various sectors and will be hosted at a prime venue, The Mansion House.

The event aims to facilitate the transformation of Dublin's economic ecosystem to become more resilient and competitive by better integrating enterprises and innovators with strong sustainability and social values.

Organisers will provide a forum for discussions, exchanging ideas and gaining insights while showcasing exhibitors and cultural programs.

Besides networking and learning, the goal is to encourage businesses, organisations and government departments to buy from these organisations to empower this sector's growth.

“This event will raise awareness of these innovative enterprises.

Buying from them will bring about many benefits, such as shorter supply chains, creating resilient local employment, improving social and environmental impacts, and supporting fairer, greener and thriving communities,”

says Mary MacSweeney, Deputy Head of Economic Development and Enterprise.

Mary MacSweeney, Deputy Head of Economic Development and Enterprise highlights the importance of integrating social and circular enterprises into supply chains.

Pointing out the role of businesses and government in strengthening social and circular enterprises is one of the core messages of the event.

Buying from these companies could add to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and department strategies while helping them raise their profile by walking the talk and filling slogans with actions.

At the event, participants can meet with innovative entrepreneurs embracing sustainability and circular economy in their business model and join panel discussions to learn more insights about available supports and key players.

Attendees can find the detailed program and register online free of charge.

Cultural performances and a trade expo with more than 50 local social and circular enterprises will allow people to connect and network.

Lord Mayor of Dublin, Caroline Conroy, expressed how much social and circular enterprises can help counteract the impact of environmental and economic crises.

Another element of the program is to raise awareness about how socially driven businesses can address environmental challenges and, the other way around, how environmentally focused projects can easily solve social problems.

The Lord Mayor of Dublin, Caroline Conroy, emphasised the importance of this sector in helping the city fight upcoming challenges associated with the impacts of climate change and economic crises.

The event is being hosted as part Dublin's involvement in the European Social Economy Regions project of the European Commission.

Various stakeholders and organisations have rallied behind this initiative, including the Department of Rural and Community Development, CRNI, EMWR, Dublin Place Brand, Social Enterprise Dublin, and Dublin Regional Skills Forum, among others.

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October 2022

Festival to bring together Berliners for Green Cities

Business Spirit News reporting — Tue, 13 Sep 2022 10:10:39 +0000

Festival to bring together Berliners for Green Cities

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Two days for entrepreneurs and citizens in Berlin to discuss and discover impactful solutions for green cities.

The third edition of the Zero Waste Berlin Festival takes place from the 16-17th of September at Engelnest, Berlin, to present impactful solutions for green minds.

The two-day event aims to bring together entrepreneurs and citizens to discuss and discover new solutions to build sustainable and zero waste cities.

Topics covered by over 60 speakers focus on the main aspects of creating future cities, such as sustainable food systems and urban lifestyle, mobility and technology, among others.

“We want to create a space where entrepreneurs, companies and people can meet, learn from each other and find resources – Berlin is the perfect place for it,”

says Coral Ruz, Founder of the Zero Waste Berlin Festival.

On the first day, entrepreneurs, companies, institutions and investors will gather to connect and exchange ideas helping the shift to make cities more sustainable.

Coral Ruz, Founder of the Zero Waste Berlin Festival, has started an international zero waste community in Belrin in 2019.

Keynote speaker of the event, Kilian Kaminkski, co-founder of Refurbed, the fastest growing online marketplace for refurbished products, will address attendees with a presentation focusing on why „The future is Circular Economy’.

The second day will focus on citizen engagement in transforming cities and zero waste movements.

Participants can attend conferences, and masterclasses, meet with brands, enjoy an immersive networking experience with the Green Networking Party and meet with local artists thanks to the collaboration with the Berlin Music Commission.

Zero Waste Berlin Festival 2021; Image: Ana Torres

“In curating this year’s programme, our aspiration has been to highlight inspiring and solution-oriented projects across the private, public, and civic sectors,”

shared Therese Sivertsson, Program Manager of the festival.

Speakers include Franziska Voß from BSR, Frieder Söling from Noch Mall, Ana Milhazes from Zero Waste Portugal and many more.

The day will close with Positive Planet Kino; a full program of short films and documentaries addressing the future of the planet with a positive approach.

Tickets and the entire program are available on the event’s website.

The first edition of the Zero Waste Berlin Festival was launched in 2019 as a passion project of founder Coral Ruz and has grown into an international movement ever since, reaching more than 40,000 people.

Headline image: Ana Torres

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September 2022