WCEF Side Events present circular economy solutions from around the globe and attract an international audience. They address specific topics related to the circular economy and the role circularity plays in the economies of the future, as well as in the fight against climate change and the biodiversity crisis.
WCEF Side Events are part of the World Circular Economy Forum concept. Organizers are responsible for all practicalities, expenses and inquiries related to organizing and participating in the Side Events. WCEF Side Events may be organised throughout the year either virtually or locally, depending on COVID-19 restrictions.
WCEF Side Events organised between September 6 and 26, 2021 are listed on this page. See the full list of all WCEF Side Events organized in 2021 on Sitra’s website.
Please note that the call for applications for 2022 WCEF Side Events has also been opened. Instructions for applying can be found on Sitra’s website.
Wednesday September 8
The circular economy – a transformative approach to tackle key drivers of biodiversity loss
Resource extraction and processing cause over 90% of biodiversity loss. To halt and reverse this trend, we need to rethink our production and consumption systems. This #EUCircularTalks features new findings that look at how the circular economy can help tackle key drivers of biodiversity loss.
Organisers: International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Ellen MacArthur Foundation (EMF), Institut National de l’Économie Circulaire (INEC), Sitra and the European Circular Economy Stakeholder Platform (ECESP)
Time: 9:00-10:00 EDT (15:00-16:00 UTC+2)
Focus on Canadian business circularity
Meet a spectrum of Canadian businesses, from startup to established, to see a snapshot of circularity across the country. Explore how Circular Economy Clubs in Canada are catalysing a B2B networking community to assist businesses in reaching the next level.
Organisers: CEC clubs in Toronto, Calgary, London, Montreal and Quebec City
Time: 12:00-13:30 EDT (18:00-19:30 UTC+2)
Best practices in circular procurement
This webinar introduces Australian and Brazilian experts across different areas of the circular economy. Participants represent government agencies, corporations, SMEs, technological startups and research centres promoting the circular economy.
Organisers: UTS Business School Australia and PUC-Rio Brazil
Time: 18:30-19:30 EDT (NB 00:30-1:30 UTC+2 Thursday Sept.9)
Thursday September 9
Circular Carbon Economy
Circular Carbon Economy (CCE) builds on the pillars of circular economy, where operating systems are transformed to more circular systems. The event brings together leaders from academia, government, private sectors to discuss the opportunities in translating CCE into a reality.
Organiser: Ministry of Energy, Saudi Arabia
Time: 5:00-7:00 EDT (11:00-13:00 UTC+2)
Circular SMEs across Europe: sustainable packaging
We will present innovative best practices by two in-depth cases. This event gives room for your questions, discussion rounds and networking. Join this event if you want to learn about sustainable approaches and alternatives leading to enhanced circularity.
Organisers: Enterprise Europe Network (Flanders) and the Green Economy Network North-Rhine Westphalia
Time: 8:00-9:30 EDT (14:00-15:30 UTC+2)
Circular economy: opportunities and challenges for countries of the global South
Circular economy principles can enable nations to balance growth with maintaining the global ecological balance. This session will delve into challenges and opportunities for the circular economy from the perspective of emerging and developing economies.
Organiser: Centre for Responsible Business and the International Development Research Centre (IDRC)
Time: 08:30-10:00 EDT (14:30-16:00 UTC+2)
RDV Québec Circulaire: conversation with Éco Entreprises Québec
What kind of a revolution do we want to see in the world of packaging? This event is an inspiring meeting between Fabrice Peltier, designer and author of “The packaging revolution” and Geneviève Dionne, director of ecodesign and circular economy at Éco Entreprises Québec.
Organiser: Québec Circulaire
Time: 11:30-12:15 EDT (17:30-18:15 UTC+2)
Achieving systems change through entrepreneurship
During this interactive online event we will deep dive into the topic “system change” with renowned experts and learn how circular and climate ventures contribute to an effective systemic transformation.
Organisers: Impact Hub Zürich and Circular Economy Transition
Time: 11:30-13:00 EDT (17:30-19:00 UTC+2)
The take-make-waste problem: an assessment of our linear economy
This is a discussion with various industry leaders on the challenges of managing waste throughout a product’s life cycle from the perspective of food, telling the story of how our economy is designed around a take-make-waste system.
Organiser: Sustainability Leadership
Time: 13:00-14:00 EDT (19:00-20:00 UTC+2)
Monday September 13
The Walrus Talks at Home: the next gen on the circular economy
Should we be optimistic about Canada’s economic future becoming circular? The next generation of leaders shares how we can make individual and systemic changes today to create a more sustainable tomorrow. Join to learn what economic and environmental benefits await us.
Organiser: The Walrus
Time: 19:00-20:00 EDT (1:00-2:00 UTC+2)
Tuesday September 14
High level meeting of the Global Alliance on Circular Economy and Resource Efficiency (GACERE)
This event is the first high-level meeting of GACERE since its launch in February 2021. High-level representatives of the Alliance and invited guests will meet to take stock of progress on the Alliance’s work and agree on future priorities.
Organisers: the United Nations Environment Programme and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization
Time: 6:00-8:00 EDT (12:00-14:00 UTC+2)
Thursday September 16
Circularity in action: how Danish businesses create impactful solutions
This is a deep-dive session exploring how eight corporations in different industries have shifted their mindsets and products to make the circular economy not a buzzword but a core value driver for their business.
Organisers: Danish Cleantech Hub, State of Green, Confederation of Danish Industry and Circular City Week New York
Time: 9:00-10:15 EDT (15:00-16:15 UTC+2)
An interactive discussion on the LEGO Global Youth Survey on the Circular Economy
Join the LEGO Group’s Vice President, Sustainability Tim Brooks as we announce the findings from our Global Youth Survey on the Circular Economy.
Organiser: the LEGO Group
Time: 10:00-11:00 EDT (16:00-17:00 UTC+2)
Latin America and the Caribbean’s vision of circular economy 2030
The session’s objective is to present the Latin American and the Caribbean vision for circular economy. The session will showcase what makes circular economy distinctive in the LAC region, what is already being advanced in the region and to discuss challenges and enabling conditions for the vision.
Organiser: Circular Economy Coalition LAC
Time: 10:00-11:00 EDT (16:00-17:00 UTC+2)
Circular from the start(up) – how the circular economy concept creates value for accelerator programs
This panel highlights the need for circular innovations, the role of accelerators and incubators to scale up these innovations, and an outline for a circular incubation program.
Organisers: Innovation Texas, ACTION Innovation Network and Tondo
Time: 10:00-12:30 EDT (16:00-18:30 UTC+2)
Threading Change Global Innovation Story Map launch
Welcome to the launch event for Threading Change’s Global Innovation Story Map – a research and visualisation toolkit showcasing the stories of ethical brands and organisations within the fashion industry.
Organiser: Threading Change Foundation
Time: 11:30-13:00 EDT (17:30-19:00 UTC+2)
Circularity in action: cities as enablers and catalysts
With the Circular City Innovation Challenge as a backdrop, this event is an opportunity for public entities to explore approaches and tangible measures to bring about circularity. Over 10 speakers share views on how cities can become enablers and a catalyst for local solution development.
Organisers: Danish Cleantech Hub, Danish Business Authority, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark in Canada and Circular City Week New York
Time: 12:00-13:30 EDT (18:00-19:30 UTC+2)
Pan-Adobe Cedar homes for another generation: re-design and re-assembly
Join us on Zoom for a tour of our factory followed by a presentation of two circular case projects and our processes in prefabrication, disassembly and redesign through modern permitting and reassembly.
Organiser: Pan-Abode International
Time: 16:00-18:00 EDT (22:00-00:00 UTC+2)
Thursday 16 to Friday September 17
Low Carbon and Circular Economy Business Action in Canada – second challenge pitch event
This event will gather selected EU innovators to “pitch” solutions to Canadian buyers. Each pitch session will last 60 minutes and feature 3-4 EU companies. Each session is fully open to the public, which is encouraged to participate in the Q&A period.
Organisers: the LCBA Canada Project, ICF, CESO, the Delphi Group and the Cleantech Group
Time: 9:00-13:00 EDT (15:00-19:00 UTC+2)
Friday September 17
Building circular economy networks: from local to global
Meet a non-profit circular economy network built by passionate leaders with a local approach. We strive for global impact awareness on circularity, together with our training institute. Discover with us the main outcomes of several events hosted by the network.
Organisers: Circular Economy Club and the Circular Economy Institute
Time: 8:00-10:00 EDT (14:00-16:00 UTC+2)
The importance of internationalisation for a circular future
Discover the importance of internationalisation at universities, learn about the Virtual Exchange Program organised by Windesheim and Inchainge, explore the added value of serious gaming and integrated learning, and understand the role we give to the circular economy in an international learning programme.
Organiser: Inchainge
Time: 8:00-11:30 EDT (14:00-17:30 UTC+2)
Systems thinking and blockchain to achieve circularity in global value chains
During this interactive session we will analyse a value chain and its minimum viable ecosystem, understand how blockchain can help us map its pain points, and how systemic thinking can be leveraged to close the loop on the value chain and make it circular.
Organisers: Future Urban Living and Blockchain Climate Institute
Time: 10:00-12:00 EDT (16:00-18:00 UTC+2)
Monday September 20
Everything-as-a-Service (XaaS): how businesses can thrive in the age of climate change and digitalisation
XaaS business and operating models have the power to combine economic value creation and competitiveness with environmental impact. This event will explore critical design principles to configure circular XaaS models, share case studies and provide a perspective on key enablers.
Organiser: SYSTEMIQ
Time: 10:00-11:30 EDT (16:00-17:30 UTC+2)
Tuesday September 21
EPR+: mandatory and voluntary mechanisms for financing the circular economy for plastics and packaging
Extended Producer Responsibility is widely recognised as a key circular economy approach to address packaging waste and pollution. This side event will discuss its advantages, challenges and possible complementary measures such as plastic credits.
Organisers: Ellen MacArthur Foundation and the PREVENT Waste Alliance
Time: 05:00-06:00 EDT (11:00-12:00 UTC+2)
September 21 to 23
Vaivén festival de economía circular en América Latina
Vaivén is an online festival that shows the development of private and public policy experiences of the circular economy in Latin America. This year, the topics will focus on cities, plastics, organics, electronics and industrial symbiosis.
The event language is Spanish.
Organisers: Konrad Adenauer Stiftung regional programme of Energy Security and Climate Change in Latin America (EKLA), UN Environment and the Circular Economy Coalition in Latin America and the Caribbean
Time: 10:00-12:00 EDT (16:00-18:00 UTC+2)
Wednesday September 22
Measuring circular economy solutions in manufacturing and capital equipment
This panel discussion will highlight the work of the Capital Equipment Coalition North America in evaluating the challenges to measure the circularity and sustainability of access-based business models in comparison to traditional ownership-based models.
Organiser: US Chamber of Commerce Foundation – Capital Equipment Coalition North America
Time: 10:00-11:00 EDT (16:00-17:00 UTC+2)
CSA Group’s road map to circularity
This event introduces CSA Group’s activities supporting the circular economy in Canada. They will touch on leading work in circularity standards in construction as well as research on photovoltaic recycling, reusing and decommissioning.
Organiser: CSA Group
Time: 13:00-14:00 EDT (19:00-20:00 UTC+2)
Organic innovation: lessons about growing circular economy companies
This event will bring together companies that collect and sort organics and those that process them to extract value. They discuss their innovative approaches and the challenges they face in a real-life example of a circular economy value chain.
Organisers: Ontario Environment Industry Association and the Consulate-General of the Netherlands in Toronto
Time: 13:00-14:30 EDT (19:00-20:30 UTC+2)
Innovation in product packaging
This webinar introduces Australian and Brazilian experts across different areas of the circular economy. Participants represent government agencies, corporations, SMEs, technological startups and research centres promoting the circular economy.
Organisers: UTS Business School Australia and PUC-Rio Brazil
Time: 18:30-19:30 EDT (NB 00:30-1:30 UTC+2 Thursday Sept.23)
Thursday September 23
Growing in circles: protein innovation, food waste revaluation and agribusiness evolution
This panel discussion showcases Canadian enterprises that leverage circular economy business models and supply chains to produce alternative proteins, revaluate food waste and drive sustainable food system innovation.
Organiser: Upswing Solutions Inc.
Time: 11:00 to 13:00 EDT (17:00 to 19:00 UTC+2)
Friday September 24
Key drivers and challenges of a circular transformation
The results of The Circular Transformation Survey show what is needed to catalyse circular solutions and support change makers to overcome their key challenges and to drive the transformation forward successfully.
Organiser: Inchainge
Time: 10:00-11:00 EDT (16:00-17:00 UTC+2)
Saturday September 25
Changing business models and shifting systems thinking in Nigeria
This event facilitates a dialogue between local and foreign changemakers and the youth, discussing the concept of sustainability and circularity in an African context, highlighting ways everyone can get involved in actualising a change.
Organiser: Ambitious Africa Nigeria
Time: 12:00-13:30 EDT (18:00-19:30 UTC+2)