Timed to follow the release of the European Commission’s revised Circular Economy Package, which forms a key pillar of the Commission’s work programme for 2016, this conference will enable stakeholders to debate and respond to the new proposals.
Jyrki Katainen, Vice President for Jobs, Growth, Investment and Competitiveness, European Commission will open and attend the conference.
In an economic climate where European countries are burdened by global competition for an often unstable supply of resources, creating a new paradigm in which a sustainable European economy emerges is an urgent matter for debate.
To secure Europe’s competitiveness in the face of such challenges, the circular economy is seen in some quarters as a restorative solution, with the potential to eliminate waste and reduce carbon emissions through environmentally superior materials, products and processes, while at the same time driving green growth and jobs. However for some, the EU regulatory burden continues to handicap European companies faced with stiff global competition.
Sessions will focus on:
- Bringing eco-design into the mainstream
- Creating a viable European market for secondary raw materials
- Preventing food waste across the supply chain
The conference will also feature a case study session led by SMEs, emerging innovators and disruptors discussing to what extent the new circular economy package can drive disruption among traditional sectors, while boosting economic activity at the SME level.
