This year marks 10 years since the first Circular Economy Conference in Slovenia. It also marks 10 years since the first EU Circular Economy Action Plan. It was created in recognition of the fact that the material aspect is an important lever for achieving climate, environmental and biodiversity goals. Reducing the consumption of primary resources, designing products from secondary resources, introducing circular business models and circular consumption are only some from the variety of circular economy measures with which we can effectively respond to the challenges of excessive resource consumption.
Five years ago, the EU adopted a new Circular Economy Action Plan with a strong message: “For a cleaner and more competitive Europe”. Its purpose is to encourage the production of sustainable products that can be used for a long time and to enable citizens to fully participate in the circular economy and the positive changes it brings.
But success in this area will require a lot of effort, as the consumption of material resources already exceeds the capacity of our planet. Estimates show that by 2050, human consumption will have grown to the point where it would require three planet Earths.
Implementing circular principles is an economically and socially demanding task that requires a systemic approach, as the levers for action require coordination in all areas of our activities and lives.
Hence this conference aims at contributing to greater awareness and better progress of the circular economy. We primarily want to focus on questions: where are we, what can we do and how can we do it?
The conference will look at circular economy through the lens of competitiveness and resilience of the EU and Slovenia and the lens of supply and demand system.
The conference is organized by the Ministry of the Environment, Climate and Energy and the Ministry of the Economy, Tourism and Sport and in cooperation with the Slovenian Centre for Circular Economy.
Members of programming committee are: Uroš Vajgl, State secretary, Ministry of the Environment, Climate and Energy, head; dr. Janez Potočnik, co-chair, UN International Resource Panel; Nina Meglič, ReCatalyst; Anna Brussa, Climate KIC; Jaka Kranjc, Ecologists Without Borders Association; Marija Čebular Zajec, Ministry of the Economy, Tourism and Sport; Mireia Cannellas Grifoll, Ministry of Territory, Housing and Ecological Transition, Catalonia.
The plenary part of the conference will be held in Slovenian and English. Interpretation will be provided from English into Slovenian and vice versa. Parallel sessions will be held in English.
Good business practices and the forefront of circular innovation will be presented, the discussion will also focus on the role of decision-makers who design support systems and programs to overcome obstacles to the circular economy. We will talk about how circular economy can contribute to social resilience and what role local communities, businesses and young people play in this. We will also discuss tools for strengthening circular supply and demand.
Conference participants will also be able to learn about and experience circular economy practices on site.
There will be many opportunities for networking, exchanging opinions and experiences among conference participants, with panellists and speakers.
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe Pre- Commercial Procurement Programme, under Grant Agreement n° 101092208.
