The Circular Economy Network (CEN) -- co-founded by Tessa Vlaanderen and Sarah Bloomquist -- is pleased to announce our summer event! Join us Tuesday, July 17, 6:30-9:00pm, at WeWork in Manhattan to view Closing the Loop, the first feature-length documentary on the #CircularEconomy, and get inspired by numerous examples of game-changing businesses and cities! After the film we'll break into small groups to discuss the film and we'll rejoin as a full group to share our thoughts. Light refreshments will be served. Please bring your own cup if possible! Registration is required.
6:30-6:40pm -- Welcome
6:40-8:15pm -- Film screening
8:15-8:40pm -- Small group discussions
8:40-9:00pm -- Full group discussion
6:40-8:15pm -- Film screening
8:15-8:40pm -- Small group discussions
8:40-9:00pm -- Full group discussion
FILM SYNOPSIS
Going “circular” refers to the necessary change from our current take-make-waste linear economy to a borrow-use-return circular economy (sometimes also referred to as the zero-waste or cradle-to-cradle economy).
The film is directed by A two-time Telly® Award and Emmy® Award-winning filmmaker Graham Sheldon and presented by global sustainability expert, Prof. Dr. Wayne Visser. And despite its dire warnings – John Elkington, famous for coining the “triple bottom line” of sustainability says in the film: “if we continue with the linear economy if we’re to use a technical term totally screwed” – it is an optimistic film about innovative solutions.
In support of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (especially Goal 12 on Responsible Consumption and Production), the documentary explores five key strategies for achieving circularity – reduce, reuse, recycle, renew and reinvent – by showcasing examples from Europe, Latin America and Africa and featuring insights from experts from the likes of the World Economic Forum and the Universities of Cambridge and Harvard.
- Barloworld – a South African industrial conglomerate, with the second-largest Caterpillar equipment remanufacturing plant in the world
- Biogen – a UK renewable energy company which generates all its energy and bio-fertilizer from food waste
- Dutch Awearness – a pioneer in circular textiles from The Netherlands, including workwear and suits that can be recycled 8 times
- Interface – a U.S. carpet manufacturer with an ambitious Mission Zero strategy for eliminating negative environmental impacts by 2020
- Novamont – an Italian bio-plastics company, renowned for making the Lavazza compostable coffee capsule
- Quito City – with solutions ranging from Tetrapak up-cycling and zero-waste car assembly to sustainable farming and eco-tourism in the tropical cloud-forests
In addition to these featured cases, the film also captures the views of business practitioners like Mike Barry, Director of Sustainable Business (Plan A) for Marks & Spencer and Christopher Davis, International Director of Corporate Responsibility and Campaigns for The Body Shop.
ABOUT THE PRESENTER: Prof. Wayne Visser
Prof. Dr Wayne Visser holds the Chair in Sustainable Transformation and is Professor of Integrated Value at Antwerp Management School. He is also Fellow of the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership. His work as a strategy analyst, sustainability advisor, CSR expert, futurist and professional speaker has taken him to 74 countries in the past 30 years to work with over 150 clients. Dr. Visser has been recognized a Top 100 thought-leader in trustworthy business and a Top 100 global sustainability leader. Some highlights of Wayne’s work include co-producing the climate change documentary Sinking Nation and authoring 28 books – including for example Sustainable Frontiers: Unlocking Change Through Business, Leadership, and Innovation.
ABOUT THE DIRECTOR: Graham Sheldon
A two-time Telly® Award and Emmy® Award winner, Graham Sheldon resides in Southern California USA, where he works as a producer, DP and writer in the television and video game industries. Throughout his career, Sheldon has produced dozens of documentary projects in Turkey, Croatia, Ukraine, Peru, Cuba, and across the continental United States — including Alaska and the Hawaiian Islands. Some highlights of Graham’s work include Sinking Nation, Echoes from Chernobyl, Cuba: An Island Apart, The Agency: Inside the CIA, and his Emmy award-winning expose on migration: Crossing Borders. He attended Indiana University and double majored in Telecommunications and Theatre.
ABOUT THE CEN
The CEN aims to convene a multitude of stakeholders to actively engage in discussing solutions to transition towards a more circular, regenerative world. Follow the CEN on Twitter for the latest on our monthly events.
SPONSORS
Terrapin Bright Green is a sustainability consulting firm committed to creating a healthier world. We believe in finding solutions that reconnect people with nature and mimic natural systems, offering boundless opportunities to improve the quality of life for all. We also believe that high-performance design means fundamentally improving human health, alongside economic and environmental performance.
WeWork is a platform for creators, providing over 120,000 members around the world with space, community, and services through both physical and virtual offerings. WeWork currently has more than 150+ physical locations in 50+ cities and 15 countries around the world. WeWork's mission is to create a life where people work to make a life, not just a living. To learn more about the WeWork locations in New York City, send an email to joinus@wework.com.
#CircularEconomy #Sustainability #ClosedLoop #Materials #Lifecycle #ClosingTheLoop
