Recalibrating our Economic Compass: Embracing Circularity for a Healthy Planet

Tommy MalettaInformation Technology Issues, Latest Headlines, Technology

Edward Saltzberg, Security and Sustainability Forum

January 23, 2024

11:15 am to 12:45 pm EST

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Coining the phrase, “pollution is just molecules in the wrong place,” Barry Commoner, one of the founders of the modern environmental movement, highlighted that substances that are harmless or beneficial in one context can become harmful when relocated or concentrated due to human activities.

So, the solution to man’s devastating impact on the planet, including climate change, should be as simple as putting molecules in the right place. Do that equitably, and many of our social problems will also be solved.

Physically, materials management can be planned to do it. This is the essence of the circular economy concept. Adopting a circular economy fixes everything.

However, if that were easy, it would be done already, and our problems would be solved. The immense hurdle is that circularity requires transforming the global economic system and how man views their place on the planet.

Join the Security and Sustainability Forum and Routledge on January 23rd, when I have the privilege of convening the father of the circular economy, Walter Stahel, with corporate leaders Thomas Rau and Sabine Oberhuber, the authors of Material Matters. Get their expert insights and practical solutions on transforming society from a linear to a circular economy to meet our unprecedented environmental challenges and growing social inequities.

MEET THE PANEL

Walter Stahel

A pioneer in the circular economy field and founder of the Product Life Institute, Walter is widely credited with coining the term “circular economy” in the 1970s. His prolifical work, including The Circular Economy – A Users Guide, has laid the foundation and first floors for a paradigm shift away from the unsustainable linear model of “take-make-dispose” towards a circular one that emphasizes resource optimization, regeneration, and value preservation.

Sabine Oberhuber

Sabine is an economist; together with Thomas Rau, she cofounded Turntoo, one of the first companies in the world to focus on the transition to a circular economy. The pair also authored Material Matters – Developing Business for a Circular Economy. Sabine assists corporate clients and public institutions in developing and implementing circular business models and management strategies that facilitate the transition to a circular economy.

Thomas Rau

“We cannot improve the world until we change the soul of our economic system.”

Thomas is an architect, entrepreneur, innovator, and acclaimed thought leader on sustainability and the circular economy. He received the Circular Hero Award 2021 for his groundbreaking work to establish a circular economy. He was awarded the ULI Germany Leadership Award for Urban Innovation in 2022.

Rau is an acclaimed international speaker. He takes part in current international discussions on circularity, sustainability, the development of energy-saving technologies, energy-positive buildings, and new business models.

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