Thriving as a Business in the Circular Economy
Roundtable Workshop
Venue: Brighthelm Centre, North Rd, Brighton BN1 1YD
Thursday January 19th 2017, 4pm to 7pm
The University of Sussex are delighted to invite you to a roundtable workshop on ‘Thriving as a Business in the Circular Economy’ organised by the School of Business, Management and Economics at the University of Sussex in collaboration with Growth International Limited.
The Circular Economy (CE) is an alternative to the traditional linear economy of “take, make, dispose”. CE aims to keep resources in use for as long as possible and extract the maximum value from them whilst in use, then recovers and regenerates products and materials at the end of their useful life.
CE promises many highly desirable outcomes including the sustainable use of the world’s resources, robust avenues for economic growth with lowered environmental impact, and new, high quality employment opportunities.
It is widely recognised that small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) will have a key role to play in CE. However, the opportunities and challenges they face in the transition to CE are underexplored.
This workshop brings together academics, businesses and policy makers with four specific aims:
- To share knowledge and experience of engaging with circular practices
- To provide information about the new draft BS 8001 CE framework
- To generate discussion about opportunities and challenges of CE business models
- To consider the development of a region-wide CE network that would potentially support SMEs
This workshop is designed to deliver something of value to all participants. As academic researchers, we wish to hear first-hand about the challenges SMEs face in engaging with CE practices and ideas about the form of support that would help remove these barriers.
For businesses, the workshop will offer a space to engage with other firms and relevant stakeholders as well as hearing from Professor Martin Charter who is a member of the BS 8001 framework Advisory Board. This is also an opportunity to share know-how about existing successful CE business models, identify shared problems and explore solutions in a local context. You will find an outline agenda below.
If you would like to read some background information on the Circular Economy, we suggest you take a look at the Ellen MacArthur Foundation website: www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org.
We very much look forward to welcoming you to the workshop on Thursday 19th January 2017 from 4pm to 7pm. To confirm your attendance or for further information please contact Peter Desmond of Growth International on 07956 586390 or at circulareconomy@growthinternational.com
Agenda
3.45pm - Registration and refreshments
4.00pm - Welcome & Introduction
4.10pm - “What is the Circular Economy?” – a video from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation
4.15pm - The new BS 8001 framework and circular business models – Professor Martin Charter, Director, The Centre for Sustainable Design, University of Creative Arts & BS8001 Advisory Board
4.40pm - Round Table Discussions
5.30pm - Feedback from Table Discussions
6.00pm - The potential of a region-wide network for facilitating the transition to CE
6.15pm - Green Growth Platform Circular Economy project – Rachel Espinosa
6.25pm - Wrap up and Conclusion
6.30pm - 7.00pm - Refreshments
Proud Members of
