Events

October 2009
1st Global Network Conference on RECP in Luzerne
October 2011
2nd Global Network Conference on RECP in Nairobi
September 2013
3rd Global Network Conference on RECP in Montreux
October 2015
4th Global Network Conference on RECP in Davos

Global Resource Efficient and Cleaner Production (RECP) Conference Concludes in Helsinki

_RECPnet Group Photo

Helsinki, 5 June – The Global Resource Efficient and Cleaner Production (RECP) Conference 2017, which was held from 3-5 June 2017, in Helsinki, Finland, successfully concluded today.

The conference, which was organized by UN Environment and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), focused on forging international partnerships to advance sustainability in industry through concepts such as eco-innovation and circular economy.

The first two days of the conference featured Regional Chapter Meetings and the bi-annual Members’ Assembly of the 65-member Global Network for Resource Efficient and Cleaner Production (RECPnet).

_4th RECPnet Members Assembly

During the meetings of its Regional Chapters and its Members’ Assembly, the members of RECPnet worked to identify emerging collaboration opportunities and establish the basis for joint projects at the regional and global levels. Through its Members’ Assembly, the network sought to align its strategy and operational modalities closer to evolving realities, in line with lessons learned from operating the network on a global level for the past seven years. Members of RECPnet also elected new Regional Executives to represent them on the network’s Executive Committee for the next two years.

Capacity Building Segment

The conference concluded on the third day with a public segment which featured two panel discussions showcasing successful projects and initiatives by industry leaders and RECP practitioners, and addressed the question of how approaches such as eco-innovation and RECP can be scaled and financed in order to initiate and sustain a circular economy.

Members of RECPnet took the stage alongside representatives of global actors such as H&M, the European Investment Bank, and the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, to illustrate the viability and potential of circular solutions to the creation of wealth and wellbeing.

_WCEF2017 Opening

The Global RECP Conference dovetailed with the World Circular Economy Forum (WCEF) 2017, organized by SITRA – the Finnish Innovation Fund, in collaboration with national and international partners. The WCEF 2017 marked the first time an international conference has been held on the topic of circular economy. Around 1,500 participants joined global policymakers and leading experts in the field of circular economy to present effective circular economy solutions, and discuss the means to – and implications of – a globalization of the concept.

–> UPDATE: The presentations made at the WCEF 2017 are available online. To access them, click on a specific session in the programme, and click on “See presentation” after a given speaker’s name. A summary report of the WCEF 2017 is also available on the website of the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD).

–> UPDATE: The presentations delivered during the panel discussions in the segment Building Partnerships for Advancing Circular Economy and Eco-innovation Approaches are now available online. Please click on the following links to view the respective presentations:

1st Panel Discussion – Advancing Circular Economy and Eco-innovation in Developing and Transition Economies

From Policy to Action: Eco-innovation Approaches in Developing Countries

Mr. Nguyen Hong Long, Centre for Creativity and Sustainability, Viet Nam

Realizing Business Opportunities through Eco-Innovation: A Step-by-Step Approach

Ms. Daniela Pegosso, DTU

Chemical Leasing: Contribution to Circular Economy and Eco-Innovation

Mr. Reinhard Joas, BiPRO

Scaling Resource Efficiency through Eco-Industrial Parks

Mr. Bharat P. Jain, Gujarat Cleaner Production Centre

 

2nd Panel Discussion – Building a Global Partnership to advance Circular Economy in Developing and Transition Economies

Circular Economy: Redefining Growth for Long-Term Prosperity

Mr. Jocelyn Bleriot, Ellen Mac Arthur Foundation

Circularity in the Value Chain

Ms. Luisa Book, H&M

Financing the Circular Economy

Mr. Jonas Byström, European Investment Bank

 

 

RECPnet is a global network of leading RECP service providers launched by UN Environment and UNIDO dedicated to promoting RECP in developing and transition economies.

More information: www.recpnet.org

Contact: recpnet@unido.org