Look back at the CE² event in Langenthal

Throwback to CE² Circular economy entrepreneurs, that took place in Langenthal on the 27th June 2019. The aim of the conference was to sensitize and mobilize the Swiss private sector to move towards resource efficient, closed loop systems.

The set up itself was inspired by the circular economy concept - not only the stage and networking areas decoration were made by upcycled materials, but we also received biodegradable badges and giveaway soaps from orange peels by a Dutch startup SOOP.

The program provided insights from international academic and business leaders, as well as local and regional pioneers in the field of circular economy.

Ken Webster, senior lecturer at the University of Exeter Centre for the Circular Economy gave an overview of the need for systemic change, including enabling environment from authority and politics, but also the engagement from industry and consumers.

In a podium discussion, owners of three Swiss family owned companies - Girsberger Holding AG, Möbel Pfister AG, and PANOLIN AG- discussed together with Dominik Isler, CEO of the Swiss Economic Forum, the challenges related to resource efficiency and sustainability for businesses that “live for the next generations”. They all agreed on the market driven growing opportunities for the industry and shared their experience in step by step progress in sourcing, customer acquisition, and reverse logistics of circular products.

In the framework of the Deep dive sessions, I was given the stage, together with Hanno Schwab, the founder of early bird skis, to introduce how an SME can start a journey towards the circular economy - from the design of a circular product to a service based business model.

Together with the participants in the session, we had a lively discussion on the opportunities for early adopters of circular design to trigger a mindset shift in the industry, and also on the challenges of implementation of pay-per-use service models for market niche products.

The CE² event was part of the official gatherings of the movement Circular economy Switzerland and all eyes are now on the next event in Lausanne. Stay tuned!

Written by Pavlina Pavlova, Co-Lead of the CET Business Lab