It was so exciting to be able to lead open and engaging discussions at the Advancing the Circular Economy event at the La Kretz Innovation Campus (LKIC) in downtown LA. It's always amazing to connect with fellow passionate circular economists!

There was a rich mix of startups, recyclers and brand owners discussing the challenges and opportunities associated with the forthcoming circular economy.

We were able to plant a seed that will grow with every passing year. Based upon the very good engagement and discussions during the presentations and workshops, as well as in smaller groups it's clear that there is a huge interest in these types of gatherings of plastics industry professionals and stakeholder who want to help accelerate the circular economy.

I think that we did achieve one key objective to bring recyclers, converters, brands together to demonstrate what’s possible already today (especially if each stakeholder listens a bit more to the next one down the value chain). There are no simple solutions as we create a true circular economy, there are no black and white answers – together I feel we can create opportunities and piece-by-piece return what is now considered waste, into valuable products. 

With discussions such as Design for Recycling and the Circular Economy which I was able to lead, we get to share how each participant can engage and create real, practical solutions to our growing plastics waste problem and it's impact on the environment.

You can see the original Event Program Here.

Would you like to energize and activate this community in a major city near you? Reach out and we can discuss how to make this possible! You can connect with me, Martin Baumann at mbaumann@erema.net. I look forward to hearing from you!