The general theme for the Forum is ‘Closing Loops – Transitions at Work’ and with this theme, the WRF 2019 wants to focus on hands-on sharing of best practices. Indeed, the vision and knowledge to close cycles and to evolve towards a circular economy are often already available. So, a necessary and urgent next step is to put theory and knowledge into practice, for which networking with peers and other stakeholders can be a key driver.

The conference will put the spotlight on:

• Cities and regions as laboratories for circular change
• Circular economy as an enabler for climate change
• Circular bio-economy: food and bio-based materials
• Industrial transformation: the role of industry 4.0 as a technological driver for the circular economy
• Non-toxic cycles
• Soil and land as valuable resources: the circular economy and spatial planning
• Sustainable waste and materials management
• The role of harbors in global resource policy, and specifically on e-waste

Distinguished speakers include: 

• Dr. Saskia Sassen, Professor, Columbia University
• Peter Sabbe, CEO, Recupel
• Sandrine Dixson-Decleve, Co-President, Club of Rome
• Dr. Hans Bruyninckx, Executive Director, European Environment Agency 

News and updates about the program and registration process are available on the WRF 2019 website.

^{Image source: S. Alexis, Flickr}