Circular Economy Summit Austria

About
the
event

The Circular Economy Summit Austria 2024, hosted by the Federal Ministry for Climate Action, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology (BMK) aims to discuss best practice policies from European countries and facilitate the exchange between decision makers. Participants from business, politics, administration, and civil society will discuss, among other topics, policies that have proven successful in initiating the transition to a circular economy.

The aim of this transformation is to strengthen the competitiveness of the European economy, focus on innovation-led progress, build crisis-resistant supply chains, and consider environmental and societal impacts.

The conversation at international and national level will address questions such as the policies needed to strengthen enterprises in international competition, the importance of private investment, monitoring of progress and the cooperation needed at the European level.

The summit aims to connect decision-makers from business, government, and society for cross-border exchange of knowledge and to highlight the potential of Austria and its businesses as key players in a circular economy.

Contact the organisation team at summit@circulareconomyforum.at

Selection of confirmed speakers

Leonore Gewessler

Federal Minister for Climate Action, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology

Christoph Thun-Hohenstein, Dr.phil. et Dr.iur.

Diplomat, Section Lead International Cultural Affairs (V), Federal Ministry of European and International Affairs

Cathrine Barth

Managing Partner, Nordic Circular Hotspot

Manfred Renner

Head of Institute Fraunhofer UMSICHT

Marijana Novak

Fellow Director Circularity Gap Solutions, Circle Economy, NL

Berthold Kren

CEO, Holcim Austria

Jack Barrie

Senior Research Fellow, Chatham House UK

Agnieszka Sznyk

President of the Board, INNOWO, PL

Philipp Horner

CSO, Voestalpine HPM

Robert Zadrazil

Country Manager Austria, Unicredit

Ladeja Godina Košir

Chair EU Circular Economy Stakeholder Platform

Stefan Grafenhorst

Vice President People & Sustainability Greiner AG

Patrick Schroeder

Senior Research Fellow, Chatham House UK

Thomas Arnoldner

Deputy CEO der A1 Telekom Austria Group

Deliloglu Alpaslan

CEO/CSO, IKEA Austria

Herbert Seitner

Sustainability Lead, Microsoft Austria

Patrizia-Ilda Valentini

Head of Mobilize, Renault Österreich GmbH

Smail Alhilali

Chief, Division of Circular Economy and Green Industry, United Nations Industrial Development Organization

Timetable

8:30-9:00 am

Registration & Coffee

9:00-9:20 am

Leonore Gewessler, Federal Minister for Climate Action, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology

9:20-9:40 am

Manfred Renner, Head of Institute Fraunhofer UMSICHT

9:40-10:30 am

The high-level panel will provide a comprehensive overview of the international perspective on circular economy leadership and policy, global trends, and set the stage for deeper discussions and collaborative action to achieve sustainable circular economy goals.

• Leonore Gewessler, Federal Minister for Climate Action, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology

• Smail Alhilali, Chief, Division of Circular Economy and Green Industry, United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO)

• Hans Mayrhofer, General Secretary Ecosocial Forum Austria & Europe

• Berthold Kren, CEO Holcim Austria

• Jack Barrie, Senior Research Fellow Chatham House, UK

Chair: Karin Huber-Heim, Chair Task Force Circular Economy

10:30-11:00 am

Coffee Break & Circularity Now! Expo

11:00-11:50 am

The panel aims to identify transferable best practices, assess policy effectiveness, and explore future directions for promoting circularity in Europe and internationally.

• Manfred Renner, Fraunhofer UMSICHT, Germany

• Nina Vaskunlahti, Ambassador of Finland

• Pieter de Maeght, Flanders Investment & Trade, BE

• Patrizia-Ilda Valentini, Head of Mobilize, Renault Österreich GmbH

• Stefan Grafenhorst, Vice President People & Sustainability Greiner AG

Chair: Cathrine Barth, Nordic Circular Hotspot

11:50-12:40 am

Collecting, analysing and using data to track the progress of the circular economy is key to the transition. The panel aims to address challenges, highlight technological solutions, and emphasise the importance of collaboration in using data to drive circular practices and enable data-driven policy making.

• Marijana Novak, Fellow Director Circularity Gap Solutions, Circle Economy, NL

• Agnieszka Sznyk, President of the Board, INNOWO, PL

• Andreas Tschulik, Head of Department V/7 - Integrated Product Policy, Corporate Environmental Protection and Environmental Technology BMK

• Christian Tauber, Director Software Development CANCOM Austria

• Herbert Seitner, Sustainability Lead, Microsoft Austria

Chair: Nina Eisenmenger, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU)

12:40-2:00 pm

Lunch Break & Circularity Now! Expo

1:00-1:30 pm

During lunchtime, we invite you to explore and to discuss how civil society actors contribute to a circular economy through innovative ideas and collaborative partnerships. Discussions will focus on their role, policy frameworks, and overcoming barriers to foster their impact.

Host: Sophia Kratz & Maria Langsenlehner, Circular Futures

2:00-2:50 pm

We will focus on identifying investment opportunities, exploring financing mechanisms, and addressing barriers in mobilizing funds for circular economy initiatives. It will discuss public-private collaboration models as well as policy support measures, and stress the importance of risk mitigation to attract private investment to circular projects.

• Dorothee Teichmann, Senior Economist, European Investment Bank

• Robert Zadrazil, Country Manager Austria, Unicredit

• Thomas Arnoldner, Deputy CEO der A1 Telekom Austria Group

• Peter Ulm, CEO allora Immobilien/Zukunftsanker

• Andreas Rajchl, Head of Department for Green Finance and Sustainable Economy, Austrian Ministry for Climate Action

Chair: Patrick Schroeder, Chatham House, UK

2:55-3:45 pm

We will discuss policy alignment, supply chain integration and fostering innovation across Central European countries to advance the circular economy. The aim is to identify barriers, promote regional cooperation frameworks and facilitate knowledge exchange to accelerate the transition to circularity in the region.

• Ladeja Godina Kosir, Chair EU Circular Economy Stakeholder Platform

• Philipp Horner, CSO, Voestalpine HPM

• Maximilian Mauthe, Expert Industriellenvereinigung

• Paul Ploberger, Public Affairs refurbed

• Carlos Martinez Ezquerra, Circular Economy Manager, mondi

Chair: Christoph Thun-Hohenstein, BMEIA/V

3:45-4:00 pm

Thomas Jakl, Deputy Head Environmental Protection and Circular Economy, Federal Ministry for Climate Action, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology (BMK)

4:00-5:00 pm

Circularity Now! Expo & Networking

Welcome by Federal Minister

Keynote ‘Circular economy beyond recycling – a crucial building block for our future’

Opening Panel – an international perspective on circular economy

Panel 1: European policies as a game changer – best practice exchange

Panel 2: Data is key - monitoring progress in a circular economy

Lounge Talk: Circular futures – the role of civil society

Panel 3: Financing the transition – public private partnerships for circularity

Panel 4: Cross-border collaboration – Circular Central European partnerships

Closing Remarks