The global forces affecting our sector are changing at an exponential rate. Our role has escalated from essential service to critical solution. Our expertise in preserving natural resources and sustainably managing waste is vital in the increasingly rapid drive to establish circular economies and achieve net zero.
Participate in RTF 2021 to:
• Precisely understand the environmental, technological and political changes impacting our sector
• Discover how you and your organisation can embrace and capitalise on this change
• Collaborate, because only by working together will we move the world beyond waste
Looking forward and sharing our collective knowledge, determination and creativity will help us become more resilient, more adaptable and better prepared to grasp the opportunities in this rapidly changing world.
Host: Steve Lee
Session 1: Change in response to the climate emergency – Exploring the role the circular economy must play to help the UK meet its Net-Zero Carbon targets
In this session, we look at what it will take for the recycling and waste management sector to reach Net Zero, ask whether the circular economy and Resources & Waste Strategy agendas align with efforts to decarbonise, and debate whether there is sufficient leadership from central Government.
Keynote speaker: Tom Heap, Freelance broadcaster and journalist
Presentations:
- ESA Net Zero Strategy – Jacob Hayler, Executive Director, Environmental Services Association
- Carbon Capture and Storage – Bilal Ahmed, Business Developmetn Analyst, BP
- Energy from Waste – Stuart Hayward-Higham, Technical Development Director, Suez
Panel discussions with:
Moderator: Claudia Jaksch, Chief Executive Officer, Policy Connect
- Steve Read, Chair of ADEPT Environment Board / Director of Environment and Public Protection, West Sussex County Council
- Rachel Espinosa, Principal Consultant – Resource Efficiency & Waste Management, Ricardo
- Stuart Hayward-Higham, Technical Development Director, Suez,
- Jacob Hayler, Executive Director, ESA
- Bilal Ahmed, CCSU, BP
Session 2: How will technological change and innovation contribute to circular-economy ambitions by 2050?
This session looks at how our sector can harness technological acceleration to achieve its circular economy and net-zero ambitions and the work that is currently underway in this area. We also debate what technological transitions will be needed for our operations in a climate change context, both to mitigate the effects of climate change and reduce carbon, and learn from others through a series of short case study presentations.
Presentations:
- Technology and Innovation Research, NICER Programme – Professor Peter Hopkinson, Professor of Circular Economy and Co-Director of the Exeter Centre for the Circular Economy
- Fibre-to-Fibre Textile Recycling – Dr Alexandra Lanot, Senior Research Associate at the Centre for Novel Agricultural Product, University of York
- Decarbonising the aviation sector – Malcolm Ward, Consultant, VELOCYS
Panel discussions with:
Moderator: SarahJane Widdowson, Director, Intelisos
- Professor Peter Hopkinson, Professor of Circular Economy and Co-Director of the Exeter Centre for the Circular Economy
- Dr Alexandra Lanot, Senior Research Associate at the Centre for Novel Agricultural Product, University of York
- Malcolm Ward, Consultant, VELOCYS
Session 3: Speech from Parliamentary Under Secretary of State
Speaker: Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs – Jo Churchill MP
Session 4: How will consumer behaviour shape positive change to more sustainable business models and what role will consumers play in the success of the Circular Economy?
In this session, we explore consumer confidence in recycling; what consumption trends have been accelerated by the forces of climate change, the UK’s trading arrangements post-Brexit and the Covid-19 pandemic; and where responsibility falls for promoting sustainable consumption. Through a combination of presentations and a lively panel debate, we delve into what our daily lives will look like between 2040 and 2050, posing the ultimate question: What must we all do differently?
Presentations:
- Public Confidence in Recycling – Paldeep Bhatti, Head of Research & Policy, INCPEN
- What Will Change For Consumers Under RWS? – Sarah Clayton, Head of Citizen Behaviour Change, WRAP
Panel discussions with:
Moderator: Julie Fourcade, FCC Enviromental
- Trewin Restorick, Founder and CEO, Hubbub
- Margaret Bates, Executive Director, OPRL
- Martin Kersh, Executive Director, Foodservice Packaging Association
- Paldeep Bhatti, Head of Research & Policy, INCPEN
- Sarah Clayton, Head of Citizen Behaviour Change, WRAP
Closing remarks: Dr. Adam Read, CIWM President and Director of External Affairs SUEZ
