On 1 September 2020, the 5th Circular Change Conference, held under the theme of “Mainstreaming the Circular Economy Mindset”, will take place at Lake Bled in Slovenia, setting the trends for the discussion on sustainable leadership, business-led innovation and the EU’s sustainability goals based around the European Green Deal. This year’s event will focus on empowering leaders who are introducing sustainable change to all levels of decision-making. The first year of the 2020s is crucial for implementing sustainability agendas and reaching the agreed targets and goals. More than ever, the international community requires bold thinking and a willingness to take action. The message is clear – the time to act is now.

The ambition of the 5th Circular Change Conference is to bring the circular economy mindset into the mainstream – to every individual, company and government. The programme is structured in such a way as to give a concrete insight into actions on three levels:

1.      GLOBAL: Challenges and actions addressing climate crisis and implementation of the SDGs. Where does Europe stand today and what is the expected impact of the New Green Deal?

2.      BUSINESS: Personal responsibility and key turning points when leading the circular change. How to build purpose-driven businesses based on core values with positive economic, social and environmental impacts?

3.      CITIZENS: Circular behaviour in everyday life - responsible production and consumption. How to support collaboration between producers and consumers for the preservation of our quality of life?

The international Circular Change Conference has grown into one of the key European events dedicated to circular economy. In 4 years, more than 2000 participants and over 150 international speakers from more than 30 countries have shared their knowledge and fostered the transition towards circular economy. The event also serves as a high-level meeting point, under the honorary sponsorship of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Slovenia.

This year, the Circular Change Conference will be held in partnership with the Bled Strategic Forum 2020, a leading international conference in Central and South-Eastern Europe. Under the theme of “Reinvention”, the Forum will focus on creating a resilient and sustainable global community that will strive to revive and give meaning to our societies.