4th Global Entreps Awards & #5Gcitizens 2018: Recycling Europe – the European Circular Economy Package

On 19 June a panel of speakers discussed circular economy developments as part of the 4th Global Entreps Awards & #5Gcitizens 2018. The discussion was opened by the EC Director-General for Environment Daniel Calleja, and the EC Director of Circular Economy and Green Growth Kestutis Sadauskas. The moderator was Cillian Lohan, Circular Economy Rapporteur for the European Economic and Social Committee.

Speakers included Adriana Vargas, Commercial Minister of the Embassy of Colombia to the European Union, Xia Xiang, Economic and Commercial Minister, Mission of the People's Republic of China to the European Union, Mustan Lalani, Global Manager of Environmental Affairs at Tetra Pak, Alicia Garcia-Franco, Vice-President of EuRIC and Director General of FER, and Juanma Revuelta, Finnova Regio. Juan Espadas, Mayor of Seville City, and Oscar Martin, CEO at ECOEMBES contributed to the panel with pre-recorded video statements.

The speakers presented their respective achievements and challenges, highlighting the links between environmental protection, sustainable development and circular economy. They expressed their commitment to pursuing sustainable development and circular economy goals. They concluded that the transition to the circular economy has become an irreversible process and a mainstream policy. They also agreed that awareness must be raised that this transition is also economically and socially beneficial, as it promotes innovation and creates new jobs.