Interactive Business Breakfast - Circular Economy Focus for 2026

Interactive Business Breakfast – Circular Economy Focus 2026 – Thurs 15th Jan – What global leaders are funding now: circular economy lessons for 2026
Start/End date
Event type
Workshop
Country
Other (Australia)
City
Nerang+online
Sector
Education and skills,
Governance
Scope
Cooperation and development,
Coordination Group 2025-2028
Key Area
Innovation and investments
Organising Body
Circular Economy Club - Gold Coast
Event webpage

This interactive workshop will explore where investment, leadership and effort can deliver the greatest circular economy impact in 2026.

It will be in a participant-led format, with four panellists: 

  • Ladeja Godina Košir is chair of the ECESP and focuses on turning complex ideas into practical, scalable action.
  • Dr Luigi Vandi focuses on sustainable materials, biocomposites and waste-to-value technologies.
  • Dr Owen Hogan focuses on the intersection of circular economy transitions, regenerative business models and applied innovation, with a strong focus on real-world impact.
  • Dr Nicole Garofano is the former Head of Circular Economy Development for Planet Ark where she led the strategy implementation for the Australian Circular Economy Hub.

It's a full agenda:

  • Ladeja, Luigi and Owen will give their perspectives, rooted firmly in real-world experience. This will be followed by a Q&A session on translating circular strategies into tangible outcomes.
  • How circular economy education is evolving around the world: this session will look at how students work on real-world challenges with trainers and industry professionals as part of the CIRCO training programme in the Netherlands and how Australia's 2026 CIRCO Challenge could adapt and include this approach.
  • EU-Australia circular economy collaboration: this is timely given that the EU-Australia Trade Agreement might be finalised in early 2026 and Australia's new National Circular Economy Framework is now in place.
  • The breakfast will also be the first step towards an EU Circular Talk event, organised by the ECESP in 2026 and aligned with COP31 within the broader context of EU-Australia-Türkiye cooperation. Participants will be able to help shape key messages and a narrative on how Europe and Australia can work together to accelerate circular solutions, innovation and global partnership.

This event will take place in English at 07:15-09:30 AEST on 15 January/22:15 CET on 14 January to 00:30 CET on 15 January. It will be in hybrid format – buy your ticket here. Programme.