ACEN May 2023 Newsflash!

Innovative Circular Economy Partnership in Rwanda

The Government of Rwanda and the African Leadership University (ALU) have announced the launch of an innovative partnership that will drive sustainable development in Rwanda and beyond. This partnership will focus on education, research, entrepreneurship, and awareness creation to promote biodiversity conservation, green technology and circular economy solutions. The partnership will support the Ministry of Environment with the implementation of the National Action Plan for Circular Economy. Both institutions are taking the lead in piloting circular economy solutions for Rwanda and Africa at large.

Final JUST2CE Workshop

On April 21^st, JUST2CE hosted a successful workshop in Barcelona, Spain, where over 50 attendees, from the public and private sector, academia and civil society discussed and co-created different scenarios for a Global North/South just transition to the circular economy. At the workshop, the attendees were able to reflect and discuss the prospects and challenges to foster a just circular economy transition that is more respectful of the environment and global justice.

The results and key findings from all workshops are going to be shared on social media shortly.

If you are interested in finding out more about the project, please reach out to Katharina Gihring.

Accelerator Session: African Voices

African Voices is a hybrid event taking place on Thursday, 1 June from 08:30 to 13:00 (UTC+3) at the MessuKeskus Conference Center, Helsinki-Finland. Three core sectors including green mining and critical raw materials, benign plastics, and resilient food systems will be tackled during this hybrid event. The event is hosted by the African Development Bank (AfDB); the African Circular Economy Alliance (ACEA) and the African Circular Economy Network (ACEN). To find out more about the session and participate in-person, in Helsinki, or online, please register on the event page.

Accelerator Session: Africa’s Circular Journey: Unleashing the Power of Circular Economy Hubs

This WCEF2023 event, co-organised by ACEN will also take place on Thursday, 1 June from 11:00 to 11:50 (UTC+3) at Sokos Hotel Vaakuna, Helsinki and Online. Reflecting on WCEF2022 and the Lagos Circular Hotspot 2023, this session will dive into the transformative power of circular economy hubs in Africa asking the key question: How can we foster cross-sector collaboration and drive innovative solutions for a sustainable circular future in Africa? The session is organised by the African Circular Economy Network, the Holland Circular Hotspot and the Nordic Circular Hotspot. You can register to join in-person, in Helsinki, or online from the event page.

Global Studio: Kenya

Following the modus operandi of the five African Studios ACEN hosted during WCEF2022, one Global Studio will take place in Kenya this year. This one-day immersive event brings together stakeholders from various sectors to address the challenges and opportunities of the circular economy in Kenya. The Studio will screen two sessions from the main event and facilitate activities that promote conversations, engagement, and networking. If you are based in Kenya and want to enhance your knowledge of the circular economy and join the conversation on local development, please contact us to secure your participation. This is an in-person event only.

Side Event: What happens to the EPR fees paid in Europe for a product that is exported to Africa as second-hand?

This WCEF2023/ Side Event will take place on Wednesday, 17 May from 15:00 to 16:30 CAT. The event will look at the international flow of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) fees covering used electronics and used cars shipped from the EU to Africa. It will explore possible solutions to tackle the challenges African countries face from the importation of millions of tons of second-hand products. The event is organised by European Environmental Bureau (EEB), and Circular Innovation Lab and co-organised by ACEN Foundation and Footprints Africa.

Africa Sustainability and Green Growth Forum

Bezawit Eshetu Gizaw, an ACEN Executive Team Member, will speak at SSCG Consulting’s online event Tuesday, 30 May from 14:00 to 16:00 CAT. The theme of the event is Harnessing sustainable economic development, businesses and supply chain, impact investing, ESG responsibility, SDGs and green growth. The event will provide the opportunity for participants to connect with like-minded professionals and learn about opportunities in CE inspired supply chain optimisation, gain insights on economic trends, perspectives, strategies and best practices.

Deloitte Sustainability Summit Africa 2023

Under the theme of 'People, Planet, Purpose for Africa', the programme of the Sustainability Summit 2023 is packed with captivating sessions that explore critical sustainability topics and challenge traditional mindsets. It will include topics around SMME Inclusion in Sustainable Procurement and Supply Chain, and Moving Beyond Risk Mitigation to Opportunity Creation amongst others. This event, hosted by Deloitte, will run from 6 to 8 June at the Deloitte Complex, Waterfall, Johannesburg.

Call for Circular Economy Researchers and Experts

The African Leadership University (ALU) in collaboration with the journal The Frontiers has released the first academic research publication to document circular economy developments across Africa. ALU encourages researchers that want to develop circular economy knowledge and resources in Africa to submit their work. The application deadline for the full manuscript is 31 August 2023. For any questions about the publication fees, reach out to Elke Nijman. Here you may find inspiration on which research topics need to be further investigated, and the first published articles.

Eco-I Manual: Electronic Supplement

ACEN Director, Susanne Karcher, has contributed some practical insight including a case study into this Electronics Supplement that is an integral part of the Eco-innovation Manual. This supplement was commissioned by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in close collaboration with the World Resources Forum (WRF). The supplement launch took place on 4 May 2023 with key messages, findings and lessons learned while eco-innovation pilot companies in Latin America were presented.

Rethink Global Podcast

Catherine Weetman of Rethink Global, one of ACEN’s longstanding partners, has recently published the 100^th episode of her popular Circular Economy Podcast. In Podcast 100 Catherine shares a bit of her backstory, including why she ditched her corporate career to help businesses get a clear understanding on how going circular is better for people, planet and profit. At the start of the episode, Catherine gives a shout-out to ACEN. In Podcast 101 Catherine expands on the 3 circular strategies which are better for people, planet and profit.

Organisational Member: WWF South Africa

The WWF Circular Economy team facilitates the transition from the current inefficient and wasteful linear economy towards a circular economy in plastic and ‘plastic+’ value chains (such as textiles and absorbent hygiene products, among others) with resulting environmental, social and economic gains. Their work aims to reduce pollution from these identified value chains through systemic efforts to strengthen global, regional and national governance frameworks and at the same time accelerate the just transition to a circular economy in South Africa and the region. They focus on upstream and midstream interventions which include material and product re-design, innovative business models and stakeholder behaviour interventions.

Welcome WWF South Africa!

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