The Ellen MacArthur Foundation at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos

This week the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) Annual General meeting returns to Davos, Switzerland. Each year, the meeting brings together top business executives from the 1,000 foremost global companies, more than 100 government leaders, and ambassadors to define priorities and shape global industry and regional agenda.

This year’s overarching theme is Globalization 4.0: Shaping a Global Architecture in the Age of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, and as in previous years, the circular economy is on the agenda.

The Ellen MacArthur Foundation and WEF have collaborated closely to advance the circular economy since the Foundation, with McKinsey & Company, published its analysis of the economic opportunity of a circular economy, in Davos, in 2012. Together with WEF, the Foundation leads Project Mainstream - a CEO-led initiative that helps to scale business driven circular economy innovations. The Foundation is also an affiliate member of WEF’s Platform for Accelerating the Circular Economy (PACE), a global public-private collaboration platform and project which aims to create systems change at speed and scale.

Ellen Macarthur, Andrew Morlet, and members of the Foundation’s senior team, will attend numerous bilateral meetings and events during the week.

Foundation Highlights and Activities

• 21st January: The Circulars Awards

The Circular Awards will take place on the first day of Davos and several of the Foundation’s CE100 members have been nominated to receive prestigious awards.

Following this event, the Foundation will be launching three new projects throughout the course of the week.

• 23rd January 2019: Launch of new paper Artificial intelligence and the circular economy

Available for download from our publications page on 23rd January, the paper explores the role of AI as a tool to accelerate the transition to a circular economy. Built on insights from over 40 interviews with experts, this work is a collaboration between the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and Google, with research and analytical support provided by McKinsey & Company. The new paper identifies cross-sector circular economy applications for AI, as well as taking a closer look at the food and consumer electronics industries, and how AI could, and is, enabling and accelerating the transition across these sectors.

• 23rd January: Issue of Circular Economy in Cities preview paper

Available for download from our Circular Economy in Cities pages on 23rd January, the paper previews the digital suite of resources the Foundation will launch in March. For urban policymakers and leaders, the resources will include a vision, circular economy opportunity factsheets, urban policy instruments, and city-led case studies. The project has been developed together with Knowledge Partner, Arup, and supported by the MAVA Foundation.

• 24th January 2019: Launch of new report Cities and Circular Economy for Food

Transitioning to a more circular food system will help address many of today’s issues. Available for download from our publications page on 24th January, the report, written as part of Project Mainstream and WEF, results from the Foundation’s work over the past year on Cities and Circular Economy for Food with a diverse group of food system actors, to design a regenerative urban food system based on the principles of a circular economy.

The report was made possible by philanthropic partners Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, Players of People’s Postcode Lottery (GB) and Porticus, in collaboration with lead partners Intesa Sanpaolo and core partners Danone, Sitra, Suez, Tetra Pak and Veolia.