The time has come to rethink how we design, make, and use the things we need, from the food we eat to the clothes we wear.

The idea of a circular economy, in which waste and pollution are eliminated through better design, reuse of resources and regeneration, is a radical solution to climate change and biodiversity loss, as well as social problems. But is a shift away from a linear economy achievable, and how?

Meet our speakers and chair  

Jocelyn Blériot (@jossbleriot) joined Ellen MacArthur in 2007, after 12 years spent in the media and publishing industry. Initially in charge of editorial matters at the Foundation (overseeing content development and messaging), he now fully focuses on leading the organisation’s institutional engagement. He notably represents the Foundation at the European Commission, and manages the relationship with governments and supra-national bodies such as the United Nations, the G7 Resource Alliance, the OECD or the World Economic Forum. 

Lara Pohl-Martell is a Business Advisor on ReLondon’s business transformation team. She offers advice and support to London-based SMEs, helping them create sustainable value and growth through circular strategies and innovations. Within the business transformation team, her focus area is plastics and packaging. Before working for ReLondon, Lara did the MSc Psychology of Economic Life at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), throughout which she focused on looking at the circular economy from a psychological perspective, and co-founded the LSESU Circular Economy Society.

Jason Wong is Visiting Fellow at LSE and Assistant Professor of Economics at Occidental College. His research uses applied quantitative methods to study how different forms of connectivity including aviation, language diversity, electricity infrastructure, and remittances affect socioeconomic life. 

Susana Mourato (@smmour) is Professor of Environmental Economics in the Department of Geography and Environment and Pro-Director for Research at LSE.

More about this event  

This event is part of the LSE Festival: How Do We Get to a Post-COVID World? running from Monday 13 to Saturday 18 June 2022, with a series of events exploring the practical steps we could be taking to shape a better world. 

It has been organised in partnership with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, an international charity launched in 2010 with the aim of accelerating the transition to the circular economy. They work with a network of private and public sector decision-makers, as well as academia, to build capacity, explore collaborative opportunities, and design and develop circular economy initiatives and solutions.

The Department of Geography and Environment (@LSEGeography) at LSE is a centre of international academic excellence in economic, urban and development geography, environmental social science and climate change.

Twitter hashtags for this event: #LSEFestival