At the Circular Valley® Forum in Wuppertal on 18 November 2022, around 600 guests from business, politics, research and civil society will come together to discuss with top-class speakers. Topics will be the challenges of the transformation towards a Circular Economy and their solutions. Alethea Magazine received an interview from Dr. Carsten Gerhardt, founding member of Circular Valley®, which is supported by the NRW Ministry of Economics. Circular Valley® is an initiative to develop the Rhine-Ruhr metropolis as a global centre for the circular economy. The name was inspired by Silicon Valley and its rise. According to Dr. Carsten Gerhardt, the Rhine-Ruhr region is ideal as a location because it is the largest metropolitan region in Europe, with a very high density of world market leaders and research institutions. Circular Valley® has only been around for 1.5 years, but it has already been able to help over 60 companies develop solutions for the circular economy. The Circular Valley® Foundation also runs the Circular Economy Accelerator GmbH, an accelerator programme to support start-up companies.

A special guest at the event will also be HA Schult, world-renowned environmental activist and artist, who will bring some of his Trash People characters. Dr Carsten Gerhardt is particularly proud that this puts Circular Valley® in line with famous global Trash People venues, such as the Pyramids of Gizah, the Great Wall of China, and Matura in 2019.

Circular economy is on everyone's lips, but solutions are very rarely discussed in such a large gathering as at Circular Valley®. Among the guests at the conference is the government of NRW, with NRW Minister President Hendrik Wüst, Mona Neubaur, Minister for Economic Affairs, Industry, Climate Protection and Energy NRW, Oliver Krischer, Minister for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Transport NRW, Flemish Minister President Jan Jambon, former Federal Environment Minister Prof. Dr. Klaus Töpfer, as well as numerous CEOs and board members from Dax companies.

November 14,  2022

Interview Directory 

BUSINESS LEADER

Name: Carsten Gerhardt 

Occupation: Management consultant with a focus on sustainability. Chairman Circular Valley Foundation.

The foundation: The patron of Circular Valley is Mona Neubaur, Minister for Economic Affairs, Industry, Climate Protection and Energy and Deputy Minister President of North Rhine-Westphalia in the Wüst cabinet.

"We are the largest metropolitan region in Europe with a unique density of world market leaders and research institutions."

How did Circular Valley come about and what have you been able to achieve so far? Do you work together with the business community or institutions?

Circular Valley came into being in response to the question of what we in the extended Rhine-Ruhr region can do to counteract the rising emissions worldwide. We are the largest metropolitan region in Europe with a unique density of world market leaders and research institutions. These are ideal conditions to become here with the Circular Valley for the circular economy what Silicon Valley is for the digital economy.

In order to push the transformation from a linear to a circular economy, we work intensively with the business community and are in close exchange with politics and science. In addition, we offer projects with and for civil society in various formats.

Since our founding about one and a half years ago, more than 60 international start-ups have joined us in Circular Valley. Together with our partners, they have further developed their solutions for the circular economy. Likewise, many of the start-ups had the opportunity to discuss their ideas in personal exchanges with Federal Development Minister Svenja Schulze and NRW Economics Minister Mona Neubaur.

Can you tell me something about your cooperation with HA Schult, who is coming to your forum on 18 November with his Trash People?

HA Schult was one of the first artists to draw attention to the problem of littering our planet and has staged his Trash People as a memorial in numerous places around the world. It is a great honour for us that he is now a guest at the Circular Valley Forum with his Trash People and that the Circular Valley will in future be in a row with the famous locations of his art. In a way, this also closes a circle.

"In principle, art can play a major role in the field of sustainability. Art can both draw attention to grievances and problems and bring visions and solutions closer to a large public."

Why is his work important for your movement? What do you think is the role of art in the sustainability movement?

On the one hand, HA Schul's Trash People illustrate the large amounts of waste that each and every one of us creates. On the other hand, the Trash People also show that something new can be created from waste. This idea excellently reflects the principle of the circular economy, because waste that cannot be avoided is used as raw material for new products.

In principle, art can play a major role in the field of sustainability. Art can both draw attention to grievances and problems and bring visions and solutions closer to a large public.

What programme items and highlights can you look forward to at the Forum on 18 November?

In addition to the aforementioned exhibition by HA Schul's Trash People, the Forum will bring together around 600 guests from business, politics, research and civil society. Together they will discuss the challenges of the transformation towards a Circular Economy and solutions in various rounds. The circular economy is, of course, a regular topic in bilateral talks and normal conferences. But they are rarely discussed in such a large group as at Circular Valley, with so many decision-makers and experts. Our guests include NRW Minister President Hendrik Wüst, NRW Minister of Economics Mona Neubaur, Minister of the Environment Oliver Krischer, Flemish Minister President Jan Jambon, former Federal Minister of the Environment Prof. Dr. Klaus Töpfer, as well as numerous CEOs and board members from DAX companies, important medium-sized enterprises and large research institutions.

Can you also reveal something about your upcoming projects?

First of all, we are very much looking forward to the big forum on 18 November. Parallel to that, preparations are already underway for the fourth round of our Accelerator Programme for international start-ups, which begins at the end of this year. The focus of the fourth cohort is on the topic of "Giga-Impact". This means that the startups will work closely with business, research and politics to advance solutions that can reduce emissions in the giga tonne range. We are already very excited about the results of these cooperations.

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