The circular economy has the potential to make our entire value chain more resource-efficient, sustainable, and thus more resilient. Hence, the aim of the event was to explore how the circular economy can contribute to the transformation of our economy into a climate-neutral one as well as how can its climate protection potential be optimally unfolded. These questions were the central focus of the ecolution on Tour event, which econsense and Accenture hosted at the Zeche Zollverein in Essen on April 19, 2023.

Around 85 participants from various sectors including business, civil society and academia attended the event. The econsense CEO and Chief Sustainability Officer of SAP Daniel Schmid opened the event and introduced the concept of the ecolution on Tour event series and reminded participants about ecolution 2022 in Berlin and the work of econsense. Following this, Alexander Holst, Managing Director at host Accenture, interviewed Axel Berger who is HOW Digital & Sustainability Lead at Haniel. The focus of the interview was the sustainability strategy and grandfathering capabilities of the established family-owned company. A comprehensive introduction to Net-Zero & Circularity was given by Dr. Sylvia Feilhauer, Senior Manager, Wolfgang Machur, Senior Manager, and Frank Ochel, Director, from host Accenture. They presented practical examples from the retail, automotive and hydrogen sectors.

One of the highlights of the event was the panel discussion featuring esteemed experts in the field of sustainability. The panelists included Prof. Dr. Günther Bachmann, a Fellow of Conservation International, book author, and board member of the German Sustainability Award Foundation; Sabine Braun, Principal Director at Accenture; Tara Nitz, Global Circular Economy Manager at Covestro AG, in a lead positioning and advocacy role for circular economy; and Prof. Dr. Henning Wilts, Head of Circular Economy at the Wuppertal Institute. The panelists highlighted various aspects of the circular economy, focusing on challenges and possible solutions. The panel discussion was moderated by econsense speaker Anna Lena Hackelsberger. Afterwards, the speakers and visitors used the evening for networking.

The idea of the ecolution on Tour event series is to provide thought-provoking impulses and an exchange platform – always with a focus on the practical implementation of sustainability in companies. Our host for the first ecolution on Tour was econsense member Accenture. With over 20 years of experience in sustainability, Accenture supports clients across industries in defining and implementing strategies, business models, processes and technologies that enable companies to achieve their sustainability goals. The spectrum covers environmental, social and governance (ESG): from climate neutrality to circular economy and supply chains to human rights, inclusion, and diversity.