”We are talking about the change of the economic system and this takes time.”

Introduction to Circular Change Academy

Ljubljana, 13th April 2017

This was only one of the conveying messages shared by Janez Potočnik the former EC Commissioner for Environment in a vivid debate with the audience after his lecture in the EU House in Ljubljana.
“The debate of the economic rationale of TEŠ 6 at this point in time is completely irrelevant. All facts were available even at the time, when crucial decision was made,” was another comment that the former EC Commissioner and today Co-chair, UNEP International Resource Panel made, in a debate following his lecture on the transition to the circular economy, in the renewed premises of the EU House in the centre of the Slovenian capital Ljubljana. His lecture opened the first module of Circular Change Academy, an international training and education programme offered by Circular Change. “Perhaps we should say it straight-forwardly, that we are talking about how to save the mankind”, suggested Robert Ličen, an entrepreneur, who attended the event.
The introductory seminar of the Circular Change Academy – aiming to enable participants for the transition to the Circular Economy and organisations to circular business model transformation –began with an excellent lesson by Dr Potočnik EC Commissioner (20102014) who chairs the Advisory Board of Circular Change Platform. In his lecture he initially exposed inconvenient facts of the widening imbalances which are actually in the roots of all key global problems. In the second part of his lecture Mr Potočnik explained why and how the transition to the circular economy provides effective solutions. In the debate with the audience he shared some experiences, how we can accelerate the transition to the circular business models, adapting to the single business-, industry- and nation-specific issues.
“I appeal to large private companies, even before the small and medium ones, to lead the transition towards the circular economy,” stressed Potočnik in front of attentive audience, emphasizing the need for analytical capacity, possessed rather by large organisations.
A lively Q&A has followed, provoking an interesting discussion, the echo of which will drive the high-level students to the Module 2 of the Circular Change Academy – containing the Circular Change Conference – next 11th and 12th May in Ljubljana and Maribor.