Review of the 1st Circular Economy Conference of Kyburz

The conviction of Martin Kyburz, managing director of KYBURZ: "Positive changes towards the circular economy can only prevail if people from the most diverse walks of life come together and discuss complex interrelationships across disciplines." This is why Martin Kyburz created the Circular Economy Conference.

The entrepreneur wants to contribute to a happy coexistence in a healthy environment. The interdisciplinary event in Freienstein is aimed at everyone interested in sustainable living and a resource-conserving economy.

At the premiere on September 4, the number of participants was limited to 100 people from different disciplines due to the corona virus.

Effectiveness trumps efficiency

The first presentation of the conference made clear that radical measures are necessary for positive change. Renowned physician and author Christian Larsen applied medical findings to the ecosystem. "We can turn the wheel back, but only if the measures are radical enough," Larsen said. Since we cannot perform emergency surgery on the planet, he said, it is high time to develop therapeutic methods to combat climate change and restore balance. In doing so, Larsen stressed that effectiveness gets us further than efficiency. It's not about doing as much as possible in as little time as possible, but doing the right thing at the right time.

Chemist and process engineer Michael Braungart agreed with Christian Larsen on this point: "Nature is not efficient, but it is effective," said the Swabian scientist in his humorous but also very critical presentation. A cherry tree, for example, produces around 100,000 blossoms, of which only one in a hundred becomes a cherry. This supposed waste, however, is amazingly useful: The blossoms form humus, allow the tree to grow - and thus contribute a lot to the ecological cycle.

Change starts with the individual

"We don't need climate-neutral solutions, but solutions that are good for the climate," Michael Braungart pointed out. Many sustainable initiatives are simply about avoiding waste, but that is not enough, he said. Instead, products must be consistently produced for recycling. This is also the thrust of the cradle-to-cradle principle, which Braungart developed at the end of the 1990s. The idea behind it is to return as many raw materials as possible to the cycle as biological or technical "nutrients. Today, however, this is rarely the case: "The 46 steel alloys of a Mercedes become simple reinforcing steel," says Braungart.

Bestselling author Matthias Binswanger then questioned the success principle of growth. The professor of economics pointed out the driving forces behind the capitalist economy. The following presentations made it clear once again that change for the better starts with the individual: Nutritionist Laura Koch demonstrated how we influence not only our health but also that of our planet with our diet. Energy psychologist Reto Wyss gave the audience a recipe for stress reduction. Finally, Rolf Widmer and Marcel Gauch from the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Testing and Research (Empa) provided impressive facts on the consumption of raw materials and energy in private transport.

Wide range of workshops

Finally, in the afternoon, there were seven workshops to choose from. While some participants built sensors for measuring fine dust, others rode KYBURZ tricycle scooters to the vineyard of Prisca and Andreas Schwarz to learn more about nature-oriented viticulture. Gault-Millau chef David Krüger introduced culinary enthusiasts to the "Age Food" concept, and KYBURZ project manager Olivier Groux's workshop inaugurated the new in-house facility for recycling lithium-ion batteries.

Thus, KYBURZ celebrated two premieres on the same day: the first edition of the Circular Economy Conference and the new battery recycling plant. Both the organizer and the participants thus came a good deal closer to the circular economy.

kyburz-switzerland.ch