This session was streamed as part of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s Summit 21 event, held on the 8th June 2021.
Dame Ellen MacArthur is in conversation with former Executive Secretary of the UNFCCC Christiana Figueres on how the circular economycircular economyA systems solution framework that tackles global challenges like climate change, biodiversity loss, waste, and pollution. It is based on three principles, driven by design: eliminate waste and pollution, circulate products and materials (at their highest value), and regenerate nature. can tackle climate change.
Felipe Villela, founder and COO of regenerative agriculture accelerator ReNature, joins the conversation and explores why tackling climate change and biodiversity loss relies on connecting smallholder farms to industrial supply chains. And we'll see firsthand how regenerative farming practices are being used in Kenya, to benefit people and the environment, in one of two short films of the session.
Nestlé CEO Mark Schneider and Unilever President of Foods & Refreshment Hanneke Faber make up a panel of experts to reflect on the role of big business in driving fundamental change in the food system.
Erin Billman, Executive Director of the Science Based Targets Network speaks about the importance of using data to measure the impact we are having on the environment today and how this can be used as a baseline from which fundamental change can be made.
Speakers
Christiana Figueres, UN Convention on Climate Change
Christiana Figueres, Founding Partner, Global Optimism and former Executive Secretary, UN Convention on Climate Change
Christiana Figueres is a Costa Rican citizen and was the Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change 2010 - 2016.
During her tenure, Ms. Figueres brought together national and sub-national governments, corporations and activists, women’s groups, scientists and spiritual communities, financial institutions and NGOs to jointly deliver the historic 2015 Paris Agreement on Climate Change. For this achievement Ms. Figueres has been credited with forging a new brand of collaborative diplomacy, for which she has received multiple awards.
She is the co-author of The Future We Choose (Penguin Random House 2019) and co-host of the podcast Outrage and Optimism. She sits on the Board of ACCIONA and Impossible Foods.
She is a graduate of Swarthmore College and the London School of Economics and has been awarded multiple honorary doctorate degrees from academic institutions such as Yale, University of Massachusetts, Georgetown and University of Edinburgh.
Ellen MacArthur, Ellen MacArthur Foundation
Ellen MacArthur, Founder & Chair of Trustees, Ellen MacArthur Foundation
Dame Ellen MacArthur made yachting history in 2005, when she became the fastest solo sailor to circumnavigate the globe and she remains the UK’s most successful offshore racer ever.
Having become acutely aware of the finite nature of the resources on which our linear economy relies, she retired from professional sailing to launch the Ellen MacArthur Foundation in 2010.
The Foundation works to accelerate the transition to a circular economy, establishing the concept on the agenda of decision makers around the world. Dame Ellen is a World Economic Forum Global Agenda Trustee for Environment and Natural Resource Security and a Board Member of its Platform for Accelerating the Circular Economy and she sat on the European Commission’s Resource Efficiency Platform between 2012 and 2014.
Erin Billman, Science Based Targets Network
Erin Billman, Executive Director, Science Based Targets Network
Erin has over a dozen years of experience in environmental work. She is the Executive Director of the Science Based Targets Network (SBTN) and leads both global communications and strategic initiatives. Previously, she worked with Tompkins Conservation as Global Communications Lead. Erin came to conservation by way of management consulting, first at Bain and then at Blu Skye focused on environmental strategy for NGOs, corporations, and industry alliances.
Erin holds an MBA in Sustainable Business and the Environment from Wharton.
Felipe Villela, reNature
Felipe Villela, Founder & CCO, reNature
Felipe is a Brazilian Regenerative Agribusiness Expert and Founder of renature, a Dutch/Brazilian organization working on making Regenerative Agriculture mainstream.
Speaker at TEDxAmsterdam & Forbes Under 30 for Innovation & Sustainability. Part of the Leadership Team at UN Food Systems Summit 2021 and Lead Author at UN Environment for their GEO for Business.
Hanneke Faber, Unilever
Hanneke Faber, President, Foods & Refreshment, Unilever
Hanneke was appointed President, Foods & Refreshment on 1 May 2019.
She joined Unilever in January 2018 as President of Europe and member of the Unilever Executive. In this role, she delivered strong results and accelerated the digitisation of our European business.
Hanneke spent most of her career in the FMCG and retail industry. Prior to joining Unilever, she worked at Royal Ahold Delhaize as Chief E-commerce and Innovation Officer, and member of the Executive Committee playing a key role in accelerating the company’s e-commerce business. Between 2013 and 2016, she was Chief Commercial Officer & Member of the Executive Committee of Royal Ahold responsible for e-commerce, digital, innovation and customer branding.
Hanneke started her career at Procter & Gamble where she became Vice President and global leader of three of P&G’s top brands with a presence in over 180 countries. Hanneke holds a Bachelor of Journalism and Master of Business Administration from the University of Houston in the US.
Mark Schneider, Nestlé
Mark Schneider, Chief Executive Officer, Nestlé
Mark Schneider has served as CEO of Nestlé since January 2017. He joined the company in September 2016.
Before joining Nestlé, Mark was CEO of the Fresenius Group, a position he held from 2003 to 2016. He joined Fresenius in 2001 as CFO of Fresenius Medical Care.
Between 1989 and 2001, he held several senior executive positions with the Haniel Group, a privately held, diversified German multinational company.
Mark has a graduate degree in Finance and Accounting and a doctoral degree in Business Administration from the University of St. Gallen, Switzerland. He also holds an MBA from Harvard University. Mark was born and raised in Germany. He became a U.S. citizen in 2003.
Emma Chow (Host), Ellen MacArthur Foundation
Emma Chow (Host), Lead, Food Initiative, Ellen MacArthur Foundation
Emma serves as the project Lead on the Food initiative. Emma and her team bring together major industry players from across the food value chain, along with city municipalities, to take a systemic approach to unlocking the powerful positive potential of the food system.
Background
She grew up in Toronto, Canada, and gained experiences in business management consulting, environmental NGOs, and social entrepreneurship prior to joining the Foundation. Apart from food, Emma's loves include: solo adventures, creating art, and immersive experiences in nature.
Summit 21 — 3 sessions, 1 big idea: circular economy
At Summit 21, held on 8th June 2021, our panel of speakers explored the theme of transformation.
