Circular Economy Beyond Recycling: An Introduction and Panel Discussion
🌎 As the world faces increasing pressure on resources, climate stability, and supply chains, the need for new models of production and consumption has never been clearer. To address those challenges, the circular economy has become a promising alternative to reshape our production and consumption patterns. Yet, circular economy discussions within society are often constrained to recycling topics, with little attention brought to other key elements necessary for its development.
🌱 With the support of the Aalto Sustainability Action Booster, Sustainability Community Finland has the ambition to clear out misconceptions on the circular economy by bridging perspectives from academia, policy, and industry.
💡This educational event will provide an introduction to what exactly is the circular economy in the form of two keynotes followed by a one-hour panel discussion. The discussions will remain accessible to a wide audience, and people from all backgrounds are welcome!
📍 Location: Aalto Campus Otaniemi, Room V001 Jenny ja Antti Wihurin Rahasto (Address: Ekonominaukio 1, 02150 Espoo)
🍕 Food: Vegetarian snacks will be served at the event with some vegan and gluten-free options.
📅 Timeline:
16:30 Doors open, snacks will be available
17:00 Welcome to the event
17:05 First keynote: "The Circular Economy, and how it matters in supporting sustainability" - Dr. Kristina Leppälä, Postdoctoral Researcher at University of Eastern Lapland
17:25 Second Keynote: “Recycling Isn’t the Whole Story: Rethinking Fashion’s Loop” - Dr. Olga Dziubaniuk, Postdoctoral Researcher at Tampere University
17:45 Small Break
18:00 Panel discussion starts with organisers' questions
18:40 Panel discussion continues with the audience’s questions
19:00 Panel discussion ends, opportunity for networking
19:30 Doors close
The event is organised by the Sustainability Community Finland and fully funded by the Sustainability Action Booster grant of Aalto University.
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About the Speakers:
Kristina Leppälä
Leppälä's research primarily concentrates on navigation and enactments of sustainability and the circular economy. Her research interests include materials and technology, and industrial transitions towards sustainability. Leppälä came to academia from a long career in the high-tech industrial sector. She has been a visiting researcher at Exeter University (UK) and twice to Stanford University (USA), the latter as a Fulbright Finland scholar (2025). She serves on many boards and is frequently seen as a visiting speaker. Leppälä has made her home in Finland for decades and maintains close ties to the US.
Olga Dziubaniuk
Dr. Olga Dziubaniuk is a postdoctoral researcher working at the intersection of industrial management, sustainability, and circular economy. She holds a PhD in International Marketing, where her research explored ethical business conduct and its relation to sustainable development. Her current work focuses on how circular innovations can transform industries, with a particular passion for the textile and fashion sector. She studies how industrial organizations can rethink their business models, value chains, and networks to address environmental and social challenges.
Marie-Elodie Bourot
Marie-Elodie is a passionate of food sustainability, with a 10 years+ experience in food retail and sustainability consulting. She is the founder of Lempimarket, the first sustainable food store in Finland aiming at being 100% circular. While working in the international food retail domain, she has contributed to projects to reduce the environmental and social impact of our food system. She has collaborated with innovative and sustainable grocery stores in France (organic, packaging-free concepts), and after settling in Finland, she decided to apply these lessons in her new home country by co-founding Lempimarket.
Bahez Karim
I’m a founder of a startup, a father, a bioeconomy student, and a dreamer. I dream of a more sustainable future where nothing goes to waste. At Paahtu we convert used coffee grounds into environmentally friendly firewood. Finland has the world's highest coffee consumption rate, yet the majority of this valuable resource ends up as biowaste. Our mission is to repurpose waste and increase carbon sinks. Drawing on my background studying ICT Bioeconomy, I've gained insights into our environment, inspiring us to create greener solutions.
Gulsah Tas
Gulsah Tas is a doctoral candidate at Aalto University, School of Chemical Engineering. In her research, she focuses on the circular economy for lithium-ion batteries. Before starting her doctoral research, she obtained a triple diploma in raw materials engineering with a focus on circular economy and entrepreneurial mindset. She also had hands on industrial experiences in different stages of the raw materials value chain. Currently, she is using her knowledge on circular economy to develop new engineering methods to improve circularity and sustainability of battery recycling processes.
And we’re not stopping there…
👉 Coming up next in our Circular Economy series:
• 📅 19.5 – Company visit (to be announced)
• 📅 20.5 – Repair as art: Learning sashiko - workshop with Knitspot and clothes swapping
More information about these events will be shared soon, stay tuned!
About Sustainability Community Finland
The Sustainability Community Finland is an English-speaking group based in Finland in the capital area, dedicated to learning and sharing knowledge on sustainability-related topics. The community organizes monthly events including company visits, hands-on workshops, and talks by expert speakers. Through these activities community members connect, expand their professional networks, and exchange ideas among other people interested in sustainability. Welcome to join the LinkedIn group! And a Telegram channel! Follow our LinkedIn page here.