CircularNXT 2025: The Circularity Summit
CircularNXT 2025: The Circularity Summit, was a dynamic, one-day virtual event dedicated to exploring cuting-edge solutions in the circular economy. Listed as a United Nations Environment Programme – World Environmental Day event, the summit brought thought leaders, innovators, and changemakers to tackle one of the planet’s most pressing challenges – plastic pollution.
📅 June 5, 2025 | 📍Virtual
♻️About the Event
🌍 In celebration of World Environment Day
CircularNXT 2025 was a global, one-day virtual summit, dedicated to rethinking plastic, accelerating sustainable innovation, and showcasing solutions that move us closer to a circular future.
With the theme “Tech, Circularity & Ending Plastic Pollution,” the summit brought together thought leaders, technologists, startups, researchers, and ecosystem builders from around the world.
🔍 The event featured:
Inspiring Keynotes on the global imperative for circularity, policy shifts like the Global Plastics Treaty, and how AI is transforming waste reduction.
Startup Showcases featuring bold, tech-driven solutions from emerging circular economy pioneers.
Panel Discussions with industry experts on bioplastics, sustainable packaging, and AI-powered sustainability innovations.
Interactive Workshop for students and professionals to co-design actionable solutions to plastic pollution.
CircularNXT offered powerful insights and practical tools to reimagine plastic use and advance a circular future.
CircularNXT was not just about ideas — it was about sharing real-world solutions, building cross-sector bridges, and reimagining how we use and manage plastic before it becomes waste.
📝Event Agenda
🟢 Opening Session
2:00 PM BST | 5.00 PM GST | 6:00 PM IST
2:05 PM BST | 5:05 PM GST | 6:35 PM IST
2:10 PM BST | 5:10 PM GST | 6:40 PM IST
2:20 PM BST| 5:20 PM GST | 6:50 PM IST
2:30 PM BST| 5:30 PM GST | 7:00 PM IST
2:40 PM BST | 5:40 PM GST | 7:10 PM IST
2:50 PM BST | 5:50 PM GST | 7:20 PM IST
Opening Address (Dzenita Mujic – Summit Host)
Welcome Address (Gowri Shankar – Summit Chair)
Chief Guest Address (Harald Friedl)
Keynote: Sustainability and Circularity (Dr.Chithirai Selvan – Curtin University, UAE)
Keynote: Ending Plastic Pollution (Safar Rahman – Summit Co-Chair)
Startup Eco System Partner Feature (C N Prem Kumar – StartupTN)
Panel Discussion 1: Plastic Reimagined
🔵 Midday Insights
3:20 PM BST | 6:20 PM GST | 7:50 PM IST
3:25 PM BST | 6:25 PM GST | 7:55 PM IST
3:30 PM BST | 6:30 PM GST | 8:00 PM IST
4:00 PM BST | 7:00 PM GST | 8:30 PM IST
4:10 PM BST | 7:10 PM GST | 8:40 PM IST
4:15 PM BST | 7:15 PM GST | 8:45 PM IST
4:20 PM BST | 7:20 PM GST | 8:50 PM IST
4:25 PM BST | 7:25 PM GST | 8:55 PM IST
Startup Spotlight – Egreen Badge (Farah Alkhateeb)
Startup Spotlight – Reusall (Shravan Boska)
Panel Discussion 2: AI for Circularity
Operational Sustainability in Higher Education (Dr T Anuradha)
Startup Spotlight – Interain AI (Dhanush N) & Sand Bird (Bala Surya S)
Startup Spotlight – Ecowiser (Ram Chaitanya)
Legal Frameworks and Counsel Shaping plastic use, EPR and circularity in India (Sarika Raichur – Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas)
Closing Remarks (Dzenita Mujic – Summit Host)
🟣 Interactive Workshop
5:00 PM BST | 7:30 PM GST | 9:00 PM IST
5:30 PM BST | 8:00 PM GST | 9:30 PM IST
Workshop: Smart AI vs Plastic Pollution (Maik Lange – Bayer AG)
Vote of Thanks (Dhanush Ramesh)
🟢 Opening Session
2:00 PM BST| 5:00 PM GST | 6:30 PM IST— Opening Address (Dzenita Mujic – Summit Host)
2:05 PM BST | 5:05 PM GST | 6:35 PM IST — Welcome and Keynote Address (Gowri Shankar – Summit Chair)
2:20 PM BST | 5:20 PM GST | 6:50 PM IST — Keynote: Sustainability and Circularity (Dr.Chithirai Pon Selvan – Curtin University, UAE)
2:30 PM BST | 5:30 PM GST | 7:00 PM IST — Keynote: Ending Plastic Pollution (Safar Rahman – Summit Co-Chair)
2:40 PM BST | 5:40 PM GST | 7:10 PM IST — Startup Eco System Partner Feature (C N Prem Kumar – StartupTN)
2:50 PM BST | 5:50 PM GST | 7:20 PM IST — Panel Discussion 1: Plastic Reimagined
🔵 Midday Insights
3:20 PM BST | 6:20 PM GST | 7:50 PM IST — Startup Spotlight – Egreen Badge (Farah Alkhateeb)
3:25 PM BST | 6:25 PM GST | 7:55 PM IST— Startup Spotlight – Ekam Eco (Uttam Banerjee)
3:30 PM BST | 6:30 PM GST | 8:00 PM IST — Panel Discussion 2: AI for Circularity
4:00 PM BST | 7:00 PM GST | 8:30 PM IST — Operational Sustainability in Higher Education (Dr T Anuradha – KCG College of Technology, India)
4:10 PM BST | 7:10 PM GST | 8:40 PM IST — Startup Spotlight – Reuseall (Shravan Boska)
4:15 PM BST | 7:15 PM GST | 8:45 PM IST — Startup Spotlight – Ecowiser (Ram Chaitanya)
4:20 PM BST | 7:20 PM GST | 8:50 PM IST — Legal Frameworks and Counsel Shaping plastic use, EPR and circularity in India (Sarika Raichur – Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas)
4:25 PM BST | 7:25 PM GST | 8:55 PM IST — Closing Remarks (Dzenita Mujic – Summit Host)
🟣 Interactive Workshop
5:00 PM BST | 8:00 PM GST | 9:30 PM IST — Workshop: Smart AI vs Plastic Pollution (Maik Lange – Bayer AG)
5:30 PM BST | 8:30 PM GST | 10:00 PM IST —Vote of Thanks (Dhanush Ramesh)
🎤 Our Speakers
From global pioneers to bold startup founders — We’re grateful to all our amazing speakers and startup pioneers, the real voices behind CircularNXT 2025
💼 Our Sustainability Allies
A network of enablers supporting tech and circularity. Our partners who believed in this vision — THANK YOU!
🌍 CircularNXT 2025 – Event Highlights
On June 5, World Environment Day, CircularNXT 2025 united changemakers across tech, policy, and sustainability for a virtual summit packed with insights and actions. Here's a snapshot of what we achieved, and where we go from here.
More than 350 Participants
20+ Countries Represented
22+ Speakers & Moderators
25+ Circularity Partners
UNEP-listed Official Event
We were honoured to welcome Harald Friedl as the Chief Guest of CircularNXT 2025.
A globally respected voice in the circular economy movement, Harald is a LinkedIn Top Voice, former CEO of Circle Economy, and advisor to Fortune 500 companies and United Nations programs. His leadership in shaping Austria’s national circular economy transition, and his role in co-creating the globally referenced Circularity Gap Report, places him at the forefront of systems-level sustainability.
Currently leading strategy at the Circular Economy Innovation Agency, Harald shared a powerful closing keynote, urging us to move from pilot projects to systemic change — from isolated efforts to integrated solutions.
“It’s time to accelerate. Not just innovate.”
📖 In the Media
EcoHQ has covered highlights from the summit in their latest blog post.
🔑 Key Takeaways from the Summit
📌 Panel: “Plastics Reimagined”
Explored the redesign of plastics from product and policy angles, focusing on durability, smart packaging, and circular material choices to move away from single-use culture.
📌 Panel: “AI for Circularity”
Showcased how AI can enable traceability, predict waste streams, and power behavior-change tools that nudge users and systems toward more circular outcomes.
📌 Workshop: “AI for Sustainability” by Maik Lange
Equipped participants with hands-on knowledge of AI tools that can drive immediate impact in environmental monitoring, optimization, and systems thinking.
📌 Spotlight Startups: ECOWISER, REUSALL, INTERAIN INTELLIGENCE, SAND BIRD
Highlighted how real-world circular models—like upcycling “impossible” waste, reuse logistics, climate communication, and marine plastic mitigation—are already scaling with measurable success.
📌 Policy + Academia Insights
Reinforced the need for science-based innovation, interdisciplinary collaboration, and long-term government frameworks to enable deep circular transitions.
🖼️ Download the Official Summit Poster
🔁 Let’s Keep the Momentum Going
CircularNXT 2025 was just the beginning. Let’s build a future where circularity isn’t the exception — it’s the default.
Whether you’re a policymaker, entrepreneur, researcher, or student — your role matters.
📩 Got ideas for the next edition? Want to get involved?
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