Aalto University partnering with the World Circular Economy Forum WCEF2023
The World Circular Economy Forum (WCEF) will take place at the Helsinki Expo and Convention Centre from 30 May to 2 June 2023, and will be organised by Sitra, the Finnish Innovation Fund and Nordic Innovation, an organisation under the Nordic Council of Ministers. Aalto University is participating for the first time as a WCEF2023 partner.
Aalto University will coordinate and lead two different content sessions at the event. The textiles and fashion industry session will focus on the sustainable future of the sector, and the programme will be complemented by the exhibition 'Wardrobe of the Future' in the venue鈥檚 expo area. The second session will explore whether our current education system is equipped to cope with the magnitude and rapidity of global changes. Should we be ready to say goodbye to old degrees that become obsolete at an accelerated pace? How can we stay curious and radically creative 鈥 be capable of learning and unlearning throughout our lives?
In the expo area, you can also explore Aalto University's Bioinnovation Center and Aalto University's and VTT's joint materials bioeconomy flagship, FinnCERES. New textile and packaging solutions for the bio- and circular economy, multidisciplinary doctoral training and research collaboration opportunities will be presented at the exhibition stands.
A side programme on energy solutions will also be held on the Aalto University campus during WCEF鈥檚 鈥楢ccelerator Day鈥 on 1 June.
"We are delighted about the new partnership between Aalto University and Sitra at the World Circular Economy Forum. We share the same values as Sitra and together we are pushing for sustainable change. Science, multidisciplinary research and education that fosters new ways of thinking are urgently needed to find ways to move towards a circular economy. This new collaboration complements our existing partnership with the EU Commission's New European Bauhaus Initiative," says Sirkku Linna, Development Director at Aalto University.
The forum, an initiative of Sitra and Finland, has quickly become one of the world's leading circular economy events. It was first held in Helsinki in 2017 and has been held outside Finland in Japan, Canada, the Netherlands and Rwanda. The WCEF2023 Helsinki Forum will look for solutions to adapt the current economic system to the limits of nature's carrying capacity.
"Now is the time to kick-start the circular economy for many reasons. Circular economy solutions can increase the resilience of societies to crises and build the foundations for future prosperity. We also need to act, because the climate crisis and nature's cover cannot wait," says Jyrki Katainen, President of Sitra.
The of the 2023 Forum is now available.
Online participation is open and free for all and you are welcome to .
For more information:
Enni 脛ij盲l盲, Senior specialist at Aalto University
+358 50 359 4810
enni.aijala@aalto.fi
Aalto University programme at WCEF2023
New education for a changing world
Our old education system can鈥檛 keep up with the scale and speed of change in the world. Here is how to fix it.
This eye-opening session challenges us all to rethink the role of education when meeting grand challenges. With the exponential speed of change we must be ready to say goodbye to old degrees that go obsolete faster than ever. How can we stay curious and radically creative 鈥 learn and unlearn throughout our lives? Inspiring speakers from different backgrounds debate future skills and how to make them accessible to everyone.
Wardrobe of the future: how to change the textiles and fashion industry
This session pinpoints where the biggest impact can be made on the textiles and fashion ecosystem.
The textiles and fashion industry needs to clean up its act. But how to deliver consistent change on multiple areas of this complex and interconnected global system? This session touches upon policy issues, state-of-the-art research and interesting case studies. Also, young designers will share their messages with the influential WCEF2023 crowd.
WCEF2023 Accelerator Day at Aalto University campus in Otaniemi
Join us for a guided tour of this exhibition on energy transition as part of the Accelerator Day Programme at Aalto University. Lead by Jussi Impi枚, Head of Solutions for Sustainability, with exhibiting researcher Mika J盲rvinen, Associate Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering.
Aalto University's exhibition "The Wardrobe of the Future" is on display and Aalto's new Bioinnovation Centre as well as Aalto's and VTT's joint FinnCERES Flagship are exhibited at the WCEF2023 expo area at Helsinki Convention Centre. (Live participation is by invitation only.)
Read more news
Unite! Seed Fund 2026 鈥 Aalto involved in eight projects
From the 2026 Seed Fund call, 22 proposals were selected for funding. Aalto is involved in eight of these projects and coordinates one.
Public lending right compensation from Sanasto
Is your work being borrowed from libraries? You are entitled to library lending compensation.
TUM + Aalto SGT summer course brings participants closer to the complexities of governing West African countries through interactive simulation
Returning for a second consecutive year, the TUM (Technical University of Munich) + SGT summer course was hosted at Aalto University on 3-5 June 2026. The three-day course brought together students and staff from different disciplines to explore political, economic, and environmental decision-making through an interactive simulation.