Post by CIRCULAR REPUBLIC

❓ What does resource sovereignty really take? Last week, we organized the Industry Circularity Forum at Festo, bringing that question to the table with voices from across Baden-Württemberg and Europe. The forum brought together practitioners, researchers, and policymakers to discuss circular economy, resource efficiency, and sovereignty at a moment when these topics are becoming increasingly urgent for European industry. We opened the day with an introduction by Prof. Dr.-Ing. Tomas Smetana (Festo) and perspectives from our project partners Britta Kempf and Markus Lenz. Followed by impulses from Hannes Spieth (Umwelttechnik BW) and Roland Gauß (EIT RawMaterials) on where resource security stands today and what it will take to strengthen it going forward. Niclas-Alexander Mauss then moderated the panel "Securing Critical Raw Material Supply in Europe", exploring how circular economy can reduce Europe's dependency on raw material imports. Our Key takeaways: Partnerships and trusted relationships across the value chain remain the real catalyst for resource security, no single company can solve this alone. Rethinking value creation in southern Germany, and beyond, starts small: pilot projects that let organizations test, learn, and adapt their strategies from there. And unlocking the full potential of solutions in "The Länd" takes creativity: looking beyond the boundaries of the traditional value chain to find where circularity can actually make a difference. 👉 Which of these resonates most with your work? Tell us in the comments. A big thank you to Karoline von Häfen and Festo for hosting us, and to Julia Pantel and Juliane Feen Strohmeyer for bringing everything together. #CircularEconomy #ResourceEfficiency #Innovation #Sustainability