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Bringing together key regional actors from politics, industry, society and science is a vital step towards economic changes and a shift to green production technologies. On 22nd and 23rd May 2023, a community of environmental and business experts met in Katowice during the 18th New Economy Forum and discussed the green shift that is currently happening in the region.
The event took place at the Park Naukowo-Technologiczny Euro-Centrum and focussed on the green transformation of Silesia. Roman Trzaskalik, Vice President of PNT Euro-Centrum, pointed out: "This time we talked about two technologies that we believe are the future for the Silesia region: the circular economy and the possibilities and use of hydrogen."
The forum meetings were held with experts and business representatives, including representatives from the energy and chemical industry, science and local administration. Technical students worked on business models for recycling technologies. In turn, students from Katowice secondary schools had the opportunity to argue in Oxford debates. During the two days of the forum full of expert debates and workshops, a vision of a new economy based on renewable energy sources and enabling sustainable development for the region emerged.
Human activity contributing to the climate crisis has made it necessary to look for new energy solutions. Implementing economic change and shifting towards green production technologies can help us move towards this goal. Instead of burning fossil fuels, living consumptive lifestyles and overusing natural resources, the circular economy concept proposes a new approach. Its key points are to move away from a linear production model, to keep raw materials in circulation as long as possible, to use existing resources instead of replacing them with new ones and to build economic plans based on synergies.
The climate crisis has definitely accelerated in recent years, posing a serious threat to people and the natural environment. From the discussions during the forum, it emerged that the most pressing need in the region is to make changes at the legislative and organisational level that will allow for real development and make the Polish economy competitive with others in the European Union in a few years time.
Dorota Pawlucka, Global Alliance Manager at Covestro, recalls: "An important activity during the forum was the involvement of young people. They are the ones who will shape our future with their ideas and energy."
According to Angee Fehling, scientific project manager at DECHEMA e.V., climate neutrality by 2050 is still within the realm of possibility for an industrialised region like Silesia. In order to meet this challenge, technological changes need to be implemented as quickly as possible and updated as required.
The meetings of the 18th New Economy Forum were organised within the CIRCULAR FOAM project, financed by the European Commission's Green Deal programme for building systemic solutions for a low-carbon, climate-resilient future. The project focuses on the development of a closed-loop model for polyurethane foam from used refrigerators and construction waste. The activities of 23 partners from 9 countries aim to create a systemic solution with an indication of the potential for its large-scale use based on case studies conducted in three industrial regions in Europe: "Rheinisches Revier" in North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany, the GZM Metropolis in Poland and the Greater Amsterdam area in the Netherlands.