Panellists will share insights on operational resilience, investment priorities, innovation, and collaboration across the value chain, as well as the challenges of delivering high-performing services in a rapidly evolving sector. Participants will gain a clear view of how industry leaders are navigating complexity and driving transformation across the UK waste landscape.

Senior executives from across the UK waste sector will explore the strategic priorities shaping the industry today and in the years ahead. The discussion will focus on leadership perspectives across collection, treatment, recycling, and resource management, highlighting how organisations are responding to regulatory change, market pressures, and the transition to a more circular economy.

 

Contrails account for roughly 35% of aviation’s climate impact, yet they remain an untapped lever for immediate mitigation. This session details the collaboration between easyJet and Google to turn complex atmospheric data into actionable intelligence. We will discuss the operational integration of our AI forecast and how this partnership is providing a scalable, verifiable, and cost-effective path toward net-zero aviation.

 

 

 

 This panel shares first-hand experiences from successful innovation journeys - what worked, what didn’t, and what it really takes to deliver impact.

The water sector is entering a defining period of change, with unprecedented demand for new approaches to meet environmental and operational challenges. But innovation alone isn’t enough. Real impact comes from how it is delivered, scaled, and embedded. This panel brings together voices from across the value chain, from research and design through to delivery and end use, to explore how ideas evolve into practical, operational solutions.

Drawing on perspectives from academia, consultants, integrators, technology providers and end users, we’ll examine how the sector can accelerate adoption, bridge the gap between disciplines, and turn emerging innovation into everyday practice. Moderated by Cura Terrae, this discussion will offer a connected, cross-industry view on how to translate ambition into action.

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 This session, based on Wayne Visser's new book of the same title, will look at eight areas of technology innovation across the energy, mobility, materials, food and data sectors that have the most potential to create a net zero and nature positive future. One of the eight innovations is robotics and AI, where the session will look at both the shadow side and the bright side of what Visser calls "Impact AI".

 

This panel brings together experts from across the construction, demolition, and resource recovery sectors to explore how deconstruction can unlock greater value from materials and reduce waste. The discussion will focus on sustainable approaches to material removal, reuse, and recovery, and the practical steps needed to maximise resource efficiency throughout the deconstruction process.

Panellists will examine the challenges and opportunities associated with planning, material identification, logistics, regulation, and end markets for recovered materials. We will provide insights into how innovation, collaboration, and evolving industry practices are helping to transform deconstruction into a more sustainable and resource-conscious approach to managing the built environment.

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 This panel brings together industry leaders, educators, and policy experts to explore the growing gap between demand for green skills and the availability of a suitably trained workforce. The discussion will examine the key drivers behind this mismatch, including rapid policy change, evolving regulatory requirements, and the pace of technological transformation across environmental and infrastructure sectors.

Panellists will consider how industry, government, and education providers can work together to address skills shortages, improve training pathways, and build long-term workforce capacity. The session will also highlight practical approaches to upskilling, recruitment, and collaboration needed to support the delivery of net zero and wider sustainability objectives.

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 Our panel of leading voices from the UK’s largest waste collection companies will explore the evolving landscape of waste collection services. here we examine how major operators are responding to changing customer expectations, regulatory pressures, and the drive towards greater efficiency, sustainability, and circularity.

The discussion will focus on key industry priorities including service innovation, fleet decarbonisation, digital transformation, and improving collection performance across different waste streams. Panellists will also reflect on the challenges and opportunities facing large-scale collection operations, from workforce and logistics management to investment in low-carbon technologies.

Participants will gain insight into how the sector’s biggest players are shaping the future of waste collection and contributing to a more sustainable and resource-efficient system.

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Navigate the direction of the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) and the implications of its expansion for industry, energy, and resource management sectors. Panellists will discuss evolving policy developments, the potential inclusion of new sectors, and the role of carbon pricing in driving decarbonisation and investment decisions.

The discussion will examine the opportunities and challenges associated with an expanding ETS, including competitiveness, compliance, innovation, and the transition to a lower-carbon economy, providing insight into what businesses can expect from the next phase of carbon market development.

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