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Rethinking Materials took place on May 14-15 at the Hilton London Bankside, and the diversity of industries that participated was remarkable. Global investors and leaders in materials innovation from plastics, packaging, fashion, beauty and automotive came together to address common challenges across the value chain and drive meaningful change.
Session Highlights
Common themes which echoed across the two days included regulation as the catalyst for progress, designing for end-of-life and how to increase brand commitment to new materials, as leaders focused on scaling innovation in new materials in consumer goods.
“Firstly, go away feeling, ‘I’m important and I can do something’. Secondly, ‘I’m going to do something and what I’m going to do makes a difference, not just for future generations but for my own self. And lastly, what I do will make money, which will make sure that the business is here for as long as I need it to support me. So the best of good luck in what you do, and never think that you’re not doing something worthwhile.”
John Gummer, Lord Deben, Former Chairman of UK’s Climate Change Committee and Member of the House of Lords, HOUSE OF LORDS
Investment Trends: Identifying High-Growth Solutions and Navigating Hype Cycles
“We spend a lot of time listening to 30 minute pitches with a lot of time talking about the why. We’re working in the industry, we know the challenges we face. Instead, entrepreneurs should spend the quality time in their pitch, on what they’ve got and how they’re solving a problem.”
Laura Coppen, Sustainability Investments, H&M GROUP VENTURES
Regulatory Landscape: Navigating Fast-Changing Legislation at a Local and Global Level
“Most legislation tends to be focused on the past, rather than the future, and is not considering future opportunities. We need to make sure we don’t continue what we have been doing for the past 50 years. Innovation and investment needs to take into account future industries/sectors, such as natural polymers.”
Pierre-Yves Paslier, Co-Founder & CEO, NOTPLA
Innovation Spotlight: Fixing Flexible Packaging: Overcoming One of the Industry’s Biggest Challenges
“Just to be clear, industrial composting doesn’t mean it won’t be composted if it is thrown away. It’s more difficult to breakdown but it will breakdown. There are so many different kinds of plastic, there isn’t just one kind and it can’t be downcycled together that’s the other challenge. There are a gamut of challenges.”
Ved Krishna, Founder, PAKKA
Innovation Spotlight: The Speed of Implementation of New Materials: Challenges and Insights from the Packaging Industry
“The barriers to innovation are very human. We’ve got to try it, and see what happens. Working with brands and retailers in the textile sector, we see so many barriers – supply chain disruption, green washing fears. It brings a bit of panic – but what could we win? How could we turn the tide on these challenges? We need to get on with it – start innovating and collaborating, Stop looking at the challenges and start looking for the solutions.”
Debbie Luffman, Director, THINK CIRCULAR
Innovation Spotlight: Reshaping the Future of Footwear: Design, Materials Selection and Recyclability
“There is $100 trillion put behind materials made from petrochemicals – that’s why it’s a miracle when shoes made like this show up, because it’s a drop in the ocean in comparison to the 80 years behind petrochemical products.”
Luke Haverhals, Founder and CEO, NFW
Technology Showcase
Over the two days, twelve early-stage innovators pitched on stage to an industry panel, showcasing next-gen materials and highlighting solutions for end-of-life sortation and processing.
What Delegates Said
Photo Gallery
Who Joined Us?
Here are just some of the global players and industry leaders who joined us at the Rethinking Materials summit:
The platform is still open for networking and registrations until June 11.
See you next time!
Join us in London or California in 2025.
Contact Rachel Myall if you would like to help shape the content and be involved as a speaker, partner or exhibitor at our upcoming events.
