The Disruptive Innovation Festival (DIF) is an online platform which aims to shift mindsets and inspire action towards a circular economy.

It invites people to share disruptive ideas and stories on a number of topics and attracts a worldwide audience, sparking critical conversations and participation through a combination of live interviews, films, and podcasts.

The details

When is it on?
6th – 23rd November 2018

Where can I join?
The DIF is fully accessible online at thinkdif.co.

Who is behind it?
The DIF is curated by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, a non-profit organisation whose mission is to accelerate the transition to a circular economy.

The DIF’s content is shaped around eight topics:

Circular economy 101
Cities in transition
Future of food
Materials & design
People in the economy
Realmagining learning
Reinventing business
Thinking in systems

Some of the talks:

Circular Value Creation Architectures: The case of the Smartphone Industry

In this session sneak behind the scenes to answer the question: how do firms actually coordinate activities towards the circular economy? Firms need to answer the key question of “make-or-buy”, i.e. whether to build internal capabilities or engage third party actors (e.g. repair operators). This session will provide first hand insights from our case study in the smartphone industry covering circular activities of OEMs, telco operators, and loop operators in the areas of repair, reuse, remanufacture, and recycle. Join to discuss with a typology of circular value creation architectures, which will aim to help the audience to understand the complex actor constellations in a circular economy.

Newcy: The End of Disposable Cups

This session is part of DIF x CE100 Startup Day. A day devoted to showcasing startups and their role in disrupting the market and enabling a shift towards a circular economy.

What happened when four “Entrepreneurship and Innovation” Master students of Rennes School of Business decided that they could no longer stand the sight of overflowing trash bins in consequence of disposable cups? They founded their own start-up, offering an easy reusable replacement for coffee machines and water fountains by also taking care of the whole service around it. Newcy provides robust customisable cups for traditional vending machines and ensure at the same time that a collection system, professional washing and a restocking service is in place.

Scenario Planning for a Circular Future: Example of Peterborough

Watch this DIF film to see a scenario forecast engagement motion graphic, developed by Cranfield University Students, to encourage businesses and stakeholders within Peterborough to engage in becoming fully circular by 2050.