Dame Ellen MacArthur has been confirmed as a speaker at the next Oxford Farming Conference (OFC), due to be held on 7 January.
In a special session titled Navigating to a Nature Positive Food System, MacArthur – founder of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation – will be in conversation with OFC co-chair Sarah Mukherjee MBE, talking about her ‘journey from world-class sailor’ to founder of the circular economy charity.
MacArthur (pictured) is expected to discuss the foundation’s mission to ‘accelerate the transition to a circular economy designed to eliminate waste, circulate products and materials and regenerate nature’.
MacArthur’s appearance at the OFC will follow the foundation’s 2021 launch of the Big Food Redesign – a project which looked at how food brands and retailers ‘can make nature-positive food the norm’. By re-thinking the ways in which ingredients are produced and used, the analysis highlights, choices can be made which are better for farmers, climate and biodiversity.
Ahead of the OFC, MacArthur comments: “With 45% of GHG emissions and 90% of biodiversity loss coming from the way we make and use things, including food, we need solutions that can be scaled fast. The circular economy gives us a framework to redesign and transform our food system into one that is nature-positive.
The circular economy gives us a framework to redesign and transform our food system into one that is nature-positive
“Food companies and retailers embracing circular design for food to rethink their ingredient selection and sourcing decisions will afford farmers the opportunity to increase yields and profitability, reduce GHGs and biodiversity loss, and create resilience against the effects of climate change.”
“The Oxford Farming Conference prides itself on delivering innovative sessions and outstanding speakers who deliver the conference’s mission to inform, challenge and inspire our delegates,” adds Mukherjee.
“Dame Ellen MacArthur epitomizes a thought-leader who is influencing change at a crucial time for agriculture and food systems, when climate, the environment and the supply chain are at the forefront of every agri-food business.
“We are delighted that she will be joining us in January to discuss the circular economy with our audience in Oxford, and that we are able to make the session accessible to individuals all across the world through our digital streaming.”
