Remade Institute Sets March Circular Economy Summit in Washington

The Remade Institute has published the full agenda for its 2026 Circular Economy Technology Summit & Conference, scheduled for March 11–12 in Washington, D.C., positioning the event as a forum for advancing U.S. materials recovery and manufacturing competitiveness. The Rochester, New York–based institute said the gathering will be open to members and nonmembers as policymakers and industry leaders weigh strategies to strengthen domestic supply chains.

Remade was formed as a public-private partnership in collaboration with the United States Department of Energy and works in partnership with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. The institute focuses on technologies that extend product lifecycles and increase the reuse, remanufacturing and recycling of critical materials used in U.S. manufacturing.

According to the organization, the annual conference draws hundreds of participants from industry, academia, national laboratories and government agencies. This year’s program will examine pathways to scale circular systems that reduce energy use, curb emissions and bolster supply resilience—priorities that have gained urgency amid geopolitical tensions and rising demand for energy transition minerals.

Keynote speakers include Paul Ekins of University College London, a lead coordinating author of a recent United Nations Environment Programme International Resource Panel report on financing responsible mineral supply; John Shegerian, chief executive of electronics recycler ERI; Nancy Bocken of Maastricht University; Heinz Schandl of Australia’s national science agency; Billy Frank of Caterpillar’s remanufacturing division; Jeff Pacuska of the U.S. Army DEVCOM Soldier Center; and Remade CEO Nabil Nasr, who also serves at the Rochester Institute of Technology.

In remarks released with the agenda, Nasr described the summit as an action-oriented scientific conference designed to connect innovators, researchers and business leaders. Industry observers note that such cross-sector engagement has become increasingly important as federal funding under recent infrastructure and clean energy legislation flows into domestic manufacturing and recycling capacity.

The circular economy model, which focused on designing out waste and keeping materials in productive use, has moved from niche concept to policy priority over the past decade. Analysts say achieving measurable impact will require coordinated investment in advanced sorting, material substitution, digital tracking and remanufacturing technologies, along with market incentives that reward recycled content and lifecycle performance.

Organizers say this year’s event will spotlight applied research projects and commercialization efforts aimed at critical materials recovery, including metals and polymers central to electronics, vehicles and renewable energy systems. Attendees are expected to discuss how technology deployment can align environmental goals with economic growth and national security objectives.

With federal agencies, multinational corporations and research institutions represented on the agenda, the Washington meeting is likely to serve as a barometer of how aggressively the United States intends to pursue circular manufacturing strategies in the coming years.

Source: Remade Institute

SUNSHINE Spotlight: Remade’s March summit underscores growing U.S. momentum to align circular economy innovation with energy security and industrial competitiveness goals.