The 2026 REMADE® Circular Economy Tech Summit & Conference Will Convene Next Week in Washington, DC
ROCHESTER, N.Y., March 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The REMADE Institute®, a 150+ member public-private partnership established in collaboration with the United States Department of Energy (DOE), is pleased to announce that presentations on nearly 50 innovations to increase the reuse, remanufacturing, recovery and recycling of critical and key materials will be featured next week at the 2026 REMADE® Circular Economy Technology Summit & Conference.
The nearly 50 presentations are based on, and detailed in, peer-reviewed research papers covering a range of novel technologies, including efforts in artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning to advance a Circular Economy in the U.S.
The 2026 conference, which is organized by REMADE in partnership with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, will take place next Wednesday and Thursday, March 11-12, 2026, at the National Academy of Sciences Building, 2101 Constitution Ave., N.W., in Washington, D.C.
“In addition to the 50 innovations, our conference will feature renowned global experts as keynoters and panelists,” said REMADE CEO Nabil Nasr. “These experts represent industry, academia, leading government and scientific agencies, and more. Industry innovators, academic and national laboratory researchers, business and NGO leaders, policymakers, as well as others interested in advancing a Circular Economy are strongly encouraged to attend this national thought leadership event.”
A detailed conference agenda is available here: 2026 Agenda – REMADE Institute.
The annual REMADE conference attracts hundreds of attendees and advances the conversation on how a circular approach can benefit nations, including the U.S., in meeting their multiple energy, environmental, manufacturing competitiveness, supply chain resilience, and economic growth goals. The event highlights technologies capable of increasing the reuse, remanufacturing, recovery and recycling of critical and key materials in U.S. manufacturing.
The 2026 REMADE conference will feature several high-level keynote speakers and expert panel discussions in addition to the 50 paper presentations. Panel topics include critical minerals and rare earths recovery and recycling; textiles recycling; and the importance of university-based research and innovation.
Keynoters include:
- Paul Ekins, Professor of Resources and Environmental Policy, University College London Institute for Sustainable Resources, in the United Kingdom, and lead coordinating author of the recently released UN Environment Programme (UNEP) International Resource Panel (IRP) report, “Financing the Responsible Supply of Energy Transition Minerals for Sustainable Development”
- John Shegerian, CEO of ERI, the largest electronics recycler in the U.S.
- Heinz Schandl, Senior Science Leader, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO), in Australia
- Nancy Bocken, Professor in Sustainable Business & Circular Economy, Maastricht University, in the Netherlands
- Billy Frank, Vice President, Sales & Marketing, Remanufacturing Division, Caterpillar Inc.
- Jeff Pacuska, Lead – Office of Future Technology Transition, U.S. Army DEVCOM Solder Center
- Nabil Nasr, CEO, REMADE Institute, and Associate Provost, Academic Affairs, and Director, Golisano Institute for Sustainability, Rochester Institute of Technology
“Economic growth and more resilient supply chains would be well served by strong moves towards a Circular Economy,” said Ekins, who will provide a broad overview of the concept in his keynote talk. “This is particularly true for the critical minerals that are at the heart of so many important modern technologies.”
“We’ve rarely been at such a crucial crossroads as we are now,” said Shegerian, who will discuss the vital need for increased electronics recycling in his keynote. “It is critical we ensure that there is a safe and secure supply of the critical minerals needed to power our future. Responsible circularity and the efficient recovery of rare earths is the solution, and I’m honored to have been invited to share insights and participate in these important discussions alongside my industry colleagues at the REMADE Institute and their esteemed lineup of expert speakers at the Circular Economy Tech Summit & Conference in Washington. Our friends at REMADE continue to produce vitally important impact events, and this timely and informative gathering is no exception.”
Schandl, who like Ekins and Nasr is a member of UNEP’s IRP, will present a case study on Australia as part of his keynote. He believes a circular approach can benefit not only industry, but everyone.
“At its core, the circular economy is a productivity strategy: restoring value in material use systems, strengthening economic competitiveness, and easing cost-of-living pressures,” Schandl said.
“Industry is getting better at recycling,” Bocken said. “While this is an important circular economy strategy, we need to prioritize the acceleration of advanced circular strategies: reduce, reuse and regeneration. In this way, the pace of resource use can be slowed and natural systems that have been exploited for our unsustainable production and consumption patterns can be restored and enhanced.”
Bocken will cover these important issues in her keynote presentation, “Accelerating Advanced Circular Business Models.”
In his keynote, Billy Frank, vice president of sales and marketing for Caterpillar’s Remanufacturing Division, will share insights on the company’s Circular Economy journey. Caterpillar is one of the world’s leading remanufacturers.
“For more than 50 years, Caterpillar has built a proud remanufacturing legacy, delivering value to our customers by extending the life of their products and lowering their total cost of ownership,” Frank said. “Today, we remain just as focused on serving our customers, supporting the Circular Economy and living our purpose of building a better, more sustainable world.”
The 2026 REMADE Circular Economy Technology Summit & Conference is open to REMADE members, non-members, and all of those interested in increasing the reuse, remanufacturing, recovery and recycling of critical and key materials. Members of the media are also welcome to attend.
To learn more and register for the 2026 conference directly, go to: 2026 Conference Registration – REMADE Institute.
To access papers presented at REMADE’s conference last year, go to: Papers – REMADE Institute. These papers are open-access and freely available to researchers and the broader public, and are published at no cost to the authors or their organizations.
About REMADE®
Founded in 2017, REMADE is a 150+ member public-private partnership established in collaboration with and funded in part by the U.S. Department of Energy. REMADE is the only national institute focused entirely on developing innovative technologies to accelerate the U.S.’s transition to a Circular Economy. In partnership with industry, academia, trade organizations, and national laboratories, REMADE enables applied research and development that will increase the reuse, remanufacturing, recovery and recycling of critical and key materials in U.S. manufacturing. For more information about REMADE, visit www.remadeinstitute.org.
For additional information, contact:
Megan Connor Murphy
Director, Marketing & Communications
REMADE Institute
585-339-8379 cell
mconnormurphy@remadeinstitute.org
View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/remade-conference-to-feature-50-innovations-to-increase-the-reuse-remanufacturing-recovery-and-recycling-of-critical-and-key-materials-302705918.html
SOURCE REMADE Institute
