BIOGRAPHY

Ken Webster is a leading figure in the development of the theory and practice of a circular economy in its 21st century guise. He was, until recently Head of Innovation for the Ellen MacArthur Foundation* and helped establish the intellectual basis of their approach from its inception in 2010 through to 2018. He is currently a senior lecturer at the University of Exeter Business School’s Centre for Circular Economy where he is leading on the establishment of an International Society for Circular Economy in tandem with a number of leading academics across the globe. He is guest researcher at Linköping University in Sweden.

His book The Circular Economy: A Wealth of Flows (2nd Edition 2017) relates the connections between systems thinking, economic and business opportunity and the transition to a circular economy. He makes regular contributions to conferences, workshops and seminars around the world. His current interests include total product liability, open vs closed circular economy loops and the relationship between large and small scales in the creation of effective economic systems. He is a supervisory Board member of the Dutch Madaster Foundation, a materials passport initiative in the built environment.

*The Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s aim is to accelerate the transition from a linear ‘take-make-dispose’ economy to a circular economy