Symposium to debate the impact of PFAS

Soil washing is an effective PFAS remediation technology (Image: CDE)

It comes at a time when the sand and aggregates industry is evolving at a rapid pace and the need to recycle is becoming increasingly pressing, said CDE on announcing the event, which is now taking place online on 7 May. 

The company added that the debate will help equip operators to build resilient, future‑proof businesses amid accelerating sustainability legislation, rising resource scarcity and increasing pressures across the aggregates, construction, recycling and waste sectors.

CDE’s Eunan Kelly, director of business development and PFAS taskforce lead at CDE, said, “It is a critical time to address these industry challenges, and Circle is giving the industry the opportunity to come together. This is a forum to equip people with the knowledge and tools to tackle major industry issues like PFAS contaminated soils.

The event programme includes a range of global speakers whose expertise spans business transformation, resource governance, regulatory frameworks and economic forecasting.

Environmental attorney Robert Bilott will give the keynote. Bilott rose to prominence for his work uncovering the global impact of environmental contamination caused by PFAS, notably for the lawsuits against DuPont on behalf of plaintiffs injured by chemical waste dumped in rural communities in West Virginia.

Other speakers include Marga Hoek, strategist and author of The Trillion Dollar Shift. She will explore how organisations can align profit with purpose and compete in an era defined by sustainability and global complexity.

Journalist Vince Beiser – author of The World in a Grain – will shed light on global resource scarcity and the material foundations of the circular economy, emphasising the pressures that PFAS and other contaminants place on already constrained supply.

Offering insights from inside the policymaking arena, Viviane André, policy officer at the European Commission’s DG Environment, will discuss the EU’s evolving PFAS legislation and the recently published report ‘The Cost of PFAS in Society’.

Stephanie Chuah, programme officer at UNEP and co-author of the Sand & Sustainability report, will present global policy trends and strategic recommendations designed to avert further resource related crises.

Addressing the economic and regulatory realities influencing the sector, Lorenzo Rodríguez Fernandez, senior economist at Experian, will provide an outlook on construction, highlighting trends that affect investment decisions and long-term business planning.

Dirk Fincke, secretary general of Aggregates Europe, will unpack the implications of forthcoming EU policy and how these will shape the circular economy and material reuse across Europe.

He will be joined by Arnold de Bruijn, secretary general of the International Association of Dredging Companies (IADC), a seasoned dredging expert with over 20 years’ industry experience.

PFAS (perfluorinated and polyfluorinated alkyl substances) is a group of man-made chemicals used since the 1940s and 1950s. Known as ‘forever chemicals’, they are present in many consumer products, such as furniture, carpets, waterproof clothing, personal care products, food packaging and cookware.