Are we innovating fast enough to save our planet?
We want to go to Mars, but we are destroying our own planet. That's a bold statement, isn't it? But it certainly has truth in it.
However, not all is lost. Innovation is reshaping what sustainability looks like: from cleaner production and smarter logistics to circular design and carbon tracking. Companies are stepping up, but they can’t act alone. Governments set the rules. Citizens shape demand. And climate deadlines aren’t waiting.
In this Fireside Chat, we explore what it really takes to align innovation with long-term sustainability. Can companies lead meaningful change while staying competitive? Are governments doing enough to support - or pressure - industry to act faster? And what responsibility falls on individuals in a system still built for overconsumption?
This conversation cuts through green promises and focuses on impact, timing, and collaboration.
Jos Delbeke
Professor for Intl. Environment Policy, Former Director-General for Climate Action | European Commission
As one of the principal architects of the EU’s climate framework, Jos has turned policy into a lever for innovation.
Jos Delbeke is one of Europe’s most influential climate policymakers. As former Director-General for Climate Action at the European Commission, he played a central role in designing and implementing the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS), the world’s largest and most ambitious carbon market, now emulated globally.
He was also a key figure behind the 2030 EU Climate and Energy Framework, which established binding targets on emissions, renewable energy, and efficiency across all member states. His leadership was critical in preparing the EU’s position for the Paris Agreement, ensuring Europe took a front-row seat in global negotiations.
Now as a professor at the European University Institute in Firenze, Jos continues to bridge policy and practice. Advising governments, mentoring the next generation of climate leaders, and spotlighting where institutional inertia still holds back green innovation.
At and& connect, he’ll offer a rare inside-out view of the systems that govern climate progress and what it takes to align breakthrough technologies with the pace of planetary need.
Joris Merckx
CEO | Citribel
Joris Merckx is CEO of Citribel, a Belgian pioneer in circular chemistry. Citribel transforms residual streams (such as sugar molasses) into citric acid, mycelium, and other valuable biobased products through natural fermentation.
Under his leadership, the company positions itself as a circular biotech innovator, minimizing waste and reducing its carbon footprint while competing on a global stage.
At Citribel, Joris is pushing the frontier of sustainable chemistry: optimizing energy use, reducing carbon and water footprint, and exploring new applications of circular byproducts. He often speaks about the tension between ambition and structural constraints: for example, competing with global players benefiting from cheaper energy or subsidies. And that's exactly what he will do at and& connect as well.
