Connor Bryant

Connor Bryant is a circular economy entrepreneur and speaker who specialises in transforming how organisations approach waste, design, and sustainability. As co-founder of Rubbish Ideas and CEO of The Rubbish Project, he has built two pioneering companies that help major brands shift from linear to circular business models. His work includes operating Colossus, the world's largest transportable 3D printer that converts plastic waste into furniture at scale, and developing closed-loop systems for clients including ABInBev and Huhtamaki. Connor equips audiences with the practical tools to transition from incremental improvements to radical system change, demystifying sustainable design and challenging organisations to recognise that circular models are both commercially viable and essential for operating within planetary limits.

When Connor Bryant co-founded Rubbish Ideas and launched The Rubbish Project, he set out to prove a provocative premise: that waste is a design flaw, not an inevitable by-product of commerce. A graduate of Loughborough University, he has since built two companies that challenge the linear economy's fundamental assumptions, working with major brands and event organisers to create systems where materials circulate endlessly rather than ending up in landfill. His work transforms how organisations across industries approach packaging, product design, and resource management, demonstrating that circular models can function as commercially viable alternatives to disposable defaults.

Connor's credibility stems from turning ambitious circular economy concepts into operational systems that work at scale. Through his UK-based sustainable design consultancy Rubbish Ideas, he helps clients transform difficult-to-recycle materials into new products or return them to their original form, operating Colossus, the world's largest transportable 3D printer, which converts plastic waste into furniture and art. As CEO of The Rubbish Project in Belgium, he partners with major producers and consumers of single-use packaging, including brewing giant ABInBev and packaging manufacturer Huhtamaki, to redesign business models and establish closed-loop systems. The company has successfully built a circular system for rPET drinks cups and continues expanding with the ambition to make all packaging circular. Beyond his commercial ventures, Connor's thought leadership challenges popular assumptions around plastics and packaging through speaking engagements and published articles that use data to cut through greenwashing and demand accountability from industries ranging from technology to live events.

Connor equips audiences with the practical tools and mindset shifts required to transition from linear to circular thinking. He demystifies complex topics such as sustainable design, closed-loop systems, and the often-misunderstood role of plastics and single-use packaging, making them accessible and actionable for organisations at any stage of their sustainability journey. Whether explaining how to transform recycling efforts into compelling customer stories or why better environmental data can initially make performance look worse, Connor delivers clarity that drives genuine change. His presentations challenge audiences to recognise that incremental improvements fall short of what planetary limits demand, demonstrating instead that radical system change remains both necessary and achievable. Attendees leave inspired to rethink their operating models and equipped with real-world examples of circular economy success that prove sustainability and commercial viability can coexist.