Wen-Yu Weng

   

Executive Lead (Global), Critical Raw Materials
Ellen MacArthur Foundation

BIO

Wen-Yu Weng is the newly appointed Executive Team Lead for Critical Raw Materials at the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, a globally recognized authority on the circular economy. In this role, she leads the Foundation’s mission to apply circular principles to the critical raw materials underpinning the energy transition—focusing on batteries, clean tech, and mining.

Wen-Yu brings a multidisciplinary background spanning energy and industries, international policy, sustainability strategy, investment advisory, and community engagement, with experience across Europe, Asia, and Africa. Prior to joining EMF, she worked with governments, multilateral institutions, and industry leaders on responsible sourcing, environmental governance, and resources and energy policy. She was previous a senior consulting leader at PA Consulting.

She is a sought-after speaker and trusted advisor on circular economy strategies for materials systems and has a strong track record in aligning commercial innovation with environmental and social resilience. Wen-Yu’s work is anchored in redesigning value chains for long-term security, reduced impact, and strategic competitiveness in a global context.

From Extraction to Circularity: Reimagining Europe’s Critical Raw Materials Future

As Europe scales up its ambitions for energy independence and decarbonisation, securing sustainable access to critical raw materials is becoming a defining challenge. Yet mining systems today remain largely linear, high-impact, and socially contested. This session, led by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, will explore how circular economy strategies can transform raw materials systems—starting with upstream redesign and extending through reuse, recycling, and responsible recovery.

Drawing from global work with governments, battery and EV manufacturers, and mining innovators, the presentation will offer a landscape view of technologies and business models enabling more resilient, low-impact, and economically viable material flows. It will also address how circularity intersects with EU policy, community engagement, and innovation imperatives—helping shape a future for mining that is not only viable, but regenerative.