Climate & Social
Justice Summit

Ethical Assembly highlights

Our events convened over

250 Sessions

400 Speakers

4,000 Attendees

Climate science

Systems change

Circular economy

Decarbonisation

Regenerative agriculture

Biodiversity & conservation

Renewable energy

Ethical fashion

Urban regeneration

Mobility & transportation

Social justice

Indigenous wisdom

Plant-based futures

Human rights

Climate science Systems change Circular economy Decarbonisation Regenerative agriculture Biodiversity & conservation Renewable energy Ethical fashion Urban regeneration Mobility & transportation Social justice Indigenous wisdom Plant-based futures Human rights

Independent,
Intersectional & Inclusive

Since our first edition in 2019, the Ethical Assembly has hosted agenda-setting discussions on critical environmental, social and ethical issues facing global communities. Through a dynamic blend of talks, panels, workshops, tech and cultural showcases, we provide a vibrant international platform where diverse voices converge to inspire, innovate and drive change.

Previous speakers

  • Lily Cole

    UK
    Co-Founder
    Impossible

  • Jeanne de Kroon

    Netherlands
    Founder
    Zazi Vintage

  • Ben Backwell

    UK
    CEO
    Global Wind Energy Council

  • Jasmine Fournier

    USA
    Executive Director
    Ocean Sewage Alliance

  • Dr. Leyla Acaroglu

    Australia
    Founder
    Circular Futures

  • Robin Moore

    UK
    VP Marketing & Communications
    Re:wild

  • Carolina Álvarez

    Spain
    Chief Marketing Officer
    Ecoalf

  • Garrett McNamara

    USA
    Big wave surfer
    100 Foot Wave

  • Masami Sato

    Singapore
    Founder & CEO
    B1G1

  • Dr. Tony Butt

    UK
    Phd. Oceanography
    Patagonia ambassador

  • Diana Cohen

    USA
    Co-founder
    Plastic Pollution Coalition

  • Marina Schmidt

    Germany
    Podcast Host
    Red to green

  • Deborah Vorhies

    UK
    CEO
    FairWild

  • Christopher Storey

    Portugal
    Global Partnerships
    Sea Shepherd

  • Kristiane Davidson

    Spain
    Head of Sustainability
    Ocean Born Foundation

  • Francisco Guerreiro

    Portugal
    Former Member of the European Parliament

  • Alessa Berg

    Switzerland
    CEO
    Top Tier Impact

  • Philippe Birker

    Germany
    Co-Founder
    Climate Farmers

  • Dr. Sabine Seymour

    Austria
    Co-founder & Chairwoman
    PONY Earth

  • Jolien Walhof

    Netherlands
    Impact Director
    Waterbear

  • Lisa-Marie Bosbach

    Germany
    Multimedia storyteller
    Fair Planet

  • Yonca Braeckman

    Belgium
    Co-Founder
    Impact Shakers

  • Ines Sequeira

    Portugal
    Managing Director
    Rede Capital Social

  • Andrei Radulescu

    Romania
    Macroeconomics Expert
    Bretton Woods Committee

  • Andrea Canepa

    Italy
    Co-Founder
    Net Zero Insights

  • Jene Roestorf

    Singapore
    Founder
    Activist Beauty

  • Nuno Brito

    Portugal
    Co-Founder
    GoParity

  • Alice Segre

    Portugal
    Sr. Investment Analyst
    MAZE Impact

  • Leanne Cullen

    UK
    CEO
    Project Seagrass

  • Isabel Martins Silva

    Portugal
    Head of Sustainability & Communications
    UPTEC

  • Flora Pereira

    Brazil
    Chief of Engagement
    Pulitzer Center

  • Natan Jacquemin

    Portugal
    Founder
    Nãm Mushrooms

  • Tanja Wessels

    Singapore
    Co-Founder
    The Future Kind

  • André Santos

    Portugal
    Partner
    Indico Capital

  • Claudia Delgado

    Portugal
    Founder & CEO
    Be a Peach

  • Nuno Comando

    Portugal
    Director Social Investment
    Casa do Impacto

  • Fernanda Botelho

    Portugal
    CEO
    Fernanda Botelho Plantas

  • Francesco Rocca

    Portugal
    Managing Director
    Impact Hub Portugal

  • Christienne de Tournay

    USA
    Program manager
    Zero Waste USA

  • Romain Diaz

    Portugal
    CEO
    Satgana VC

  • Laura Briesenick

    Portugal
    Co-Founder
    UMMI

  • Emiliano Gutierrez

    Portugal
    Co-Founder
    Raiz Vertical Farms

  • Islene Façanha

    Portugal
    Project & Policy Officer
    ZERO

  • Greg Sherwin

    Portugal
    Global Faculty
    Singularity University

  • Marco Rovagnati

    Italy
    Co-founder
    Quallie.Ai

  • Cecilia Palmér

    Germany
    Founder
    The Craft Atlas

  • Andreas Noe

    Germany
    Ocean Activist
    The Trash Traveler

  • Sara Berkai

    UK
    Founder & CEO
    Ambessa

  • Meg Pagani

    Italy
    Founder
    Power & Purpose

  • Monika Bloch

    Poland
    Food creative
    Venn

  • Karsten Hirsch

    Germany
    CEO
    Plastic Fischer

  • Pedro Palma

    Portugal
    Research fellow
    CENSE - Center for Environmental and Sustainability Research

  • Alban Wagener

    Portugal
    Architect
    Alban Wagener Architecture

  • Yuki Jung

    Germany
    Founder
    All you need is veg

Agenda & programming

A Systemic Approach

We convene visionary policymakers, scientists, start-ups, investors, ethical businesses, NGOs, foundations, activists, grassroots leaders, journalists and media, fostering engaging, empowering and collaborative dialogue that transcends borders and disciplines. Our mission is to catalyse intersectional alliances and climate-forward solutions that move the needle.

Hear from experts and key decision-makers spearheading the charge towards a sustainable and equitable future for all, and dive into climate science, decarbonisation, ocean health, food systems, biodiversity, circular design, ethical fashion, supply chains, waste management, built environment, transportation, smart cities, data & AI and so much more.

Our Guiding Principles

Systems Thinking

Real change should be systemic and structural, requiring the participation of diverse stakeholders from across the globe. We strive to foster an inclusive dialogue that addresses both global challenges and local realities. By centering the voices of frontline communities and historically marginalized groups, we aspire to uncover solutions that are just, equitable and sustainable. We believe that every sector, industry and community has a role to play in this transformation, and we are committed to building the alliances necessary to make it happen.

Intersectional Lens

Climate justice is inseparable from issues of race, gender, class, social justice and more. We approach every challenge with an intersectional lens, recognizing the interconnectedness of all forms of oppression. Our goal is to help mitigate the effects of climate change and dismantle the systemic structures that exacerbate these challenges. We strive to create a space where all voices are heard and all struggles are acknowledged, working together towards a future where justice prevails.

Independent Platform

We stand firmly as an independent platform, committed to upholding the highest ethical standards. We reject sponsorship and speaking engagement from the entities fuelling the climate crisis, ensuring that our platform remains free from greenwashing, lobbying and corporate agendas. Moreover, we do not operate on a pay-to-play model, meaning that we do not accept payments from entities wishing to speak at our event. Instead, we prioritize authenticity, transparency and integrity in every aspect of our work. Our program is curated with care, featuring voices and solutions that are often excluded from mainstream conversations.

A growing ecosystem

Our ethos & values

Independent, Ethical & Greenwashing-free

We started the Ethical Assembly in 2019 out of frustration with how most sustainability and climate events are run. Behind the glossy branding and big stages, the vast majority of these gatherings are dominated by greenwashing, pay-to-play content and lobbying.

Here’s the sad reality: large trade show operators often run climate conferences the same way they run pharma or tech expos. They’ve jumped on the sustainability bandwagon because there’s a lot of profit to be made in this space, not because they necessarily care about avoiding complete climate collapse or that almost 10% of the world’s population still lives in extreme poverty. Additionally, their investors and corporate sponsors dictate who gets to speak, what gets discussed and what stays off the table.

Keynote and panel speaking slots are frequently sold for tens or hundreds of thousands of euros and ticket prices alone make these events inaccessible to many people and organisations driving real change. Hence, a vast array of important initiatives, innovative projects and critical perspectives are often left out.

So we set off to do things differently. The Ethical Assembly is a grassroots, independent initiative, free from investor, sponsor and corporate influence. We are self-funded and curate every session ourselves based on research and data, with no paid content and no hidden agendas.

Moreover, we consistently turn down sponsorship and pay-to-play offers, no matter how attractive. We also refuse allocating speaking slots to the very entities largely responsible for the climate crisis.

As we recognise the essential role governments and corporations play in advancing climate and social justice, we welcome them to join our sessions as participants, to learn, engage and be inspired by the pioneering projects and voices shaping the future from the ground up.

Our commitment is to challenge mainstream narratives and power dynamics, platform underrepresented and marginalised voices and create a diverse, inclusive and intersectional space that reflects the just and regenerative world we want to be a part of.

Join our community

Speak

If you’re a subject-matter expert, scientist, ethical business leader, NGO, start-up founder, investor, journalist or activist, we’d love to hear from you.

Volunteer

If you’re passionate about climate, community building and event management and you’d like to volunteer, please apply via the form below.

Partner

If you’re an ethical business player, foundation, impact VC or another entity fully committed to advancing climate justice and want to collaborate, please get in touch!