When a diverse crew of investors, founders, and industry insiders gathered for this Ripple, the spotlight was on unlocking value from society’s forgotten leftovers. This wasn’t just about recycling cans, it was about reimagining whole supply chains, from wasted heat to banana plant stems, and spotting overlooked treasure in corporate byproducts.

Key discoveries from the conversation:

- Real breakthroughs in resource circularity demand clever cross-industry conversations and thinking beyond obvious material waste.

- “Non-obvious” leftovers, like heat or cranberries deemed too small, can become strong business drivers when linked up with the right partners.

- Scaling up these solutions takes more than tech; it’s about partnerships, market timing, and hitting the right price points.

- Industry players agreed: success hinges on patience, connecting supply with actual demand, and plugging solutions into existing value chains—not inventing a market from scratch.

- There’s a new “R” in the mix, resilience, emphasizing geography and versatility alongside the classics: reduce, reuse, recycle, and replace.

- Multidisciplinary teamwork, long-term thinking, and real-world economics matter as much as shiny new tech.

Bottom line? The future of circularity isn’t built on big ideas alone. It’s about noticing what others miss, teaming up boldly, and hustling to make undervalued resources the next big thing.