In recent days, Factory Lisbon hosted the Ethical Assembly for the second time at the Beato Innovation District, concluding another powerful summit focused on climate and social justice. Since its inception in 2019, this annual flagship event has served as a beacon for systemic change, bringing together global voices to tackle the world’s most urgent environmental and social challenges.
In the midst of cascading global crises—climate change, widening social inequality, and the unraveling of ecosystems—the Ethical Assembly has emerged as a vital laboratory for reimagining solutions. More than an event, it is a movement, a model for the type of collective action that our precarious moment demands.
The Ethical Assembly, hosted this year on October 2nd and 3rd at Lisbon's Beato Innovation District, is the brainchild of Patricia Imbarus and her Ethical Lab, a strategy consulting and creative services agency committed to systemic change. Ethical Lab’s ethos is rooted in leveraging science, data, collaboration, and creativity to enable organizations—from grassroots projects to international conglomerates—to transition toward sustainable futures.
Through its Change Agency, Ethical Lab partners with organizations to develop sustainability strategies and execute climate-focused campaigns. The Academy offers courses to elevate climate literacy and drive systemic change across industries. The Innovation Lab brings together startups and established players to create groundbreaking solutions to the climate crisis, while the Community Initiatives amplify knowledge-sharing and collective action through international events and networking platforms.
The Ethical Assembly operates free from corporate sponsorship or a pay-to-play model, ensuring unfiltered, authentic dialogue. Its independence allows for frank discussions that confront the deep-seated systems driving both environmental degradation and social injustice. The Assembly’s approach reframes climate action not just as a battle against carbon emissions but as a quest to dismantle the inequities that fuel both environmental harm and human suffering.
The Ethical Assembly is an independent event at its core, free from greenwashing. We reject sponsorship from companies in polluting industries to keep our agenda authentic and focused on solutions. — Patricia Imbarus
At the heart of the Assembly’s agenda is a relentless focus on justice. Every proposed solution—whether related to renewable energy, urban regeneration, or ethical supply chains—is examined through the lens of equity. The conversations continually ask: Who benefits? Who bears the costs? How can entrenched systems of exploitation be dismantled? These questions steer the discussions, grounding the Assembly in real-world impact rather than abstract ideals.
This year’s program featured key moments that exemplified the Assembly’s mission. The event opened with the session Rewilding the Anthropocene: Biodiversity as Nature’s Lifeline, which spotlighted the alarming pace of species extinction and the urgent need to rewild degraded landscapes. Robin Moore of Re:wild and Deborah Vorhies from the FairWild Foundation led the conversation, emphasizing biodiversity as a cornerstone of ecological resilience and a crucial lifeline for humanity.
Another session, Redefining Progress: Charting New Paths for Climate Action and Energy Transition, challenged the global obsession with growth, particularly the allure of “green capitalism.” Experts critiqued the assumption that endless production and consumption can coexist with sustainability on a finite planet. They explored alternative economic models that prioritize justice over profit and discussed how to create an equitable energy transition that addresses the systemic inequalities exacerbated by the climate crisis.
One of the most captivating discussions was The Power of Storytelling in Climate Solutions, which featured environmental advocate Lily Cole in conversation with journalist Vera Moutinho. Together, they explored how creative storytelling can mobilize grassroots movements, inspire systemic change, and transform abstract ideas into tangible actions. Cole’s insights underscored the role of narratives in galvanizing communities and reimagining our collective response to the climate crisis.
The Ethical Assembly is more than an annual gathering. It is a catalyst for ongoing collaboration, innovation, and education. Ethical Lab’s integrated approach ensures that the momentum generated at the Assembly extends far beyond its two-day program. By combining strategic foresight with grassroots engagement, the Assembly demonstrates how diverse stakeholders can co-create solutions that are as inclusive as they are effective.
In an era when greenwashing often masquerades as progress, the Assembly’s unflinching focus on justice sets it apart. It challenges participants—and the world—to rethink notions of growth, equity, and accountability.
What makes this event truly revolutionary is its insistence on hope. In the face of climate urgency, it offers not just a critique of the status quo but a vision of what could be. Its independence, inclusivity, and systemic approach exemplify the kind of radical thinking required to address our most pressing challenges.
The Ethical Assembly is a manifesto for a just and sustainable future. It demonstrates that collaboration, creativity, and systemic change are not just aspirations—they are achievable realities. As humanity rises to meet its most pressing challenges, the Assembly stands as a beacon, lighting the path toward a better way forward. With collective effort and shared vision, can we make this future a reality?
