Keynotes: “Enabling Circular Economy”
The keynote speeches on the first day will highlight innovative approaches to advancing the circular economy. Prof. Dr.-Ing. Holger Hanselka, President of the Fraunhofer Society, will discuss “The value creation potential of circularity: opportunities for innovation, efficiency and resource conservation”. Dr. Carla Seidel, Vice President at BASF SE, will provide insights into BASF’s strategies and initiatives. Rebecca Tauer, Program Manager for Circular Economy at WWF Germany, will showcase how conservation and business can collaborate to promote sustainable solutions. Ulrike Sapiro, CSO at Henkel, will present innovations for the circular economy transformation. Karin Huber-Heim, City of Vienna Endowed Professorship for Circular Economy & transformative business models, will discuss the importance of partnerships in developing transformative business models. Joe Murphy, Executive Lead of the Business Network at the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, will share lessons from a decade of implementing circular economy principles. Dr. Martin Sonnenschein, Chairman of Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG, will outline sustainable practices within his company.
On Thursday, the second day of the event, Prof. Lars M. Blank from RWTH Aachen University will discuss “Transforming the Chemical Industry into a Multidimensional Circular Economy”. Susanne Szech-Koundouros, Head of the sub-department: Raw Materials Policy, Circular Economy, Resource Protection and Environmental Law at the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, will provide insights into “Perspective on Circular Economy in the Context of Federal Policy”.
Panel Discussions
On the first day, experts will debate the topic “From Green Deal to Industrial Deal: Economy as the basis for greater ecology and social stability”. Panelists include Ralf Düssel, Chairman of Plastics Europe e. V.; Prof. Dr. André Bardow, Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering at ETH Zurich; Prof. Dr. Henning Wilts, Head of Circular Economy Department at the Wuppertal Institute; and Ute Spring, EMEA R&D Director Packaging & Specialty Plastics at Dow Chemical.
Thursday’s panel will focus on “How to make plastic packaging circular? Opportunities and Challenges in Medium-Sized Businesses”. Participants include Prof. Dr. Thomas Müller-Kirschbaum, Chief Scientist at the Circular Valley Foundation; Matthias Lesch, Managing Director of Pöppelmann Holding GmbH & Co. KG; Jens Stadter, CEO of Jokey SE; Andreas Vogt, Managing Director of Vogt Plastics; Georg Pescher, Managing Director DBNL, Alpla; and Gunda Rachut, Executive Board, Central Agency Packaging Register (ZSVR).
Thematic Sessions
Over both days, seven thematic sessions will explore circular business models, strategies, digital technologies, and the circular economy across various industries, including plastics, construction, electronics, packaging & printing, and logistics.
Session: “Value Chains for Plastics”
Auguste Laurent, CEO of Der Grüne Punkt Holding GmbH & Co. KG, will discuss key factors for the success of a fully circular value chain for plastics. Nicola Lelli, Senior Advisor at the Alliance to End Plastic Waste, will describe collaboration with stakeholders across the entire value chain to develop practical, globally scalable solutions. Prof. Dr.-Ing. Manfred Renner, Head of Institute at Fraunhofer UMSICHT, will provide a comprehensive overview of the circular economy with a focus on plastics. Additionally, Dr. Daniel Schwaab, SVP Strategy at TOMRA, will address solutions for closing the plastics recycling loop, and Dr. Andreas Leitner, Senior Vice President of Innovation & Technology at OMV AG, will present a case study on industrializing the circular economy.
Session: “Circular Construction Industry”
Prof. Dr. Philip Leistner, Institute Director of the Fraunhofer Institute for Building Physics IBP, will present solutions for addressing disruptions in the value chain. Thomas Nyhsen, Member of the Executive Board at Strabag AG, will outline Strabag’s path toward a sustainable future. Christian Hülsewig, CEO of Schüttflix Group, will introduce approaches to circular construction. Other speakers in this session include Felicitas Erfurt-Gordon, CEO, Erfurt & Sohn KG discussing “Circular Economy in the wallpaper industry”, and Frederick Verhelst, Head of Materials - Business Innovation Center, Lhoist Europe, presenting “Sustainability and circularity - core for the future in the lime industry”.
Session: “Circular Packaging & Printing”
Dr. Timo Fleßner, Senior Vice President Manufacturing API & Medical Devices Lead at Bayer AG, will explain how Bayer promotes sustainable production and supports the transition to circular options. Ralph Hopfensitz, Executive Senior Vice President Global Technology/CTO at LEONHARD KURZ Stiftung & Co. KG, will introduce sustainable finishing solutions and a recycling program for PET carrier materials. Prof. Dr. Andrea Büttner, Managing Director of the Fraunhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging IVV, will empha the necessity of a holistic approach to the circular economy. Other speakers in this session include Dr. Jan Sültemeyer, Global Sustainability Leader, Avient Corporation on “How additives and colorants can enhance plastic recycling”, Herwig Kirchberger, Managing Director, DELSCI GmbH on “The myths and truths about fiber-based flexible barrier packaging solutions” and Simone Mosca, CEO of Mosca GmbH, discussing “First steps to enable circular loops for flexible transport packaging”.
