Conference Agenda 2023

We’ve had it all wrong. We have been viewing plastic as a disposable material, a waste that plagues our ocean, planet, and communities. But plastic is not the problem, it is us and the way we have been treating it. For David Katz, it is time to embrace a paradigm shift and view discarded plastic for what it truly is – a resource that can transform lives. In his talk, he will share how humanity can reveal value in used plastic and close the loop in the circular economy through Social Recycling – a movement that stops ocean plastic and empowers collection communities across Southeast Asia, Latin America, and Africa to find a path out of poverty. He will also touch upon how each of us can become the change we seek in the world through perpetual behavioural change, which brings the mindfulness of recycling in what we purchase, how we use it, and how we dispose of it. Rethinking plastic could be humanity's richest opportunity. Learn from David how you can become a changemaker and help enliven a wasteless world.

This discussion will feature insights from industry leaders on how circular business models are driving transformative change in the realms of plastics, consumer goods, and packaging. Discover innovative strategies that empower businesses to fully embrace the circular economy, reducing plastic waste and fostering sustainable practices.

The circular economy is no longer a buzzword. It is becoming a reality and a future way of doing business where partnerships and collaboration across the value chain are becoming key to success. The success will much depend on a cultural shift to a circular-minded business model, and less of a technical and social challenge.
This presentation will cover the challenges and opportunities of closing the loop in packaging. Some best practice examples of circularity models for retail and industrial applications will be presented to inspire new ways of doing business.  

The abundant presence of tiny fragments of synthetic polymers, which are insoluble in water, degrade very slowly and can easily be ingested by living organisms, has raised significant concerns about their general impact on the environment and potentially on human health. Microplastic pollution is caused largely and unintentionally by fragmentation - the wear and tear and washing of different products. However, microplastics are also manufactured to be used as such or added to products. 
To tackle microplastic pollution, the European Commission has been working on several measures to reduce the discharge of macro- and micro-sized plastic debris as part of the European Green Deal, the new Circular Economy Action Plan and the Zero Pollution Action Plan. Despite being welcomed, these measures present major challenges across industries.
In this context, this session will explore:
•    An overview of the regulatory measures being developed and implemented by the European Commission
•    The impact of the new measures on different industries, as well as key opportunities and challenges
•    Industry-specific best practices and lessons learned
 

Plastics are extensively used for a variety of products, and usually landfilled or not processed in a circular manner at the end-of-life. These mismanaged plastics have negative impacts on human health, socioeconomic conditions, ecological system, and our current global climate crisis. Governments and policymakers thus play a critical role in developing and implementing the necessary legislative framework and/or policy for dealing with plastic products and wastes. These legislations have either direct or indirect impacts on all the players along the value chain of plastics, starting from raw materials to product end-of life. Nevertheless, these legislations will also create business opportunities for those alternative, sustainable and circular materials. In this presentation, an exclusive overview of existing and upcoming legislation for “Sustainable and Circular Plastics” is given. Examples are: (1) upcoming Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) whereby minimum “Recycled Plastic Content” as well as “Recyclability index” of the new plastic packaging products will be required; and (2) new policy framework for biobased, compostable and biodegradable plastics, setting out for which applications such plastics are environmentally beneficial and how they should be designed, disposed and recycled. This is valuable for suppliers, developers, producers as well as investors of the plastic value chain. This presentation will address what these legislations could mean for your business and plastic industry, highlighting the potential business opportunities as well as challenges, and how TUV SUD could support the individual business and plastic industry along the supply chain to fulfil those regulatory requirements.

Product stewardship is an approach to design and produce products and services with sustainability and compliance in mind. The approach starts with a top-down commitment to sustainability across the product portfolio, operations and services. Organizations need to develop a stewardship framework to guide and implement the transition to a sustainable, low-emissions portfolio and operate within planetary boundaries by e.g., introducing circular solutions. ´

As highlighted in the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) initiative to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic waste pollution by 2024, the key elements of the required transformation are rethinking and redesigning products; reusing, recycling, reorienting and diversifying markets; and addressing the plastic pollution legacy. 

In the presentation, we will discuss sustainable product portfolio management in the context of a topical case example from the packaging industry. In Europe, the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) will be a key driver of change throughout the packaging industry as compliance will be obligatory – focusing on sustainability is no longer optional, it’s mandatory. The new PPWR aims to achieve significant waste reduction targets, having major implications not only on product design but also on packaging consumption.

Since 1 January 2023, the rules for single-use plastic products and packaging are further tightened. In the first phase, the European Single Use Plastics Directive was mainly about the ban on disposable products such as straws, plates and plastic cutlery and about the marking that must be applied. The next phase of extended producer responsibility is focused on single-use plastic packaging for food and drinks. The implications of the SUP directive for the packaging industry, retailers and catering are far-reaching, both practically and financially. Which packaging exactly fall under the directive? Where is the content of the packaging consumed? Has the packaging the tendency to end up as litter? The answers are influenced, among other things, by the volume and the number of portions that a package contains. To provide more clarity, Partners for Innovation advised on the development of an assessment framework for the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management. This innovative framework contains decision trees, definitions and numerous examples for form-retaining food packaging, bags and wrappers, drinking cups and beverage packaging. During his presentation Siem Haffmans will share his technical and practical knowledge on these issues and dive into the day-to-day dilemma’s the industry and the supply chain are facing. The lessons learned from the Netherlands can be an interesting starting point for the Q&A session with input of the approach in other European countries.

Schoeller Allibert has developed its sustainability strategy 3 years ago and has ever since rolled it out. The presentation will focus on the practitioner's experience, share the learnings, successes, pitfalls, do's and don'ts, with a focus on mid-sized companies. The session will also highlight how the critical topics of circular economy and decarbonization can help drive a company's sustainability journey.

Join our panel of experts as they dissect the real-world effects of EPR initiatives on reducing plastic waste, enhancing recycling practices and environmental sustainability. Discover how these innovative schemes are driving tangible change and explore the potential, challenges, and key takeaways from EPR's transformative impact on plastic waste management. 

New circular and biobased solutions require substantial capital investments for scale up. Financing is therefore a crucial factor. Depending on the market maturity of the specific solution and the profile of the parties involved, funding may be sourced from public sources, equity investors, loans by banks, or a combination thereof. ING is actively involved in mobilizing such funding, with the recent debt financing of the first of a kind bioplastics plant of Avantium as an example. Learnings from this case and other factors for a successful financing will be shared.

Our mission is to clarify the distinctions between biobased, biodegradable, and compostable materials, knowledge that is crucial in our pursuit of a new non-plastic world. During our session, we will unravel the complexities of these material categories

The impact of fossil carbon embedded in chemicals and polymers is today still mostly neglected. Nevertheless, the only way for chemicals and polymers to become sustainable and part of the circular economy is the complete substitution of fossil carbon with renewable carbon from alternative sources: biomass, CO2 and recycling.

The presentation will focus on developments in bio- and CO2-based polymers and building blocks: Bio-based polymers are estimated to grow at a CAGR of 14 % from 2022 to 2027. Some examples: Bio-based epoxy resin production is on the rise, PTT regained attractiveness after several years of constant capacities and PE and PP made from bio-based naphtha are being further established with growing volumes. Increased capacities for PLA are ongoing, after being sold out in 2019. Current and future expansions for bio-based polyamides as well as PHAs are on the horizon. And also, bio-based PET is getting back in the game.

Additionally, the use of CO2 as chemical feedstock for building blocks and polymers has been intensively diversified. Several successfully implemented technologies used at commercial level are in place and many more at the laboratory and pilot phase. Besides the long-established use of CO2 for the synthesis of polycarbonates, also polyurethanes are based on it. The most notable biotechnological conversion pathway of a syngas produces ethanol at commercial scale. Additionally, high interest is also observed in CO2-based methanol and in CO2-based hydrocarbons, which can be used for fuel, chemical and polymer applications. A current total production capacity of these CO2-based products of ca. 1.3 Mt/a in 2022 is observed and a strong increase in capacity is expected by 2027.
 

The plastics industry is going through a major transformation to become full carbon neutral and circular by 2050. For this to happen we need to act now! In order to reach this goal, there are many potential solutions and biopolymers is the one that will have a strong potential contribution to reaching carbon neutrality. 

 To date, we are still using 750 mega tonnes of fossil fuels to cover the embedded carbon demand of the chemical industry. To defossilise the chemical industry we need to find ways to shift this enormous demand towards alternative feedstock. In the recent years, for example bioplastics have become an intensively investigated field of research. However, considering the limited availability of carbon in side streams from agriculture and forestry, there is a pressing need to utilize said carbon sources most efficiently or to finding additional carbon sources that do not conflict with food production and the preservation of our ecosystem at the same time. At Fraunhofer IGB, we develop technologies that combine the strengths of biotechnology and chemistry to unlock novel carbon sources for a wide range of applications, such as plastic and materials, but also for fine and specialty chemicals. Our focus lays on the coupling of biological cultivation processes and chemical pre- or post-treatment for the efficient utilization of agricultural and municipal residual biomass and carbon dioxide as feedstock. In my presentation, I want to highlight the potential of currently developed technologies for making materials for the plastic industry from said feedstock.  

Mitigating climate change is one of, if not the greatest challenge humanity faces to preserve the livelihood for future generations. A biological transformation of industries towards a sustainable bioeconomy within a climate-neutral circular economy requires novel value chains and sustainable innovation.
Here the Rheinische Revier is a powerhouse for its transformation into a model region for sustainable and circular bioeconomy showcasing resource-efficient and sustainable business practices. With a strong agricultural sector, an excellent and diverse industrial base and research landscape, the Rheinische Revier offers the best conditions for implementing biobased business models.
Sustainable structural change with high value-added products based on local, renewable raw materials and the creation of new jobs is what drives us! We will give you an insight into how we innovate industrial landscape in Germanys largest federal state, North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW).

Erik will be highlighting the urgent need as well as the solution, and status to creating a truly sustainable carbon. The transformation from 1st generation to 2G bio-based glucoses are well on their way, whereas demand outreaches supply and drawbacks that can be overcome by advancing to 3G-R. 3G-R is defined by the innovation of high-quality glucose production derived from cellulose-rich feedstock, recovered from residual and waste streams. Erik will present the immense potential of the new sources in addition to the challenges his organization has overcome to master the process of developing high-quality building blocks for the chemical industry at their TRL7 demo-plant moving towards full scale operation.

Cellulose-based webs, like paper and board, offer strength and stiffness from renewable resources, making them an ideal packaging material for several applications. While papers traditionally have lower barrier properties and limited 3D shape conversion compared to plastics, we have developed two innovations to improve both aspects. In this presentation we introduce novel recyclable barrier solutions. These bio-based multilayer coatings exhibit good oxygen and water vapor barrier properties, making them ideal for packaging dry or greasy food. They are also heat sealable, and recyclable offering an opportunity to reuse them again as fibre-based packaging raw-material. We also introduce highly extensible and moldable cellulose-based webs. You will learn how through careful selection of raw materials, mechanical and chemical treatments, and maximising shrinkage/compaction, we have successfully manufactured boards with exceptional extensibility capability. This advancement enables the creation of steep and complex shapes using existing thermoforming processes.

To create a circular economy, society should develop paint and coating systems that are fully sustainable and circular. This necessitates not just developing binder systems that are based upon renewable feedstocks, but ultimately redesigning all components of the formulation. Moreover, substances that are being classified as substances of very high concern, should be phased out. On top of that, improved end-of-life options of paint and coatings systems should be developed; systems should be safe and circular by design.

This imposes huge challenges to the paints and coatings industry since properties like durability and resistance seem contradictory to recyclability and eco- or biodegradability. 

The presentation will highlight a number of different developments directed to making current binder systems more biobased, making pigment production more environmentally acceptable and ultimately biobased, developing recycling and looping strategies for paints, coatings and related systems.

Developments on biobased aromatics, such as substituted phthalic acid anhydrides will be highlighted; these aromatics could be important building blocks in coating systems like do-it-yourself paints and powder coatings systems. Results of the BBI (BioBased Industries Initiative) funded project CHAMPION (Circular High-performance Aza-Michael Polymers as Innovative materials Originating from Nature) will be discussed. This project focuses on developing biobased binder systems via so called Aza-Michael chemistry; this type of chemistry will allow to substitute epoxy or polyurethane based systems and results into binder systems that are potentially biodegradable.

Benefits of the new technologies will be that they will save CO2 emissions upon production of the paint and coating ingredients. On top of that, it will reduce the use of components that are hazardous to human health and the environment.
 

Accelerating the shift from petroleum based building blocks to bio-based building blocks is a challenge for many industries from several points of view. Quality, availability, transparency and cost are the elements to be taken in account and going into mainstream applications is still relative small. This paper will showcase the opportunity for several industries to move forward in bio-based renewable adoption by providing examples in performance footwear, coating industry and glycol cooling using 100% USDA certified bio-based Susterra® 1,3-propanediol generated from regenerative renewable farmed corn.

The manufacturing industry is a global base for prosperity and key to Europe's economic, social and environmental sustainability. The sector is a main driver of industrial innovation, job creation and growth for European society.
Manufacturing in Europe means over 2M enterprises in the manufacturing sector, 32M jobs – and 16% of the European Union GDP. EIT manufacturing as part of European Institute of Innovation and Technology has a vision on how EU Future Manufacturing System should look like, and how to drive sustainability in times of uncertainty through its portfolio of innovation activities.
 

Upcoming and existing legislation around the globe are defining targets for the sustainable development and manufacturing of new products, including vehicles.
Neither these legislation nor their targets however are necessarily fully aligned, resulting in several trade-offs and thus unnecessary industrial uncertainties and efforts.
As a latest example, mid of July, the first draft of the EU End of Life Vehicle Regulation (ELVR) has been published with the broad objective “to make the automotive sector circular, to maximize the efficient use of resources and to protect the environment”. 
The presentation will take a closer look into this upcoming piece of legislation while also analyzing the resulting trade-offs which may be a barrier for a successful achievement of the Green Deal objectives.
 

This presentation emphasizes the importance of decarbonizing supply chains in Europe, highlighting recent examples. We discuss challenges faced by companies and examine existing European regulations, with a focus on the EU Green Deal's impact and incentives. We provide practical steps for companies to initiate and accelerate their decarbonization efforts.

The panel discussion will focus on the transformative potential of photochemistry in various facets of the chemical industry. It highlights the role of photochemistry in producing fine/specialty chemicals, platform chemicals, and synthetic fuels, as a key driver in transitioning from fossil-based to sustainable energy and feedstocks. This resurgence in interest is attributed to visible light photoredox catalysis, energy efficiency, and the desire to harness sunlight directly for sustainable chemical processes. The text underscores the advantages of using microflow reactors with artificial light sources for fine/specialty chemical production, such as improved photon flux, shorter reaction times, and reduced side-product risks. Additionally, it discusses the use of sunlight for platform chemical production, showcasing innovative approaches like CO2 and green H2 conversion to fuels and carbon monoxide for methanol production. The panel aims to explore the broad potential of photochemical processes, including their impact on the chemical and energy sectors, economic viability, continuous flow applications in fine chemistry, and opportunities for high-tech industries in terms of equipment development.

How can companies transform their businesses, products and processes in order to become more circular and create circular flows of both products, components and materials? Today’s material use leads to significant value losses after the first use cycle of products. For example, 57% of the materials value of steel, plastics, and aluminium used in the EU, is lost each year. The main goal of a circular economy is to keep the value of products, components and materials for as long as possible avoiding extraction of new resources and save emissions. This can be done by thinking smart from the start when innovating and developing new products and solutions. It is important to apply strategies for longevity, repair, reuse, remanufacturing and recycling and connect product design with business model innovation. Choosing recyclable materials, e.g. is not only about material choice. Is there a system in place to recycle it? Will it separate efficiently in the recycling process and become new material? Recyclability in theory is not the same as in practice. I will tell you about the methodology we use at Stena Circular Consulting to tackle these questions, Design for  Circular Economy, DfC. The method and tools we use build on expertise since 1939 of recycling and trading materials together with the joint knowledge of some of the best consultants in Sweden in the area of circular economy.

There is no doubt about the ambition of fully closed loop circular economy. For consumer goods we are today quite far away from it. Simple indices like for example the content of mechanical recyclates or the content of biobased materials are neither sufficient enough to close the material loop nor supporting the way to a net zero circular economy nor combing several aspects within one single indicator. The presentation will give several examples for misleading indices.
In order to enable consumers to make the right choice and comparing different offers it needs a harmonized but holistic circularity index which combines circular content with energy efficiency of the making and the footprint of the respective product. The presentation will propose such an indicator which can be used by all manufacturers to guide consumers with an easy scoring and will support technology development and innovation to move into the right direction.

Consumer demand, regulations, financial investors and employees are driving businesses towards more sustainable practices. As a Product Developer or Manufacturer, you have a big responsibility but also the opportunity to make the biggest impact on Product Sustainability. However, making the right decisions to lower product carbon footprint is not intuitive, and balancing product performance, profitability and sustainability is a big challenge. This session will cover some of the practices and initiatives you can implement in your design phase, along with some real-life case studies of how, with the right tools at your fingertips, you can design and manufacture, greener products that your customers will love. Avoid paralysis by analysis and start making data-driven decisions at the product design stage, to lower carbon emissions by automated evaluation of cost and carbon.  
 

Ulf Seefeldt, Development Engineer with over 28 years of experience in engineering products and technical plastics, reveals new ways in product development for the transformation from linearity to cycle-based processes. Part of this transformation are innovative, AI-based engineering methods for reducing material usage and energy consumption in manufacturing and throughout the entire product life. 
 

How do you define packaging sustainability? Businesses often use limited methodologies to assess the sustainability of their packaging life-cycle, preventing them to make informed decisions for a sustainable, long-term packaging strategy. To tackle this challenge, WBCSD developed SPHERE, the packaging sustainability framework, together with a dozen of leading companies across the value chain and sustainability experts (including Nestlé, Microsoft, Aptar, South Pole).  The speaker will talk about how SPHERE can help businesses refine their packaging sustainability strategy with a practical case study, walking the audience through why it is crucial for companies to expand their scope of assessment and go beyond a traditional LCA, and how using such a framework influences decision-making.  The SPHERE framework helps packaging and sustainability teams within companies make better informed decisions by providing an overview of all environmental impacts and the trade-offs between them. It promotes a holistic approach to sustainability thanks to guiding principles that uniquely frame packaging environmental assessments: ensuring packaging efficiency, reducing impact on climate change and biodiversity loss, increasing circularity and proper end-of-life management, and avoiding harmful substances.
 

Every year, millions of tons of plastic end up in the environment - with drastic consequences. Although the public focus is on littering, there are many other sources of plastic in the environment.
Abrasion from tires and shoes, paint and outdoor gear, wear and tear on fibers and textiles, loss from agricultural, aquaculture and fisheries use, and intentional release of plastics are in addition to the systematic input of plastic waste into soils, rivers, lakes and the ocean from the lack of proper waste management in some markets.
While some of these pathways can and must be stopped at the source, others will continue to contribute to the accumulation of plastic in nature.
Environmental biodegradability must be considered as part of the solution to a plastic-free world, and must be based on reliable data derived from trustworthy, environmentally relevant testing.
Only then can the entire life cycle of a new material be comprehensively assessed, its sustainability measured and compared with conventional materials in an unbiased manner.
We explain a multi-tier test scheme of reliable and environmentally relevant methods that fills this gap. Results include the evidence of biodegradability, the assessment of biodegradation rates in relevant conditions and environmental impact. The data can then be used for Life Cycle Assessments and Life Cycle Impact Assessments and thus to evaluate any plastic material or product. Based on the SAPEA (Scientific Advice for Policy by European Academics) report we also give an overview on the existing standard test methods and specifications.

"The concept of carbon handprint is relatively new. We are more familiar with the concept of carbon footprint. Yet, when looking at sustainability, it’s becoming more and more important to look at broader systems. If we only focus on the footprint, we might miss the big picture of why a product exists in the first place and how it has the potential to deliver emission reductions in other areas. If the emissions a product can reduce are actually bigger than the footprint, that product is good for climate. That’s the handprint.
The speaker will introduce the novel concept of carbon handprint and show through an example how to apply it to packaging. The speaker will also cover the linkage between handprint and lifecycle assessment (LCA) studies. LCA is the basic methodology that’s applied when calculating handprint, and there are different impact categories in different sustainability areas.
Stora Enso has been an early adopter of the handprint measurement, collaborating with universities, research institutes and our customers to help develop these methods. Right now, handprint calculation is most advanced on the climate and carbon side, but it gets more complicated when you look at calculating things like circularity and social impacts.
 

80% of the environmental impact of products is determined at a very early design stage. The 10x Design approach considers all relevant factors in the process, including product protection, unbox-ing experience, recyclability, and especially the requirements of the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) 

To give brand owners the opportunity to compare different packaging solutions, the Sustainability Scorecard developed by the STI Group allows to easily asse various sustainability parameters. As a result the tool provides actionable priorities for optimisation along the supply chain in accordance with the upcoming PPWR.

What participants can expect: 

• Case studies that show how the circularity of packaging can be significantly improved.
• New materials and finishing techniques that are significantly more recyclable
• A checklist to improve the sustainability of your packaging design

Let’s go circular.
 

Globally, around 550 billion absorbent hygiene products are used and discarded every year, resulting in millions of tons of non-biodegradable waste. Around 300 billion period products are discarded every year across the globe. Since conventional sanitary pads can contain up to 90% plastic, they remain unchanged in landfills for around 500-600 years after disposal. The absorbent hygiene products industry should consider the entire product life-cycle, right from selecting its raw materials to its disposal. When we design our products, we should also focus on the end-of-life scenarios and work towards transitioning form liner economy to circular economy. To address these issues, we designed our sanitary pads in such a way that whether they end up in a landfill, or in an incinerator, or in a compost pit, they offer a more sustainable alternative when compared to their conventional counterpart. When tested according to ISO 14855 (determination of the ultimate aerobic biodegradability of plastic materials under controlled composting conditions) by a leading independent European lab, Sparkle pads reached 90% biodegradation in less than 90 days. According to the standard, the test sample should reach 90% biodegradation in 180 days to pass the test. When tested according to ISO 16929 (determination of the degree of disintegration of plastic material under defined composting conditions in a pilot-scale test), Sparkle pads reached a disintegration percentage of 100% in less than 8 weeks. According to the standard, 90% of test material should disintegrate and break down into pieces smaller than 2 mm in size after 12 weeks. We have also designed a disposal program called "The GreenCycle" that focuses on collection of used sanitary pads and transforms them into compost or biochar so that they can safely go back to nature instead of ending up in incinerators, landfills or oceans.

Achieving circular packaging in line with upcoming EU and global legislation is driving innovation in new packaging materials, designs, and formats, which are being introduced to the market with record speed. At first glance, adhesives may appear to play a small role, yet they are crucial for fulfilling numerous functions for the overall packaging and equally important they facilitate recyclability, conformity with regulations such as the PPWR. 
During this presentation, we will share approaches on how to thoughtfully use adhesives in the design and production of sustainable consumer goods packaging to reduce excess materials including plastics, enable recycling, manage waste and drive innovation of new packaging formats.

This presentation explores the fundamentals of 3D fibre technology, focusing on packaging innovations. We present a case study showcasing a collaborative effort between Valmet and VTT research centre to accelerate the development of 3D formed packaging. Through their combined strengths and capabilities, this partnership aims to unlock new possibilities and push the boundaries of 3D fibre technology. We will reveal challenges, key learnings and outcomes.

Combining scientific expertise and industry knowledge, Morro – A Xampla brand, has expanded operations and begun to develop the next batch of plastic-free product developments, with Morro Coating, to deliver to packaging manufacturers at scale. In addition, Morro coating is designed to enable paper recyclability. The coating can be easily solubilised and removed during the repulping process, and does not result in a material that needs to be disposed of via incineration, as with traditional polymer coatings. As Morro materials are natural polymers produced from plant-based feedstocks, with no chemical modification, the coatings biodegrade completely and safely in water.

Blue Ocean Closures has created a new category in packaging; high quality threaded closures. The manufacturing concept is fast, low energy and results in a high density exact and stable, recyclable as paper product. We will discuss the production concept, scalability, product properties and sustainability far beyond plastic.

Reducing unnecessary plastic packaging is crucial, such as in the case of charging cables. Many flexible packaging alternatives are available to replace plastic, with a market value exceeding 100 billion euros annually. These alternatives are especially effective for low/no barrier applications, facilitating recycling. Wood-fiber-based materials offer sustainability benefits, including renewability and compatibility with existing packaging lines. Efficient recycling aligns with upcoming regulations and supports sustainability goals, making these materials attractive to brands.

Deforestation contributes to as much as 15% of all GHG emissions every year, making the protection of forests and peatlands inevitable. Having adopted a strict policy of zero deforestation since 2015, Asia Pulp & Paper (APP) Sinar Mas, has been and continues to be at the forefront of a profound shift in recent years, of the global commitment to address climate change and sustainable packaging. 

In this session, come and get to know us better by joining us in our journey. This seminar will take you through APP’s sustainability commitments including showcasing the latest plastic free products. Asia Pulp & Paper (APP) Sinar Mas is more than paper & paper, continuously innovating, doing business responsibly and embracing the journey for #GrowingOurTomorrow. 

The chemical industry is a major contributor to carbon emissions. The industry needs to transition to a more sustainable model to reach climate goals.

The European Commission's document ""Transition pathway for the chemical industry"" outlines several ways to defossilize the chemical industry, such as using chemical recycling to transform plastic waste into valuable products that replace fossil-based ones.

However, plastic waste needs to be sorted and processed before it can be used as feedstock. Since waste is heterogeneous, this is not easy.

Despite its challenges, chemical recycling has the potential to play a major role in the defossilization of the chemical industry and thus make a significant positive impact on the environment.
 

Using recycled plastics instead of virgin feedstock to produce plastics helps to decarbonise the value chain. At the same time, recycling reduces plastic pollution and diverts an otherwise ‘waste’ stream to being a profitable feedstock. Many companies have made pledges with respect to the recycled content of the plastics they produce or consume. In addition governing bodies are setting targets as well. The recycling targets can only be reached if all parties in the entire chain work together and improvements are made in the areas of plastic / packaging design, collection, separation, production, and recycling. Recycling includes mechanical and chemical recycling as complementary technologies. Mechanical recycling is the most energy efficient but has its limitations with regards to quality of the product obtained (often downgraded from that of the original plastic). Moreover, mechanical recycling is not the most effective solution for all plastics. Significant pre-sorting and cleaning may also be required. The advantage of chemical recycling technologies lies in the fact that a broader type and mix of feedstock can typically be fed to the various processes to produce high quality products each time. This presentation will discuss the general characteristics of chemical plastic recycling processes. More specifically, it will discuss the challenges encountered with respect to feedstock choice, design, and operation of recycling plants, as well as pre- and post-processing as relevant for plastic pyrolysis processes and the impact on the design of the balance of plant. Integration aspects of the products obtained within an existing petrochemical or refining facility will also be addressed. 

Trinseo will discuss a solvent-based purification approach to recycling that preserves the molecular structure of the polymers, in part commercially produced at the company since 2020. With this method, post-consumer recycled (PCR) material is dissolved in a solvent followed by a series of purification steps to separate the polymer from additives and contaminants. The material is subsequently fed into a polymerization reactor train or compounding setup and the result is a polymer with a defined percentage of recycled content for use in applications including consumer electronics, packaging. For now, the material has also been used successfully in food contact applications if a functional barrier is present to ensure compliance. Takeaways: Audience members will gain an understanding of the process and its limitations and advantages in comparison with other leading recycling methods including traditional mechanical, super clean mechanical, and depolymerization. Trinseo will also share the process for developing an LCA comparing conventional fossil-based material with that containing recycled content via dissolution for CO2 emissions impact. 

In aviation, automotive and sports & leisure industries, the pressure to reduce a product’s ecological footprint is growing. In addition, improving eco-balance through lightweight construction and dur ...

From nature to people, in a circular and sustainable way. With the motto of bioeconomy, Project be@t aims to revolutionize the textile and clothing industry by developing solutions that empower traceability, digital transparency, decarbonization, ecodesign, ecoengineering and zero waste along the entire value chain, from raw materials to retailers. Supported on four key pillars - Biomaterials, Circularity, Sustainability and Society - the project aims to create new processes and textile products with improved environmental credentials, by using biobased renewable raw materials from the forestry and agro-food sectors; to boost the reuse of fibers (pre and post-consumer) through optimized recycling processes and reintroduction in new natural and/or synthetic fibers; to explore innovative ecodesign and ecoengineering approaches to ensure the circularity of textile products; and, ultimately, to encourage social awareness of consumers and all market stakeholders. The be@t consortium brings together 55 entities, including R&D organizations and industrial partners (SMEs, LEs and others) that are key players in the Textile and Clothing sector in Portugal, committed to setting a new pace of change to shift the sector towards new sustainability metrics, synergy between industries and an environmentally friendly culture of responsible consumption. The speaker acknowledges the financial support from integrated project be@t – Textile Bioeconomy (TC-C12-i01, Sustainable Bioeconomy No. 02/C12-i01/202), promoted by the Recovery and Resilience Plan (RRP), Next Generation EU, for the period 2021 – 2026.

The textile industry produces around 1.2 bn t of greenhouse gas emissions (CO2e), making it one of the world’s biggest polluters. Most of these CO2 emissions are created during the production process. In addition, around 92 mn t of textile waste end up in landfills every year. Only less than 1% of all textiles are recycled and thus returned to the production cycle. It is not even a question that new ways of thinking are required to overcome existing challenges in order to contribute to a more sustainable textile world. Regulatory pressure will be crucial for driving change – for example, by implementing concrete measures, which are defined in the scope of the EU’s Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles, with the goal of combating fast fashion, textile waste and other sustainability problems. But what does this mean for textile coatings, which are used to increase both, functionality and durability, of textiles? And how can the trade-off between performance and circularity be resolved? In the presentation, novel polyurethane-based material solutions which are prone to increase climate neutrality in the textile coatings industry will be highlighted. By demonstrating real-world examples and supported by LCA data, the advantages of water-based and partially biobased coatings as a more sustainable material will be discussed. Furthermore, insights on end-of-life recycling of coated textiles and remaining technical challenges that require innovation-focused thinking will be outlined.

Our expert panel will explore innovative approaches, technologies, and collaborations that are revolutionizing the fashion and textile sector. Discover how circularity, responsible sourcing, and sustainable practices are shaping the future of fashion, reducing environmental impact, and paving the way for a more sustainable industry.

Tork is committed to developing innovative, sustainable hygiene solutions that are better for business, people and the planet. In our panel you will learn about revolutionary technologies to reduce CO2 emission in the production of paper process as well as the Lifecycle method to carbon reduction. We will showcase Carbon neutral certified dispensers and the Tork paper hand towel recycling service which helps you meet your sustainability targets by reducing waste with up to 20% and reducing total carbon footprint by 40%.

Funded by the European Commission under the Digital Europe Programme, CIRPASS is a collaborative initiative to prepare the ground for the gradual piloting and deployment of a standards-based Digital Product Passport (DPP) aligned with the requirements of the Proposal for Ecodesign for Sustainable Product Regulations (ESPR), with an initial focus on the electronics, batteries, and textile sectors. The project consortium is composed of 31 partners representing thousands of industrial, research, digital, and international, standards, organisations across Europe and beyond. The 18-month project will respond to the European Commission’s call on creating a clear concept for the DPP, defining a cross-sectoral product data model and DPP system with demonstrated benefits for the circular economy as well as developing roadmaps and recommendations for its deployment.

In his presentation, Mesbah Sabur, founder of Circularise, explores the transformative potential of digital technology in enhancing sustainability in the materials and chemicals sector. Sabur introduces the concept of Digital Product Passports (DPPs), a novel approach to tracking and verifying the sustainability credentials of materials across their lifecycle. He highlights the role of DPPs in promoting transparency, reducing waste, and driving circular economy principles in manufacturing. Sabur also delves into the challenges of implementing DPPs, such as data privacy and standardisation, and proposes potential solutions. The presentation underscores the critical role of digital innovation in achieving greener manufacturing and sustainable development goals.

Digital technology is becoming increasingly important for companies to gather data, share their product carbon footprint (PCF) and scale all this in a more efficient and transparent way. However, current ISO standards for PCF verification are limiting the potential of these digital solutions, making it difficult to verify automated PCF calculations without extensive on-site audits and individual product evaluations. Moreover, the current wide range of digital solutions results in nearly endless combination possibilities of PCF database, calculation methodology/tool and sharing platform making it complicated to verify the truthfulness of the footprint. As a third-party verifier, TÜV SÜD has insight into the challenges companies are facing while using digital tools for sustainability and particularly PCF calculation. In this talk, we will share experiences and provide an outlook on how PCFs can be calculated, shared, and verified in such environments. We will show how industry associations are developing new standards to enable a future-proof PCF calculation & verification approach. Overall, this talk will be of interest to companies of all sizes looking to leverage digital technology for sustainability, as well as regulators and industry associations who are working to develop new standards to enable a more efficient and effective PCF process.  
 

Businesses face unprecedented pressure to respond to social, economic, and environmental problems as regulations increase and pressure rises. With SAP Cloud for Sustainable Enterprises for ESG reporting, climate action, circular economy, and social responsibility, together we can enable a future with zero emissions, zero waste, and zero inequality to meet sustainability goals. In this session Monica will 
o    Explain how SAP has taken the lead in sustainability both as an exemplar in our company’s own journey and as an enabler for our customers. 
o    Show how advanced sustainability technology is woven throughout the entire SAP portfolio helping customers to decarbonize across the entire value chain and improve circularity along their processes.
o    Highlight use cases specific to industries such as manufacturing, process industries and consumer products/agriculture. 
 

The increasing demand for sustainable and low-carbon-footprint products drives the need for specific and comprehensive information on product environmental footprints. In this presentation, Wacker and AllocNow discuss why standardization of sustainability accounting methodologies is critical and how a data-driven approach can help to create transparency at scale. In a case study they demonstrate how to operationalize the recently published TfS PCF-Guideline with AllocNow’s Product Sustainability Platform. 
 

State of the art - industrial raw data use in manufacturing - challenges - the concept of the Energy Digital Twin to detect over-consumption and identify consumption reduction levers - Use-cases from the paper & packaging industry 

Generally, when discussing the correlation between industries and their reliance on fossil fuels, as well as strategies for achieving net zero emissions, solar power and photovoltaics (PV) are often the first solutions that come to mind. Solar power, particularly PV, can decrease the electricity needs of industries. However, it is important to note that over 80% of industries utilize electricity primarily for thermal or cooling purposes. The purpose of this presentation is to introduce and familiarize the audience with an innovative and groundbreaking parabolic trough (PTC) technology. This technology offers a viable alternative to directly and effectively replace the thermal and cooling requirements of industries, by significantly higher efficiencies. By adopting this technology, enterprises can make substantial progress toward their net zero goals. 
 

2045: The year in which net greenhouse gas neutrality is to be achieved. The "Intergenerational Contract for the Climate" (2021, ) is ambitious. To achieve net greenhouse gas neutrality in 2045, upstream reduction targets are defined: By 2030, a 65% reduction from 1990 levels is envisioned. This corresponds to 372 MT CO2 equivalents defined as a savings target (2021, p.4, ). To be able to achieve this goal, it is clear, it needs changed approaches and ways, especially those that can be implemented quickly. The digitization is one such means, which is why the goal of net greenhouse gas neutrality increases the relevance of this. This is due in part to the scalability of digital technologies, as well as the ability to implement them quickly, according to Holst et al. (2021, p.5, ). It is precisely these that have been highlighted in the widely cited study "Climate effects of digitization - Study to estimate the contribution of digital technologies to climate protection" by bitkom, conducted by accenture, that digitization has a fundamental influence on the achievement of the climate protection targets for 2030 in Germany. But digitization not only plays a fundamental role in achieving climate goals, the economic relevance and necessity of companies focusing on sustainable technologies are also of tremendous importance. According to former Environment Minister Schulze, the GreenTech market has been one of the markets that was not as badly affected by the pandemic as the economy as a whole. economy as a whole and contributed to the stabilization of the German economy . The second largest emission driver in Germany after energy production is the industry; thus of central importance for climate change [1,5]. In the production process, optimized production processes are usually considered, but due to the energy price increases and the energy audit obligation, the consideration of production-relevant cross-sectional technologies (utilities) is becoming increasingly relevant. The most expensive utility technology is compressed air. There are approximately 310,000 compressed air systems installed in Europe. To generate the industrial compressed air required for this purpose, nearly 80 TW/h of electricity is needed. To get a feeling for this order of magnitude: This corresponds to about 8 times the annual electricity consumption of the city of Hamburg. If compressed air is used efficiently and smartly, there is potential for savings of up to 50%. Energy efficiency and transparency are the focus of our tech-start-up LOOXR. Our goal is to optimize the expensive energy carrier compressed air with our software by measuring, visualizing and analyzing compressed air key data and leakages from the entire compressed air process via web applications. Using intelligent software, we are able to offer smart and energy-efficient compressed air and leverage a savings potential of up to 50%. If we were chosen for a speaking slot, we would point out the potential in the field of compressed air based on customer examples throughout the whole process chain of compressed air. The customer examples would be out of different industries due to the fact that compressed air is relevant in 90% of all producing industries and would offer best-practice examples for other corporations to identify a potential to decrease both: energy-costs as well as CO2-emissions. Further information can be found in our latest publication “Climate neutrality through digitization - from the transformation of analog technologies and GreenTech Unicorns”