Conference Agenda

The plastic crisis is a gift. A fossil fuel defibrillator alerting humanity that we need to rethink our entire production and material systems. And the good news?' It's already happening'.

A brilliant wrecking ball of change is in play. Everything will be different. Because it has to be. There is no other liveable path for mankind to take.'

The days of pledges and advocacy are over.' Businesses are reinventing themselves from the inside out and the outside in. We are in a new revolution that is bigger than any revolution that precedes it and it is happening at extraordinary speed.

The world needs strong, brave and visionary business leadership more than ever before. Only industry, the tool of change, can build the vision of this extraordinary bright optimistic future that we can all accelerate towards.

Now is the time for action. So, where on earth are you?

Shifting from a traditional to a circular economy is quite similar to embarking on a great journey. It is important to think carefully about how the desired goals can be achieved, what the necessary preparations should be made, and who the right partners are who should make up the team in order to arrive successfully.
The lecture takes you on part of the journey, points out particular challenges and where further support is needed to strengthen the teams.
 

The UN’s Global Plastics Treaty marks a big shift in policy towards the treatment of waste.  What affect will the changes have on companies and are they ready to rise to the challenges?

Well-designed deposit return schemes (DRS) will play an essential role to achieve the circular economy ambitions of the beverage industry in the EU and contribute to the EU climate targets. With the aim of reaching close to 100% recycling by 2030, as set out in the aluminium beverage can industry‘s Recycling Roadmap, DRS is a key tool not only to reach high collection rates but also to substantially increase the circularity of high-quality food-grade recycled material in closed product loops, therefore increasing recycled content, minimizing the need for virgin material and reducing carbon emissions as well as littering. To achieve those goals, DRS must be designed across Europe based on a series of minimum criteria.

Biodegradation is determined by environmental factors; the rate and extent of biodegradation can be different from one environment to the other. Therefore, it is important to test the biodegradation in an environment representative of real natural conditions. International Standard test for biodegradation of plastics in soil ISO 17556 (Determination of the ultimate aerobic biodegradability in soil by measuring the oxygen demand in a respirometer or the amount of carbon dioxide evolved) was applied both to measure biodegradation and to prepare soil samples. Measuring according to the ISO standard without using modern analytical methods can be time-consuming. By automating respirometric measurements, we can perform a large number of measurements at the same time, saving time and enabling on-line data that can be useful in the development of new materials or obtaining biodegradation certificates. With multi-channel automatic respirometry measurement systems, we can measure in different media such as compost, wastewater, sediment, and soil just by using the basic respirometry system. We will present systems and measurements of biodegradation in soil using automated measurement systems from Echo Instruments. In particular, we will focus to the preparation of soils and the preparation of samples of bioplastics.

Sian Sutherland will pose this provocation to a varied panel to determine what is needed to accelerate adoption of new practices within industry, Governments and consumers.

How a joint development involving several industry players along the value chain achieved the design of a circular cosmetics packaging, by incorporating full life cycle thinking in each development step, to create a new standard for the industry. 
The aim of the collaboration was to design a next generation packaging solution that enables waste recyclers to manufacture cleaner high-value material out of given waste input streams. These recycled materials can find their way back into high-value applications (e.g. bottle2bottle) and allow brand owners to manufacture high-value cosmetic products that match consumer expectations. 
The presentation will not only reveal the developed next generation packaging solution, but also show how achieving circularity needs a complete shift in designing product packaging and packaging raw materials, considering recycling and packaging end-of-life. Incorporating this system thinking in the development phase, requires a new mind set and openness amongst the partners – challenges and opportunities of such a collaboration will be shared.

Sustainability in packaging and how Mondi measures the sustainability performance of its products. The challenges of material choices in packaging (paper vs plastic) focussing on paper-based packaging solutions, paper circularity and the launch of a product innovation. 
 

CKG will introduce the important actions business, governments and citizens need to make change in helping develop products for the good of people, the planet AND generate profits. CKG will explain his learnings in cotton and will then focus on his desire in using agricultural waste in a sustainable and intelligent way to make a product that will, in turn, help design better solutions for consumers. He will describe what Curran is, how it's made and its wide variety of solutions. He will then talk about Curran's key 'impact solutions' of which fibre packaging is one. CKG will then introduce (ALB).
ALB will describe the need to move away from plastic packaging and outline the problems he has seen in finding new solutions. He will describe options in sustainable materials and different considerations that brands, scientists, converters and others are facing to solve problems with sustainable barrier packaging for 'challenging' products. He will discuss the importance and complexities of WVTR, OTR, water and grease barrier on fibre-based materials and what is needed to help solve these problems. He will then end on a hopeful note introducing some work his team has done to solve some of these problems.

Now New Next BV together with Intersnack BV and Albert Heijn BV and Verstappen BV have reduced the nut cup (large volume) with around 25% by just changing the design of the cup by adding ribs. a significant lowering of the material by adding design thinking and tricking the feel of the consumer by adding ribs. a case that have not been explained before and a simple but effective way to reduce material and with little loss of rigidity.

Within a fast changing and complex business world innovation management and an agile adaption of core businesses is crucial to sustainably managing traditional companies within the plastic industry also in the future. Thus, one approach of anchoring innovative solutions within a corporate can be the cooperation with startups. During this panel startups collaborations will be regarded from three different angles: a startup, a university and a corporate angle.

Port F as the corporate innovation lab of the Feddersen group will  report about one practical case pointing out the obstacles but also the tremendous advantages of incorporating sustainable startup activities and cooperation within medium-sized traditional plastic companies such as the Feddersen group. In this best practice case, port F has invested a small venture capital ticket in a biomaterials startup Biofiber Tech Sweden AB (BFT) to bring the cooperation in operational topics to the next level. Sara from the startup BFT and Silke from port F will share some insights about their joint experiences. Also, during this panel, Edda from OBI squared will give some exciting insights about her KPI-driven startup activities and venture clienting work and their impact on a corporate’s success. With her university perspective and experience within entrepreneurial management Christina will enrichen the multi-perspective view on sustainable startup cooperations.

The importance of a forward approach when creating fibre-based packaging by looking at the driving factors. 
What do retailers, brand owners, investors and consumers have as common goals... and how do they influence the sustainable packaging of today and tomorrow?

“Leave the past, move forward” … this quote by Steve Harvey sets the tone for a dynamic speech.
 

Paper is one the oldest forms of packaging and now has a large role to play in the transition to a post-fossil circular economy. When plastics appeared as an alternative, they took market share from many of the more traditional and natural packaging materials, but this trend is now beginning to reverse. Some of those packaging may be plastic-free according to demanding requirements like the Single Use Packaging Directive (SUPD) but some still needs to use combinations with conventional plastic to reach the right level of barrier performance and to ensure the appropriate protection of packed goods. Such directives have also triggered intensification of the efforts to scale research for using naturally occurring biopolymers as well as coating alternatives which not only derive from renewable resources but also potentially provide improved end of life scenarios.
We will illustrate the topics with three examples:

-Fresh produce packaging solutions that use both a plastic-free tray and plastic-free lid to meet new SUPD requirements in France that ban plastic for such segments. In addition, such packaging can demonstrate an improvement in recyclability as well as climate impact both directly at the packaging level and in terms of providing extended shelf life to packed products vs. benchmark plastic packaging.

-Multipack solutions that are plastic-free and that can also answer concerns in some SUPD implementation measures, for example in Spain, where the use of plastic in small packs, like plastic rings, is discouraged as they too often accidentally end up in the environment and are not suitable for recycling. Likewise, the different aspects of shifting to such solutions will be discussed with a systems perspective.

-Highlights of current collaborative research on conventional plastic-free barriers including proteins, cellulose derivates, etc. as well as other approaches for surface treatment will be shared as an outlook on potential future packaging trends.

The topic of plastic-free is becoming more and more prominent in social media. We may still be a little ahead of our time, but we are convinced that the demand will increase massively in the near future.

Exposing a rather high specific energy demand in the production process chain, the glass industry is under increasingly high pressure to decarbonize. This is particularly true as energy prices soar, and in addition, the cost of CO2 certificates is on the rise. In addition, the planet is polluted with incredible amounts of plastic waste, with detrimental effects on our ecosystem, and ultimately the basis of existence. While plastic seems to have second-to-none merits when it comes to breakage behavior and weight of food and beverage containers, a new solution might be on the horizon, a technically more competitive solution to packaging needs by improved glass container solutions.

With a global population now exceeding 8 billion, we need a fundamentally new system of making to meet the rapidly growing needs of our planet's population. Our current material supply chain is built on fossil fuels — a finite and shrinking resource — and designed for the linear path of plastics: extraction, manipulation, consumption, landfill. And at every step, this process leaches toxins and pollutants into our precious ecosystems, compromising the health of our communities and planet.  

We cannot recycle our way free. We must remake how we make, drawing on nature’s extraordinary abundance: More new plant matter grows in an average day on earth than the sum total of all the petroleum-derived materials mankind produces in a year. 

In this keynote, NFW founder and CEO Dr. Luke Haverhals details the systemic shift already underway with the world’s most iconic makers to an entirely different framework for material science: scaling plastic-free, nutrient-based material manufacturing and designing the global supply chain to work with – instead of against – planet earth.  

The fashion industry is the second biggest polluter in the world. Attempts to clean it up through the use of recycled petroleum-based materials have been ineffective at best, and counterproductive in many cases. Unless is pioneering the creation of regenerative apparel and footwear: products built from plants and minerals that harmlessly decompose at end of life.

The sportswear industry relies heavily on synthetic materials to obtain the demands on performance of their products. As synthetic materials are predominantly made out of fossil fuels, we do need a transition towards renewable carbon.
This presentation will point out how the concept of renewable carbon can be implemented into high class consumer products. The actual quality of recyclates is sometimes inferior compared to virgin material counterparts, which will challenge a design for durability and circularity. The durability as one of the most important criteria of the eco-design principles is often difficult to achieve. Different technologies will be addressed and the challenges in practice will be presented. 
Since there is no silver bullet technology, we do need several solutions to defossilise the industry.
 

As the fashion and textile industry has such a big environmental footprint, the European Commission is exploring using the Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) methodology to substantiate green claims and to inform ecodesign requirements. Having a standard methodology to measure sustainability may help make fashion and textiles greener and could set a global standard. However, there are a few easily implementable improvements that must be made to PEF, such as the inclusion of indicators for both microplastic emissions and plastic waste, which are not accounted for in the current PEF methodology.

PYRATEX® is an R&D and textile supplying company with over 50 textile formulas made with recycled, regenerative and new natural fibers. We control the supply chain from the fiber to the finished fabric which makes us completely traceable. As a company we are OCS, GOTS and GRS certified. Our mission is to replace the synthetic fabrics in the fashion industry with natural, equally functional ones, supplying our fabrics to brands who, like us, believe in the evolution of textiles.

As a world-class supplier of cutting-edge biomaterials, CovationBio supplies sustainable materials to industries that historically have relied on cheap petroleum-based synthetic polymers for the production of fashion, home textiles, and industrial packaging. 

Changing materials and business models 
Key challenges he addresses are
- scaling cradle-to-cradle design across many different textiles
- keeping the supply chain in Europe.
- having a carbon footprint for every product and managing carbon emissions instead of externalising them.
- removing trade-offs between product quality („touch&feel“) and environmental impact.
- substituting cotton and polyester, which are currently dominating the textile markets by wood-based fibres (e.g. Lyocell/Tencel)

He truly believes that real premium textiles will have to become plastic-free and carbon neutral and that todays’s entrepreneurs need to respect future generations instead of destroying the planet."

Textiles are an essential part of our everyday life. Today the production of textiles is harming our planet, and most of the textile products are going to waste. Novel cellulose-based textile technologies, as well as fiber-to-fiber recycling, are solutions for this global challenge. Presenting two customer cases Valmet has delivered key technology for.

The production of cellulosic derived fibres has doubled in 10 years from 3 to 6 million tonnes, this demand on natural and fabricated cellulosic fibres is expected to continue and rise. 580 Metric tons of agricultural waste is burnt every year, being pineapple harvesting waste one of the main components together with rice, maize, oat, wheat, and sugarcane (not necessarily in order). Why do not use part of this waste to cover the cellulosic derived fibres demand?
Ananas Anam, produces textiles derived from pineapple leaf fibres as Piñatex® and Piñayarn®, a new development which offers a more sustainable and less harmful textile alternative to conventional and plastic derived materials. No extra land, water or pesticides are required to produce the raw material and there are no additional harmful chemicals added in the process of making Piñayarn®.
Piñayarn® is extremely versatile, 100% plant based and with the ability of tweaking the yarn specifications to make it suitable for use across various applications within all textile industry sectors. We continuously develop Piñayarn® to apply to new end-products and at Ananas-Anam we are always researching the new innovative and more sustainable textile finishings currently on the market that can be applied to our material.
 

For many years now, NIRI has been supporting the world’s leading innovation companies with process development using novel biopolymers and product development of sustainable nonwovens – particularly within the fashion and textile industry.
 
With the industry moving away from synthetic plastic chemistries, there is huge interest and potential for the use of thermoplastic PHAs, a class of bioderived, biodegradable polymers.
 
In this presentation, Clement will discuss the challenges of meltblowing polyhydroxyalkanoates nonwovens, and examine how to identify product development opportunities for the nonwoven industry

Description of C2C Design Methodology, with the example of a recyclable mattress, and problems encountered when looking for biodegradable solutions. What is a biological cycle compatible solution, from a C2C point of view, and where are the existing tests lacking?'

Circular design as an enabler for resource efficiency is a bold chance for products and business models to become more competitive for the future. As around 80% of the ecological impact of a product is designed by its design this is a huge lever when striving for climate neutrality and circular economy. We introduce you to principals of Circular Design and give a glimpse into a methodology that helps to create or improve a circular business model. As Effizienz-Agentur NRW we've helped businesses with resource efficiency and circular design in North Rhine-Westphalia for over 23 years and will share some of our insights with you.'

Presenting a Carbon Dioxide Technology that enables industrial, agricultural and sewage treatment companies to convert their carbon-containing waste into premium biochar and, at the same time, to produce regenerative energy. Residual materials are turned into high-quality, climate-protecting biochar that can be used as a soil improver and at the same time as a natural carbon sink; this drives a sustainable / circular economy, supported by carbon credit opportunities. 
By the end of 2022, PYREG systems in operation worldwide will remove over 30,000 tons of CO2 from the Earth, per year. Learn about why not all biochar is created equally and how biochar properties influence its applications.

In order to rapidly mitigate climate change and achieve our global ambition for greenhouse gas emission reductions, the inflow of further fossil carbon from the ground into our system must be reduced as quickly as possible and by high volumes. In the energy and transport sector, this means a vigorous and fast expansion of renewable energies, hydrogen and electromobility, the so-called decarbonisation of these sectors. The EU has already started pushing an ambitious agenda in this space and will continue to do so, for instance with the recently released ‘Fit for 55’ package. However, these policies have so far largely ignored other industries that extract and use fossil carbon.
The chemical and plastics industries have a high demand for carbon and are essentially only possible with carbon-based feedstocks, as most of their products cannot do without carbon. Unlike energy, these sectors cannot be “decarbonised” and molecules will still need carbon. In December 2021, for the first time ever, the European Commission (EC) published a communication paper on sustainable carbon cycles. Such a new policy approach must be further detailed to ensure the source of the carbon and carbon cycles can be optimised to minimise environmental impact, moving to more sustainable chemicals and materials.
In this presentation the importance of tackling the embedded carbon in chemicals and materials is highlighted and an approach to minimise its environmental impact and maximise reduction of GHG emissions is proposed, in accordance with the objectives of the Paris Agreement. The solution is defossilisation, the transformation from fossil to renewable carbon, carbon from biomass, CO2 and Recycling.

At Sappi, we recognise that people around the world are seeking sustainable, scalable, and responsible alternatives to non-renewables. With our knowledge and competencies, we embrace this opportunity. Sappi Symbio is a natural cellulose fibre solution reinforces (bio)plastics and makes them stronger, lighter and more sustainable.
We are inspired by nature and believe it is our responsibility to unlock the full potential of each tree harvested. Sappi Symbio helps to improve the life cycle analyses of products and reduces the overall carbon footprint (measured in kg CO2 equivalents) providing a positive global impact. 
The presentation will share more insights in how Sappi Symbio increases material performance, reduces overall weight and contributes to a more sustainable world. It will also help better understand how Symbio is unique and different to other natural fibre solutions.  Symbio fibres are non-visible in end-applications and are absent of undesired issues like discoloration and odor.
Symbio adds value to your products through both its natural origin and performance benefits. If you are looking for more sustainable and environmentally-friendly solutions, please come and listen to our story or visit us at our booth (stand 6022).
 

Purpose of this presentation is to highlight opportunities in creating biobased alternatives for fossil-based plastics. With our advanced ability to manipulate bio- and inorganic polymers we can meet the evermore sophisticated industrial requirements for e.g. impact strength, durability and frost resistance. Come and hear how tuning soybean oil derivates and siloxanes can enhance your bioplastic offering.'

The use of traditional carbon and glass fibre-based composites across the industries is nowadays heavily challenged by environmental questions that arise due to their high carbon footprint and lack of efficient and industrial pro-cesses to dispose of the laminates at their end-of-life.
Plant based natural fibres offer very encouraging numbers both in terms of their global warming potential and a mechanical point of view. During this presentation, relevant applications will be discussed, showcasing a compari-son of components used in the marine, motorsport, and architectural indus-tries.

MetGen is a biotechnology company providing complete bioprocessing solutions enabling a new wave of biobased products. With the mission of maximizing the value of renewable feedstock, MetGen has developed and commercially launched a novel lignin valorization technology, METNIN. The technology produces three main products such as SHIELD for additives in packaging applications, lignopolyols in polyurethane application, resins for plywood adhesives.

The world urgently needs to speed up the transition towards green chemistry. How can an ecosystem help and what are the benefits for entrepreneurs to be part of such an ecosystem? This session will zoom in on how to build an ecosystem, and shares examples of benefits for companies operating in such an ecosystem.

There is huge demand for biopolymers on the market. Consumer demand and tightening regulations force manufacturing industries to find more sustainable ways to produce our daily consumables. CH-Bioforce has a solution for this. CH-Bioforce has developed a technology, which gently extracts all main components of lignocellulosic biomass in one process without any harsh chemicals. Hemicellulose fractionation forms the core of our innovation and is achieved through pressurized hot water extraction (PHWE). The resulting materials – high-purity cellulose, polymeric hemicellulose and sulphur-free lignin – are extremely pure and close to their natural form. Each of our high-quality bio-polymers has a wide range of end applications, providing an alternative for fossil-based materials and food-based starch or cotton. Furthermore, our process can utilize almost any kind of biomass as feedstock like industrial and agricultural waste streams such as straw

At I. Cork factory, our innovation hub, we achieve the perfect match between performance and sustainability. New, innovative, and high-performance products from the circular economy are being created. With cork at the core, blended with other materials, that are by-products from other industries (industrial symbiosis), we give materials a new life by creating new products that leverage cork's attributes while taking care of the planet.
Developed by Amorim Cork Composites’ I. Cork factory, CPCs are a range of cork polymer compounds, offering the moldability of polymers and the lightness and sustainability of cork.
Cork polymer compounds replace conventional plastic with a sustainable alternative keeping the performance and aesthetics desired for the application. The result is a reduced CO₂ footprint, increased lightness, improved thermal and acoustic properties or grip performance. CPCs are suited for applications in various market segments seeking a high-performance, bio-based alternative to polymers.

At Cosun Beet Company ' Biobased Experts, we recognize the enormous potential of plants and know how to turn them into practical solutions to everyday problems. Taking plant-based materials, and using several concepts of upcycling and mild processing, we produce the functional ingredients that help boost both the performance and sustainability of products. In the presentation, you will learn more about these valorization concepts as used by Cosun Biobased Experts.'

Novamont is a Benfefit Company, B Corp certified, world's leader in the production of biodegradable and compostable bioplastics and biochemicals. In strong collaboration with farmers, composters, retail, brand owners, municipalities, over the last 30 years, Novamont has been working on the development of a circular bioeconomy model where compostable bioplastics have not only proven to be fundamental for organic waste collection, allowing Italy to become first in Europe for the recycling of food waste (47% vs 16% of the European average), but also to be the solution for all those packaging that today cannot be recycled due to their size and multi-material composition and to reduce pollution in agriculture. '

Perspectives from industry examples of projects 

The co-founder of Net Zero Insights - the market intelligence platform for climate innovation - will present an overview of the latest financial and technological trends of the green manufacturing venture space. Leveraging up-to-date data on startups and innovations developing solutions to decarbonise manufacturing across the most polluting sectors, the analysis will extract insights on where the capital is going and what seems likely to come next.

Dedicated to sustainable development, Arup is a collective of 16,000 designers, advisors and'
experts working across 140 countries. Founded to be humane and excellent, we collaborate with'
our clients and partners using imagination, technology and rigour to shape a better world.
For the industrial sector, Arup developed the 'Green Factory' as a holistic concept aiming to'
achieve sustainable performance for design and construction of buildings, operations and'
associated supply chains.
The presentation contains a set of actions spanning the entire lifecycle of a facility to support the achievement of a sustainable and green facility. From reducing the overall environmental'
footprint, working towards net zero, incorporating sustainability to circular principles and creating value for local communities, the Green Factory model supports the transition towards circular and sustainable buildings and operations while addressing legislative and economic requirements.
The presentation describes the identified areas of focus, trends and practical examples from our'
global experience.

Running an efficient target oriented project on sustainability means: being clear on the frame and scope, integrating the project into the line organisation from the beginning, having transparent tools and formats to generate transparency on AS IS and TARGETS 
Running an efficient target oriented project on sustainability means: being clear on the frame and scope, integrating the project into the line organisation from the beginning, having transparent tools and formats to generate transparency on AS IS and TARGETS 
 

From GHG to RE100, from EACs to carbon removal ' corporate standards and environmental commodity markets are fragmented and provide as many opportunities as risks. How do those markets work, what are best practices, what is the main focus of corporates today and where should they look going forward? As a main trader and market maker for environmental commodities, we will provide you an insight into those questions and give an overview of possible future scenarios from the market perspective. We are keen to discuss your questions and views on those matters and look forward to meet you!

How we are leading a systems transformation towards net zero buildings
We have gone through a thorough process of co-creation and as a result set ourselves a climate strategy that compiles what we plan to do.
Our co-creation process consolidated input not only top down from our company’s leaders but also bottom up, from hundreds of Viessmann family members and external stakeholders.
The result is our climate strategy “LEAP to Net Zero”. It builds upon four pillars for action: Lead, Empower, Advocate and Partner – “LEAP”.
Together with our partners and stakeholders, we want to leapfrog, in other words take a giant step forward, towards reaching net zero in our own operations and the systems that we are a part of.
 

With Net Zero targets covering two-thirds of the global economy, the challenge now is delivering the action plans and solutions to achieve success. The panel will feature sustainability experts from leading European organisations and will focus on providing insights and solutions on how to meet climate targets and drive decarbonization for Scope 1 and 2 emissions, all moderated by a Carbon Trust expert

Since the acquisition of EcoAct, our Net Zero Practice has offered combined competencies in the areas of digitalization and sustainability. Within our A-to-Zero concept, we offer customers the opportunity to both measurably and sustainably transform their entire value chain. From initiating climate-relevant strategies to targeted collection of emission data, carbon reduction methods & CO2 compensation products. For this submission we would like to focus on our carbon footprinting platform and how we are using technology to automate and relevant emission data useful as well as our "IT for green" offerings, showcasing underlying opportunities & challenges.'

This panel discussion brings together ATOS partners and customers regarding an automated Product Carbon Footprint (PCF) solution. With BASF as partner and inventor, Atos as enabler and distributor and Trinseo as Customer taking action towards a Net-Zero future, a full-cycle discussion around the topic of carbon footprint measurement and calculation is provided. All three parties will be discussing a unique opportunity to innovate industry wide standards for PCF Calculation.

The PCF calculation tool (SCOTT) and methodology developed by BASF is based on LCA and calculates a cradle-to-gate PCF. Atos was selected as partner to develop and distribute a one of a kind software platform to make this tool and procedure available to the industry. The methodology is based on the ISO standards 14040:2006, 14044:2006 and ISO14067:2018.

Starting June 2022, Trinseo is working with Atos using a digital solution that calculates PCF for the chemical industry to gather key insights for enterprise-wide deployment of the solution in line with its existing SAP ERP and data landscape. After upscaling the tool across business units, Trinseo is expected to ultimately achieve the capability of providing automated PCF information in-house to its customers for all its products.
This panel discussion aims to exchange views, reflect the entire enablement process as well as deliver an outlook for future users in search of Net-Zero Solutions.
'

Decarbonizing thermally-intensive manufacturing operations is a notoriously tough nut to crack.
Heat-intensive processes across food & bev, ceramics, automotive, chemicals and other
industries are Scope 1 reduction challenges for manufacturers and Scope 3 reduction
challenges for their customers.
This panel explores roadmaps to decarbonization, from tried and true technologies useful today
to address near-term CO2 reduction targets, to emerging technologies that are likely to be
relevant 10 and 20 years from now as we move towards net zero.
With both European and North American representation, this panel speaks to the challenges
and opportunities of decarbonizing an international portfolio of facilities as manufacturers face
rising fuel prices.

One of your concerns is how to effectively meet your ESG goals. You green your products and processes to protect the environment. However, many factors can influence the direct surroundings of your facilities and warehouses. You might not be aware of or able to take all environmental protection measures due to time and money constraints. What can you do to cover your environmental risks? This presentation identifies chances to execute good governance from an environmental perspective. Limiting environmental risks means caring about a healthy environment AND protecting your business financially. '

About 30% of our global energy demand is driven by the industrial sector alone, and the majority of industrial heat as part of that is still driven by fossil fuels. Industry worldwide faces its own energy trilemma - to decarbonise and guarantee its security of supply while keeping costs low. Yet, so far, industry has not seized on a game changing solution which delivers on all aspects of the trilemma, while also turning energy users into producers. We are talking about thermal storage, energy on demand in the form of heat, steam, power to improve the efficiency of industrial heating by delivering intelligent ways to capture, store and release heat at peak times throughout the day to support manufacturers and energy-intensive industries to manage resources more effectively. Shifting mindsets on heat is a critical component of a successful energy transition, and the missing lever to help industry demonstrate the potential of a truly circular economy.'

Today’s energy and chemical producers are starting to implement evolving sustainable process technologies, such as Pyrolysis, Biomass Gasification, Sludge Processing and Plastic Recycling to accelerate decarbonization and the circular economy in their drive to carbon neutrality. While adapting operations and assets in order to remain resilient and contribute to a net zero carbon economy, the increasing cross industry competition for scarce renewable and bio feedstocks is exacerbating the problem.
Aside from competition of other consumers of feedstocks, the industry is also competing for water and its circularity. The new and modified processes using renewable and bio-based feedstocks lead to significant amounts of wastewater with quite different water qualities e.g. from drying or processing. That is why an integrated business model is requisite to compete in the new intersectoral arena. Today’s energy and chemical producers not only need to secure alternative feedstocks and explore partnering with others, such as municipal waste and wastewater companies, but also need to secure reliable access to water with maximum re-use of produced water.
In this presentation, a systematical approach will be introduced to assess the operational effectiveness by minimizing raw water intake, maximizing water re-use with minimum wastewater discharge and producing energy from waste and wastewater. 

Key topics to be discussed: 
    The paradigm shift required to balance between water demand and low-carbon energy transition.
    The impact of evolving technologies on utilities and wastewater treatment.
    Intersectoral arena: alternative partnering with waste and wastewater plants. 

The potential of seaweed as a biomass for making a plastic waste free world while allowing a radical decrease of food waste by sustainable packaging alternatives

Based on examples from our projects, we will highlight the prerequisites and key differentiators of adequate solutions for the take-back, recovery, and recycling of plastic materials. In addition, we will show how the practical implementation of these solutions can look in reality.

On the way to a more sustainable and plastic free food industry, companies increasingly use sustainable packaging like mono-materials or paper-based packaging. However, these have very special requirements, which is why the most commonly used technologies are reaching their limits. They mostly rely on the external supply of heat and thus cannot provide a stable process – damaging the more delicate, sustainable materials, resulting in more rejects and food waste.
Ultrasonic sealing helps solve those challenges. Being a highly energy-efficient technology, it generates the heat required to seal a package from within through ultrasonic vibration. This makes it ideal for sealing mono-materials and other sustainable packaging materials securely, tightly and in a visually flawless manner. In this presentation, you will learn how ultrasonic sealing can contribute to the widespread use of sustainable packaging materials, massively reducing plastic consumption in the food industry.

The use of resources in a circular economy is currently only partially addressed by standards/regulations. One example is the plastic packaging industry where the recycling rate of plastic packaging waste is 40,6% (2019). And the ambitious goal of the European Commission with the review of the packaging and packaging waste directive to ensure that by 2030 all packaging on the EU market is reusable or recyclable in an economically viable way. T'V S'D and a waste management partner will go through a status of current challenges around local recyclability, status of standardization, how companies' statements about the recyclability of their products be transparent, reliable, and verified and available for the digital product passport in the future.'

Is your business taking responsibility for its plastics impact? Do you have a robust process in place to back up your claims around plastics?
With pressure to reduce plastic usage coming from both consumers and governments, a certification against a trusted plastics standard is of great value to businesses. Now more than ever companies need to prove the ways in which they are recycling, cutting the use of plastic and adopting alternative, compostable, materials through a credible certification process. This presentation will give an insight into which plastic-related certifications are available, the benefits of having a certification and basic procedures of certifications to move towards more sustainable and transparent supply chains. The presentation will give an outline on the below innitiatives that support solving the global plastic problem:
''' 'Verra Plastic Waste Reduction Standard (plastic credits)
''' 'RecyClass (plastic recycling and recyclability of plastic credits)
''' 'Plastic Free Standard (Labeling of products that do not contain plastic)
''' 'Global Recycle Standard (Tracking and verifying the content of recycled materials)
''' 'Ocean Bound Plastic Standard (Supporting the prevention of ocean plastic)
''' 'ISCC-Plus (Providing assurance about the sustainable content of packaging)
''' 'ZNU
''' 'Gr'ner Knopf

Bio-based, biodegradable and compostable. These are terms you regularly hear these days when talking about sustainability and sustainable products. But what do they actually mean? When something is biodegradable, does it mean it is also compostable or biobased? And is it actually as sustainable as it seems? These are terms that get thrown around a lot, but we notice lots of people, consumer and business, do not know what it mean. That’s why we want to dig into these terms, their significance and their sustainable values. 

Plastic value chains are complex and there are significant ecological and social impacts associated with the production, consumption and disposal of plastic waste. Voluntary standards and certification increase transparency, require accountability and drive actions that reduce environmental risk and improve livelihoods in plastic value chains. 

Standards, like Verra’s Plastic Standard, are backed by quality assurance principles, and require third-party assessment and verification of claims and impact by independent auditing bodies. Project impacts must be accounted for using a technically sound quantification methodology specific to particular project types. The Verra Registry is available to the public and provides a central storehouse of data on all certified projects.

Following ISEAL best practices, the Plastic Standard was developed with input from diverse external stakeholders to ensure workability and applicability to a broad range of contexts. 
 

To reduce the amount of plastic packaging that ends up in landfill, incinerators, and the environment, we need to identify new solutions and move to more circular models. But for some packaging, these changes can’t be made by one company alone and require cross-industry collaboration to find solutions that are technically feasible, commercially viable, and can be implemented at scale.

11 companies, coming together through the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, have been working on a collaborative project to find alternative solutions for traditional, linear, single-use pallet stretch wrap. The group was made up of companies along the entire plastic supply chain, from polymer manufacturers to FMCG, logistics, and recycling companies, including Microsoft, Cisco, CHEP, and BASF. The project demonstrates the challenges faced by industry when changing materials, how industry collaboration is possible to identify suitable alternatives, and provides guidance to companies that are trying to identify alternative solutions within their operations.

In this session, Anthesis will present the opportunities gained through a cross-industry collaborative project, a proven system for coordinating a project at scale, and how this can help achieve the bigger goals and challenges faced by the industry.

I would like to call up some industry leaders and experts in the plastic production, manufacturing, recycling, and banking sectors. To discuss the development and launch of a decentralised recycling ecosystem to streamline interactions between consumers, organisations, recyclers, and brands by adding full transparency to the recycling process. Can aid in decreasing pollution levels, eliminate green washing and drive consumer behavioural change by commoditising plastic waste. 

Our ambition is to help individuals and organisations treat plastic waste as a commodity instead of waste.
 

In CHEP, we operate one of the most sustainable logistics business through our 'share and reuse' packaging equipment business model as we move more goods to people worldwide than any other organization.
 

EPR has been a key tool to upgrade the collection, sorting and recycling infrastructure not only in the European Union and other European countries but also in Canada and several other countries around the world. EPR is not only able to collect the necessary funding from brand owners but also use the know how and expertise of industry to work with all stakeholders of the packaging life circle to improve their contributions to make packaging circular; every piece of packaging which is collected and treated in a proper way cannot end up in our environment.'
As this concept is now adapted by more and more countries and promoted by many relevant stakeholders like the Consumer Goods Forum but also by UNEP and OECD, we should base our implementation on the learnings from the past 30 years to apply it in the best possible way in each country, always adapting it to the local situation and needs. EPR following best practices leads to high traceability, sustainable packaging, less litter, appropriate recycling applications for all plastic packaging streams including chemical recycling and might also be inspiring for setting up EPR solutions for textiles.

The fact that a material is classified as non-recyclable often only has something to do with the collection and sorting infrastructure in the respective country. In principle, many more plastics are technically recyclable to a high standard. You "just" have to find them. How this can be done, how a supply chain can be set up from the brand to the recycler, and what benefits, including financial benefits, can arise, is shown by the technical management consultancy TILISCO GmbH as a best-case scenario.

The Plastech Mixer/Melter Technology makes it possible to recycle mixed plastic waste, unsorted, unwashed and unshredded. By applying friction and pressure different plastics are melted at their own melting temperature and by mixing the molten fractions a consistent, homogeneous new material is created. The different plastics have disappeared and there is no separation of these.
This technology makes it possible to recycle the hitherto unrecycled plastics 'such as residual mixed plastics, too expensive/difficult to separate, ropes, fishing nets, multilayers, carpet tiles, running shoes and even diapers and cigarette butts. In regions this will increase the ability to recycle all plastics. Moreover, also textile waste (< 20% organic textiles) can be mixed in (up to 50%), solving another big problem.
The technology enables us to build a true circular business because the products made are fully recyclable again and are very durable. By placing this technology and circular business into a regional ecosystem, regio's can truly be made zero-plastic-waste.

Blockchain-based IOT smart labels are applied to garments, allowing for end-to-end traceability of product’s LCA and reduced related ESG impacts (through certified upcycle and recycle practices that cut GHG emissions by 80%) also in the post-sale phase (through consumer’s responsible and sustainable product use). Additionally, they embed (tokenize) economic rewards for producers in the form of carbon offsets, and for consumers in the form of financial digital assets and allow brands to engage with consumers through one-to-one marketing strategies based on their preferences

The GRETE project develops new and better technologies for wood pulp modification, cellulose dissolution and high-quality man-made cellulose fibre generation complying with sustainability requirements and market needs. Currently, the raw material base to produce man-made cellulose fibres is limited and questionable, as only dissolving grade wood pulps are used commonly. Enzymatic modification of paper-grade pulps opens up a new cellulose source for industrial applications, widening the sustainable raw material basis for man-made cellulose fibres. In addition, the solvent systems used to produce commercial man-made cellulose fibres are based on toxic and explosive chemicals; the GRETE processing technologies increase safety, sustainability and feasibility of man-made cellulose fibre manufacturing. The issues addressed by GRETE play a significant role in developing sustainable and green technologies for the European textile industry, and the consortium unites leading research experts with key industry players to guarantee a tangible impact for all stakeholders. On the occasion of the Greener Manufacturing Show Conference 2022, the project results will be presented to a large audience, translating the research findings into promising industrial applications.
 

Elan is nested in the unique environment of the Slovenian alps, surrounded with pristine and untouched nature. 
Dedicated to developing world-class skis that set trends in skiing. 
Constant strive for an improvement is in elan’s DNA, and the strive is even more valid when it comes to Sustainable actions. 
In the speech, you will learn, why Elan can say: “Sustainable by nature”. 
The journey will take us through key milestones in terms of sustainability, the company has taken over 8 decades, the rewards they are getting, yet learn as well, what their mission is in terms of sustainability. 

In the current "EU Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles", the Digital Product Passport is next to a chapter on avoiding microplastic, the central, product data-related element on the way to a circular industry, and the innovation that will have the largest impact on the IT- and Process-landscapes.
In 18 months, the essential prerequisites for the future Digital Product Passport will be created for electronics, batteries and textiles in the so-called "CIRPASS" project, just started in October 2022.
The speaker Andreas Schneider is the "Sector Lead for Textiles" in the CIRPASS project.
In his presentation, he will describe important details and the current status at the project launch, as well as how the GTS standard, initiated by him and a group of visionary pioneers - from fibre to circular economy - can help companies of all sizes to automatically generate and provide the product, certificate and circular material data required in the Digital Product Passport. 
GTS enables you to quickly and easily enter the world of automated data exchange between suppliers, producers, brands and retailers. 
So that collaboration becomes faster, more secure and more sustainable.

Waste2Wear uses award winning blockchain technology throughout the entire supply chain giving provenance that the materials are guaranteed recycled plastics (RPET and RPP). This is done with a series of digital and physical smart contracts that are all recorded in a distributed ledger which means they cannot be altered or tampered with. End uses can scan a QR code for details of each step in the supply chain from bottle collection to the completion of the finished product.  

Using biological resources to provide products, processes and services in all economic sectors as part of a sustainable and circular economic system

Mechanical and chemical recycling are possible routes for the textile industry in which only one percent of our textiles are recycled. As a partner in two European projects based on PP mask (Re-Breath) and PET or PA from textile waste (SCIRT) recycling with industrial challenges, CETI has based its recycling innovation on thermomechanical recycling : densification, extrusion and filtration, regranulation. New recycled pellets will be designed with compounding in order to feed meltspinning, spunbond and meltblown equipment. Solutions to face challenges such as impurities from textile life and manufacturing, viscosity stability, degradation, and bicomponant fibers or multicomponent fabric will be presented in order to combat the global plastic waste challenge.  

Every year more than half a million tons of microfibres are released into the world’s oceans simply from washing our clothes. Microplastics have contaminated the entire planet from the summit of Mount Everest to the Mariana Trench. They take hundreds of years to decompose and are accumulating with every passing year. Studies have shown microplastics are now present in human lung tissue, stool, stomachs, blood and placentas. 
 
At Xeros, we’ve spent over 5 years researching, and creating solutions to this problem. 
 
In this talk you will hear from our science team to learn more about fibre fragmentation, and why the science shows this is an issue in natural as well as in synthetic materials. We will share ideas on how to mitigate fibre loss as well as talk through the forthcoming legislation and near and long-term solutions we believe need to be adopted to reduce microfibre pollution.   
 

Every year more than half a million tons of microfibres are released into the world’s oceans simply from washing our clothes. Microplastics have contaminated the entire planet from the summit of Mount Everest to the Mariana Trench. They take hundreds of years to decompose and are accumulating with every passing year. Studies have shown microplastics are now present in human lung tissue, stool, stomachs, blood and placentas. 
 
At Xeros, we’ve spent over 5 years researching, and creating solutions to this problem. 
 
In this talk you will hear from our science team to learn more about fibre fragmentation, and why the science shows this is an issue in natural as well as in synthetic materials. We will share ideas on how to mitigate fibre loss as well as talk through the forthcoming legislation and near and long-term solutions we believe need to be adopted to reduce microfibre pollution.   
 

Textile waste, considered the great forgotten of the 21st century, represents an important part of municipal waste and of certain industrial sectors. Although there are not enough studies to provide conclusive data on how much textile material ends up in landfills, some studies estimate that it could be more than 90% that is discarded. This means that textiles represent one of the most important waste streams that does not have any regulation or a specific strategy for their waste management.
This problem is aggravated by the phenomenon known as “fast fashion”. Industries design and manufacture clothing collections quickly and at low cost in order to follow the latest fashion trends. Thus, the industry offers to consumers the possibility of accessing innovative garments at affordable prices and in a continuous way, which means the generation of large amounts of waste. Therefore, the need to establish a clear strategy for the management of this type of waste is evident.
RESPECT project proposes the development of a method for the recovery of textile waste through chemical recycling. For this, the depolymerization of multimaterial fabrics, composed mainly of polyester and cotton, has been carried out by solvolysis method, using different compounds as catalysts. After an extensive experimental study, the optimal reaction conditions were determined achieving the separation rate, between polyester and cotton, close to 100%. The depolymerization of the polyester was carried out with a conversion of 99%, obtaining as a principal product the monomer bis (2-hydroxyethylene) terephthalate (BHET) which can be used directly for the synthesis of new polyethylene terephtalate or unsaturated polyester resins. This method was applied to different fabrics with varied composition, such as polyurethane or polyamide, obtaining promising results. Therefore, chemical recycling has been shown to be a very good option for the recovery of this type of waste.
 

Climate change & circular economy are major topics at Tarkett. The building and construction industry can make an important difference when it comes to climate change and the preservation of resources. As a leading flooring manufacturer, we have a significant opportunity and responsibility to create change in our industry.
For many, waste is a source of energy and greenhouse gas emissions. For Tarkett, waste is a precious raw material with very low carbon footprint, because where others see waste, we see opportunities.

The Polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) - platform shows rapid technological advancement and industry development. Making and using PHAs impact a plethora of sustainable manufacturing targets, such as converting (organic) waste streams to high value materials, capturing and using green house gases, creating natural and bio-based performance materials and ingredients, and creating plastic-free products.'

The Global Organization for PHA (GO!PHA), will outline the recent developments in industrial progress as well as the interconnection of PHA to the relevant green manufacturing targets.
 

Fibenol is at the forefront of realizing the long awaited dream of lignocellulosic biomass to be converted into sustainable and biobased raw materials for biochemicals and biomaterials production. Our novel woody residues fractionation platform allows to produce dextrose replacement for conventional fermentation processes, no-smell lignin to replace fossil based chemistry (for example bitumen and phenol) and to produce biocomposites and our unique non Kraft process derived specialty celluloses that have wide perspectives for innovative applications in paper and packaging, concrete production, cosmetics etc. Presentation would shed the light on our journey from idea to real and what is our current offering for brand owners, allowing them to make aware decisions to demand for more sustainable and non food competing biobased raw materials to be used in their supply chains to match end-users raising awareness and will to have more sustainable products for use. '

Did you know that there are plastics in baby wipes? 
Our choices matter in daily life. As VEOCEL™, we’re dedicated to show consumers that ingredients in everyday care products can be eco-friendly. 
By choosing them, we can do good for decreasing our negative impact on the environment. 

Lenzing´s wood-based biodegradable VEOCEL™ branded fibers are a true sustainable alternative to fossil-based synthetics. VEOCEL™ fibers are used in many single-use products from baby wipes & make-up remover wipes, household & disinfecting wipes to baby diapers, fem care products and even facial sheet masks. These everyday care products are part of our lives and by choosing the eco-friendly version of them, we can have a positive impact on our environment. The Single-Use Plastics Directive, announced by EU drives attention to single-use products which contain plastics. The directive enables consumers to make a more informed purchase decision. VEOCEL™ fibers are made of the raw material wood and sourced from sustainably managed forests. Thus, VEOCEL™ fibers are biodegradable and compostable meaning they are derived from nature and return to nature at the end of their life cycle. 
Additionally, VEOCEL™ recently marked a milestone with the introduction of the industry´s first carbon neutral VEOCEL™ branded fibers. The new offering for Lyocell fibers will enable VEOCEL™ to support nonwovens industry partners and product brand to reduce climate impact through the use of fibers with a net-zero carbon footprint.
 

Consumer demand for eco-friendly and sustainable product packaging has proven remarkably stable and robust throughout the societal changes in recent years. In fact, up to 70% of consumers consider themselves as environmentally aware and 86% of younger consumers are willing to pay more for sustainable packaging. As the momentum continues to grow, what exactly makes some types of packaging more sustainable than others? In this talk, we will share the intrinsic advantages of metal packaging and how they help brands win in the market while protecting the world around us.
Key takeaways:
''' 'Unpack global consumer perceptions on sustainable packaging (>15,000 interviews)
''' 'The value of infinite recyclability in a circular economy
''' 'Opportunity for brands to drive sustainability and business value
'

Recent developments make it clear that moving away from petroleum-based chemistry is becoming extremely important. Bio-based chemicals show also a more attractive carbon footprint compared to their petrochemical analogues. The downstream conversion of biomass feedstock often requires precious metal catalysts. Lignin can be considered one of the most important aromatic resources for the bio-based chemical industry. The use of platinum-based catalysts ensures access to important organic building blocks as sustainable products from biomass to enable their full utilization. The full avoidance of any coke formation allows the application of the obtained phenolics as starting material for phenolic resins.'

The world is in the middle of a plastic waste crisis, only made worse by the pandemic. The limitations of traditional recycling technologies and economic challenges facing the planet currently present significant roadblocks in tackling this problem. While there is no single solution to solve this growing crisis, there are innovations and technologies from the industry to help.
To truly transform into a global circular economy for plastics, the acceptance and implementation of advanced recycling technologies across the board, is critical.
Partnering with the whole eco system for a materials revolution and constructive conversations to repair and prepare our planet for future generations is essential.

-    The ins and outs, pros and cons of advanced recycling
-       Eastman projects and partnerships
-    The infrastructure challenges in Europe that need to be solved to get more chemical recycling technologies operating at scale
-    How we can all join forces so that plastic never become waste.
 

Stora Enso has developed a digital platform that enables collaboration and reduces the cost and complexity of developing circular value chains. We will present the results of our pilot testing of the platform and plans to launch and expand this with the circular economy for plastics in Europe. The pilot version of the platform can be found here: https://kind-island-01de16203.1.azurestaticapps.net/

The panel discussion will highlight through a case study how a plastic value chain actor can take action and generate a positive environmental impact by measuring its plastic footprint, managing plastic pollution within its value chain, and financing plastic waste collection and recycling infrastructure through plastic credits. First the panel will walk the audience through the process of accounting for plastic usage and environmental leakage throughout a supply chain. Second the panel will discuss the mitigation hierarchy and how action starts by first addressing hotspots within the value chain. Finally, the panel will present how plastic credits and the partnership with M & Mme Recyclage is driving financing to local recycling activities in South Western France

Xampla is a BCorp Cambridge University spin-out which has created the world's first entirely natural replacement for plastic made from plant proteins, such as pea-protein. The material performs just like synthetic polymers, but decomposes naturally and fully without harming the environment.
Xampla's plant protein-based material has been developed through more than 15 years' research at the University of Cambridge. The academic research has moved on to develop technologies using this material for the packaging industry, the food & drink industry and agriculture.
This presentation will be delivered by Simon Hombersley, CEO of Xampla and will explore the opportunities that are available with 100 percent plant based polymers for brands looking to switch from traditional plastics. A successful cleantech entrepreneur, Simon is well placed to discuss the journey from start-up to scale up, reflecting on the lessons Xampla has learnt and where it will go over the next 12-months to bring its innovative material to a large consumer base.
Xampla's core technology is created from naturally occurring polymers and is handled and processed with no chemical modification, making it high performance and seamlessly biodegradable ' thus if it ends up in the environment it causes no harm. This presents a significant opportunity for brands to replace their single-use packaging with something that offers the same benefits without harming the environment.'
It is Xampla's core mission to eliminate the most polluting single-use plastics for the sake of our ocean's health, and this presentation will also explore how this material can be used in a variety of markets and applications, bringing something not only new to the market, but something completely natural that brands and consumers have been seeking. This is not only significant for brands, but also for the development and innovation of products.
This presentation seeks to share how commonly used single-use plastics and microplastics can be replaced with like-for-like alternatives that fit with existing processes and equipment used by industry, and how it is possible to create plastic technology that will home compost, and even break down in the natural environment, as a safe solution for the Earth's soils and seas.
We will also cover examples of how these materials have been used with major global brands. These include Xampla's recent announcement that it is partnering with Britvic to further develop its material to hold nutrients within liquids as well as creating the world's first edible stock cube wrapper made from pea protein developed for meal kit retailer Gousto, which has the potential to replace 17 tonnes of plastic annually, if rolled out at scale. '
The presentation will also include powerful visuals of Xampla's polymers and materials and the opportunity this presents for industry, consumers and the planet.

Chemical recycling via pyrolysis of plastic waste is gaining a lot of attention with a number of projects announced globally and is seen as critical in enabling the brand owners to live up to their pledges for recycled content. Though this solution is considered to help both with plastic waste management and contributing to decrease GHG emissions, several challenges are standing in the way of a successful and large-scale implementation.'
Challenges come from inherent plastic properties (such as chlorine in PVC) as well as impurities from municipal solid waste ' both incompatible with steam crackers. Furthermore, steam crackers can have very different feedstock specifications when it comes to end boiling point, nitrogen content, concentration of halogens, etc.'
This presentation will address typical technical challenges when upgrading pyrolysis oils and how to solve them through tailored solution approach deployed commercially.
The commercial deployment side will be addressed through analysis of possible scenarios for the developing market, in which a lot yet needs to happen. The good news is that a lot of the existing capacity can be used and/or repurposed, such as refineries and steam crackers, and though the look of the value chain of the future is uncertain, collaboration is vibrant and synergies abundant.
'

In technical applications and markets with high requirement profile, such as electronics products, transportation or even the construction sector, bioplastics have so far hardly been represented to any significant extent. Besides economic aspects main reasons for this are inadequate properties for technical products. Therefore the material properties play an important role in its market success for technical applications. For example, plastics for technical products usually have to meet a whole series of minimum requirements, such as high heat resistance, high toughness and low flammability. Bioplastics, such as polylactic acid (PLA), do not fulfill these requirements. Despite intensive research and development in recent years, PLA still does not have a marketable property profile for technical injection molding products. In a research project funded by the German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture, the Fraunhofer Institute UMSICHT, together with Evonik Operations GmbH, the Institute for Plastics Processing at RWTH Aachen (IKV) and FKuR Kunststoff GmbH, was able to develop formulations with simultaneously improved impact strength, heat resistance and flame retardancy. In addition to material development, the processing parameters were investigated, to reach an economic manufacturing process via injection molding. The research consortium was able to identify important cause-effect relationships and corresponding materials were produced on an industrial scale. The property profile of the developed materials ranges from heat deflection temperatures above 100 °C, charpy impact strength of over 50 kJ/m2 and a flame retardancy category V0 in the UL 94 test. Through targeted additives and the adjustment of the crystallization behavior of the PLA-based materials, it was possible to produce real components in cooperation with partners from the electronics industry. 

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a powerful methodology to evaluate the environmental impact of systems. For example when used for product carbon footprint evaluation, it can help identify the manufacturing processes that are the most carbon intensive. This supports the manufacturers and product designers towards a more sustainable production by allowing to identify optimization measures and prioritize them according to their cost-sustainability benefit ratio. My presentation will illustrate this approach with practical examples of products from the consumer goods industry. '

Carbonauten will launch the "minus CO2 factory 001" in 2022 to reduce climate gases in the order of gigatons and to obtain raw materials for sustainable products. The CO2 sink is created by carbonizing biomass residues into biocarbons at decentralized, modular facilities - anywhere in the world. One ton of carbon produced in this way permanently stores up to 3.3 tons of CO2. In addition to biocarbon - as a CO2-negative raw material - the carbonauten system supplies 24/7 base-load renewable energy to operate the company's own production facilities and also to supply local companies and communities.
In corporate divisions of the company, carbonauten ensures that sustainability becomes practicable. In collaboration with various industrial partners, they produce high-quality, biocarbon enriched plastic granules, construction materials and agricultural soil additives - and at low prices. This is because the carbonauten have set themselves the goal of making bio cheap and thus accessible to everyone. 

These biocarbon added products are called "carbonauten NET-Materials ®" (negative emission technology). The amazing thing is that they have an impact far beyond the simple understanding of sustainability. Thus, they not only do not cause further damage to our social and ecological systems, but actively contribute to their regeneration.

In the near future, ESG reporting is set to become a requirement for companies doing business in the EU. As reporting standards have yet to be determined, especially small and medium-sized firms often feel lost in their digital data jungle. What would be a great starting point? Which data needs to be collected? Which frameworks are relevant? What does a report look like? The challenges of course are that while unlocking ESG opportunities links to higher value creation, for example in terms of gaining access to better financing conditions or achieving greater strategic freedom, there are currently no legal specifications as to how ESG data needs to be conveyed. Additionally, writing up a report in quasi longhand is not only outmoded but also cumbersome. In this session, you will learn from a veteran ESG specialist, impact investment expert and co-CEO of SedaiNow ' how to drive sustainability, through an end-to-end ESG value creation platform, conduct ESG due diligence, manage portfolios, and automatically generate target-specific report. '

It needs no substantiation that plastics and the pollution associated with them is an extremely big problem worldwide, and will affect us all personally if we do not take action.
In general, we can state that it is not the plastic that is the problem, but the COLOUR that is used and the processing of it that makes the plastic worthless!
The colour ensures that after use, the valuable plastic is only burned or buried at the rubbish dump because the colour does not come out.
Refresh Plastics b.v. has developed a technology that enables us to give plastics the correct colour and achieve a much better result than the standard ColorMasterBatches using conventional production applications.
We turn 100% plastic waste, to which the Refresh Plastics Technology has been added as a Color Master Batch, into a 100% Near Virging recyclate and with the addition of Refresh Plastics Technology into a 100% Color Master Batch with Technology so that 100% plastic waste becomes 100% valuable plastic again!
Our technology and processing of plastic waste is CO2/Carbon Footprint Certified in Europe, our CO2 reduction certificates will be traded soon and with that we contribute in a close lope to a cleaner world where plastic is not treated as waste but as a valuable raw material.
'

Thinking the cycles through to the end. Investment security through integration and exchange with the financial sector. 

Heat generation in industry is still heavily dependent on fossil fuels. Direct use of renewable heat sources is limited, in part because of high temperature requirements. One of the few options is concentrating solar thermal energy (CST). This technology, which is still little known, has excellent characteristics to ensure the provision of industrial process heat – even in Germany and central Europe.

Concentrating collector systems are suitable for generating process heat up to an operating temperature of 400°and beyond. That means that CST heat can be used in wide areas of industry, in the food, textile and chemical sectors for example. With increasing gas and electricity prices there is a notable growing interest. In 2022 concentrating solar heat capacity quadruples and several multinational corporations have discovered solar steam as an important way to achieve their climate protection goals.

In this session we will show in how far the technology is capable to supply solar heat into industrial structures and we will discuss possible applications, efficiency, and economy as well as possible constraints.

Supported by UNIDO Investment and Technology Promotion Office Germany

Authors: H'nel, F; Voca, K; Kruschwitz, J; Lee, D; Steinmetz, F; Pukies, G; Sch'fer, B; Dos Santos, M Goal: Resource efficiency in supply chains can only be achieved if details on the product's origin, composition and production process are known. On the other hand, actors in the supply chain are often not willing to expose their identity or manufacturing details. DIBICHAIN aims to map material and product life cycles using distributed ledger technology (DLT) to facilitate circular economy. It supports transparency in supply chains while protecting confidential information of supply chain participants. The aircraft component 'Bionic Partition' served as an exemplary use case to identify the most relevant categories of needed product information. Within this study we therefore strive to evaluate the technical feasibility of DIBICHAIN by developing a software demonstrator. Methodology: Interviews with stakeholders were carried out to identify the most relevant categories of product information necessary to support resource efficiency. Furthermore, stakeholders were consulted to create possible business models which would increase the motivation to share relevant data with other supply chain entities. Current DLT concepts (e.g. public, private or federated blockchains) were validated in terms of their capabilities to support anonymous transfer of data in a supply chain. The DLT concept in combination with the results from the stakeholders' interviews were considered in an architecture concept for the software demonstrator. The concept was published in a working paper that served as the basis for the development of the software demonstrator. The demonstrator was used to validate the feasibility of a DLT-implementation in the supply chain context using the example of life cycle assessment data of the Bionic Partition. Results and Discussion: Stakeholder interviews showed that the product carbon footprint (PCF), material composition, and recyclability information are the most relevant product information to increase resource efficiency. Moreover, stakeholders indicated that direct trade relations between companies must not be shared with other actors of the supply chain. Hence, the DIBICHAIN concept must allow for a high degree of privacy while still maintaining the option to receive reliable product data. Therefore, a private blockchain was selected in combination with software modules handling the anonymization process. Based on this, DIBICHAIN allows actors of the supply chain to search for product identifiers (ID) on the blockchain and retrieve basic product information such as the PCF without knowing manufacturer details. Upon request via the product ID, the manufacturer can provide further product details such as life cycle assessment reports or dismantling information for recycling. If combined with a marketplace model at this step, DIBICHAIN fosters the interest of supply chain participants to collect and provide information about a product's environmental impact. At the same time, interested parties are empowered to compare and evaluate products and their impacts based on reliable information. DIBICHAIN demonstrates how DLT-infrastructure can be implemented to promote circular economy and ecological product development by enhancing coopetition and transparency while maintaining confidentiality where needed. '

Digital product passports (DPP) aim to gather and share product and supply chain data across entire value chains. This will mean all actors have a better understanding of the materials and products they buy and use and their embodied environmental impact. But which products will be the first to implement digital product passports? What specific data will need to be included? How do you even go about implementing such a digital documentation system? And why make the effort to get ahead of these legislations? Join us on November 9 to learn more about this upcoming regulation and the technological innovations to create end-to-end material traceability and data sharing. Mesbah Sabur, founder of Circularise, will share what is known so far about digital product passports and how Circularise can help to implement material traceability and data sharing along the value chain to comply with these new legislations. '

The presentation would review key trends in sustainability field, review of sustainability initiatives among companies and hurdles in implementing them. The presentation would indicate key digital tools that could help to achieve sustainability goals and industries most impacted by the changes.'

This presentation will explore how the sustainability industry can benefit from digitization, including lessons learnt from Industry 4.0 and the introduction of Web 3.0 across industries. To many, Web 3.0 is nothing more than NFTs and blockchain, and to many more, it's a passing fad, but we will explore the underlying essence of this new boom in the tech industry and associate the building blocks of Web 3.0 across the sustainability value-chain, including the role of data, ML/AI and blockchain to help improve transparency, accountability and traceability.
We will compare and contrast the sustainability industry with other industries that take a collaborative approach to problem-solving, and identify key focus areas where the stakeholders can come together to help scale the industry at large.
'

More and more data on sustainability is created over the whole supply chain, first and foremost greenhouse gas emission. Verification is required to ensure the reliability of this data for stakeholders. But as the amount of data rises and supply chains are getting more complex, product carbon footprint (PCF) accounting and verification as practiced today face many scalability hurdles. Time consuming on-site audits, non-uniform documentation, secrets about the supply chain, manual information gathering, validation of gathered data and information sharing via mail are common problems, which result in a high price for the customer. T'V S'D and an industrial partner want to give insights and results from pilot projects on how these problems can be resolved and what the PCF process of the future may look like. '

Today, most business leaders recognise the importance of leveraging data in everything from material sourcing, production, to compliance and certification. But how exactly?

Join this panel to learn how public blockchain can support supply chain audits and certification.

The panel is held by Circularise, ISCC and other partners. Many companies use ISCC PLUS for the certified integration of circular raw materials into supply chains and to make credible claims about their products.

Circularise provides a digital system that can make auditing more efficient, and strengthens trust, credibility, security, and integrity of certified data. This helps companies to show traceable compliance and adhere to rules and regulations.