Plastics Recycling Show Europe confirms full conference programme
Examining in detail the latest European regulatory developments in plastics recycling and practical solutions for the circular and sustainable use of plastics will be the primary focus of the Plastics Recycling Show Europe conference. Organisers have confirmed the full speaker line up for the two-day event taking place at the RAI Amsterdam on 25 and 26 March 2020.
The opening session of the Plastics Recycling Show Europe conference entitled The New Reality for Plastics will look at the current state of the affairs and new developments of the plastics-related EU legislation, the background of the European Green Deal, the Circular Economy Action Plan and the industry’s answer to the ongoing legislative changes. Heading a delegation from the European Commission attending the event, Mattia Pellegrini, Head of Unit: Waste Management and Secondary Materials, DG ENV, European Commission will deliver the opening keynote in this session. Other expert speakers joining him include Chris McNally, Partner at McKinsey & Company and Maria Ciliberti, Vice President Marketing and New Business Development, Polyolefin at Borealis.
Setting the tone for the second day of the conference in a session entitled Global Solutions and Regional Actions on Plastic Waste will be Daniel Merillet of The One Project, Hans Axel Kristensen, CEO of Plastix A/S and Dorothea Wiplinger, Sustainability Manager – Strategy & Group Development at Borealis. This session will explore existing and developing worldwide solutions to the international problem of marine litter and highlight the latest global and local initiatives in successfully combatting unwanted plastic waste in the environment.
Materials focus sessions overseen by the relevant Working Group Chairmen from Plastics Recyclers Europe run across both days and will explore in depth the challenges, issues and opportunities within the sector for plastics recycling. The first day features sessions covering PET (polyethylene terephthalate), PVC (polyvinylchloride) and Technical Plastics. Day two focuses on the current status of polyolefin waste streams including high- and low-density polyethylene (LDPE and HDPE). A new session added to this year’s programme looks at the latest polypropylene (PP) and polystyrene (PS) recycling.
Among the expert speakers in the first day’s PET session is Norwegian entrepreneur and business leader Kjell Olav Amdam Maldum, CEO and Chairman of Infinitum and long-time advocate for improved PET bottle recycling. Other leaders in the PET recycling sector joining the panel include Christian Crepet, Managing Director of Petcore Europe; Jean Claude Würmli, Managing Director of PET-Recycling Schweiz and Valerie Bürstner, Head of Sales at Interseroh Dienstleistungs GmbH. Speakers in the Technical Plastics session representing major brands include Sylvie Thomas Head of EMEA Sustainability Policies at Lexmark making a joint presentation with Luc Lavergne, CEO of Lavergne Group and Karl Edsjö Director Environmental & European Affairs at Electrolux.
Immo Sander Head of Packaging Development Department at Werner & Mertz is joined on the HDPE recycling session by Prof. Dr.-Ing. Gilian Gerke, Resource Management, University of Applied Sciences Magdeburg-Stendal and Dr. Anna Lucea Sureda, Technical Sales Representative Leader at Plasper and Karlheinz Hausmann R&D Fellow at Dow Europe. Distinguished speakers in the final material focus session looking at polypropylene (PP) and polystyrene (PS) recycling include Thijs Feenstra, Circular Plastic Design Consultant at the Pezy Group; Remco Broekhuis, Group Technical Material Manager, together with Maria Malinowski, Group QESH from Schoeller Allibert and Jens Kathmann, Secretary General, Styrenics Circular Solutions.
Winners of the annual Plastics Recycling Awards Europe will also be announced during the second day of the conference.
