Circular Thursday at K 2025: How can we close material loops?
Frankfurt am Main/Düsseldorf, 30 September 2025 – Circular Thursday on 9 October is the second theme day of K 2025, the world’s leading trade fair for plastics and rubber. As part of the special show Plastics Shape the Future (Hall 6 / C40), the program will highlight pathways towards a climate-neutral plastics circular economy, with a focus on circularity and sustainable innovation.
A day dedicated to circular economy
The program will be moderated by Prof. Dr.-Ing. Manfred Renner, Head of Fraunhofer CCPE and Fraunhofer UMSICHT. Six Fraunhofer institutes pool their expertise in the Fraunhofer CCPE to develop, implement, and optimize processes, product,s and facilities up to application and market maturity – working with industry and public partners to drive the transformation towards a circular plastics economy.
“I am convinced that Germany is capable of circular economy. The technological foundations are in place – what we now need is a closer link between research and application. That is exactly the aim of Circular Thursday,” explains Manfred Renner.
In February 2025, the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) entered into force. Its objective is to reduce packaging waste and to foster recycling through requirements such as design for recycling and mandatory recycled content. The regulation is expected to serve as a blueprint for further legislation in the automotive sector, followed by electrical and electronic products, and later construction.
On stage in Hall 6 / C40, the fundamentals of a successful circular economy will be discussed:
- What are the recycling potentials in different industries?
- Which technologies will be required?
- What framework conditions are necessary to make recycling competitive?
- What role can other feedstocks, such as biomass or CO₂ play?
These and further questions will be debated in Expert Talks with industry and association representatives, as well as in dialogue with the audience. In the afternoon, a panel will explore perspectives for mechanical and chemical recycling under current competitive conditions.
Working together for a sustainable future
“Circular Thursday is an opportunity to reflect on progress made in circular economy and to discuss how we can accelerate the transformation even further,” says Dr. Christine Bunte, Managing Director of Plastics Europe Deutschland. “We invite all stakeholders to join us in working on solutions that protect the environment while enabling economic success.”
Program of „Circular Thursday“ (Trade Fair Düsseldorf, 09. October, Hall 6 / C40)
| Date & Time | Speaker/Host* |
|---|---|
| Thu, 10:30 – 10:45 (CET) | Introduction: Get into the loop with Fraunhofer Speaker/Host: |
| Thu, 10:45 – 11:00 (CET) | Keynote: Closing the Loops of Different Material Flows Speaker/Host*:Prof. Dr.-Ing. Manfred Renner*, Head of (Fraunhofer CCPE and Fraunhofer UMSICHT) |
| Thu, 11:00 – 11:15 (CET) | Keynote: Matching recycling technologies to the task at hand: different waste streams require different approaches Speaker/Host*:Dr. Bernhard von Vacano, Vice President and Executive Expert in the Field of Closed Loop Polymer Recycling (BASF) |
| Thu, 11:15 – 12:00 (CET) | Panel-Discussion: PPWR – Current Status and Lessons Learned Speaker/Host*:Carolina Gregorio, Sustainability Policy and Advocacy Strategy Director EMEA (Dow Packaging & Specialty Plastics) |
| Thu, 12:00 – 12:30 (CET) | Expert Talk: WEEE – What to Expect in Electrical and Electronic Regulation Speaker/Host:Tatjana Dänzer, R&D / Rubber & Plastics Laboratory Business Unit Dishwashing (Miele & Cie. KG) |
| Thu, 12:30 – 13:00 (CET) | Expert Talk: Building & Construction Speaker/Host*:Eric Romers, Project Director (INEOS Inovyn)Rudy Miller, Vice President Vinyl Business (Vynova) |
| Thu, 13:00 – 13:45 (CET) | Panel Discussion: Driving Circularity under the ELV Directive: Inside the Global Impact Coalition’s Automotive Plastics Circularity Pilot Speaker/Host*: |
| Thu, 13:45 – 14:30 (CET) | Panel Discussion: Car-to-Car Recycling Speaker/Host*: |
| Thu, 14:30 – 14:45 (CET) | Expert Talk: Carpet Design for Circularity Speaker/Host: |
| Thu, 14:45 – 15:05 (CET) | KI Group & Porsche Consulting Forecast, prices and profit: the development of the European recyclate market and its prices until 2030 Speaker/Host*:Klaus Kirr, Associate Partner (Porsche Consulting) |
| Thu, 15:05 – 15:15 (CET) | Keynote Perspectives of Chemical and Mechanical Recycling Speaker/Host*:Prof. Dr.-Ing. Matthias Franke, Leiter Institutsteil Sulzbach-Rosenberg (Fraunhofer UMSICHT) |
| Thu, 15:15 – 15:25 (CET) | Keynote Recycling à la carte: Melting, Cracking – or Solvent Treatment? Speaker/Host*:Dr. Christine Bunte, Managing Director (Plastics Europe) |
| Thu, 15:25 – 16:45 (CET) | Panel Discussion: Perspectives of Chemical and Mechanical Recycling Speaker/Host*:Willemijn Peeters, CEO & Founder (Searious Business) |
The full programme of the special show is available here:
https://plasticseurope.org/de/plastics-shape-the-future-k-2025/
About K 2025
K 2025 – the world’s leading plastics trade fair – will open in Düsseldorf on 8 October 2025. Held every three years, it brings together more than 200,000 visitors from around 160 countries for eight days. For company leaders, start-ups, NGOs and policymakers, it is a barometer of the industry’s mood and direction.
Press photos of the special show and K 2025 are available for free download here:
https://plasticseurope.org/de/pressemitteilungen/
About Plastics Europe Deutschland
PlasticsEurope Deutschland e.V. is the association of plastics producers in Germany. The association is a trade association of the German Chemical Industry Association (VCI) and part of the European network Plastics Europe, with representation in Brussels and the European economic centers and capitals.
Your contact at Plastics Europe Deutschland
Bettina Dempewolf
Head of Communications
+49 171 9713962
bettina.dempewolf@plasticseurope.de
Including press photos of the K 2025 special show “Plastics Shape the Future”