Preliminary Program

Preliminary program: the first 60 speakers have been announced

22 – 24 September 2026

Day 1, 22 September 2026

Defossilisation of the Chemical Industry

  • Lars Börger, nova-Institute (DE): Future of Renewable Chemistry
  • Shena Britzen, Rheinmetall (DE): How Giga PtX will Scale Hydrogen from Champagne to Commodity
  • Dorothée Arns, FECC (BE): The Chemical Value Chain in Europe – Today and Tomorrow
  • Gabriela Fedor, Neste (FI): Under Pressure — Scaling Circular and Renewable Carbon for the Chemical Industry
  • Doris De Guzman, Green D Market Analytics (US): Renewable Chemicals One Year Later: Geopolitics, Protectionism, and Supply-Chain Realignment
  • Ann Zhang, Carbon Strategy (CN): Chemical Industrial Park’s Transition under The China’s 15th Five-Year Plan – A Case Study
  • Jerry Luo, Leaf Bio (CN): Next-Gen Aromatics: Furan as a Bio-Based Platform
  • Petri Mast, ETB Global BV (NL): Resilient and Renewable Industrial Technology for C4-Production: Bioethanol to Bio Butadiene
  • Andreas Kohl, Verbio (DE): New Plant Oil Based Value Chains Enabled by Metathesis: The First-Of-Its-Kind Ethenolysis Plant and Outlook on What is Next
  • Jean-Paul Lange, University of Twente (NL): Cellulosic Ethylene Glycol – Economic Potential, Contaminants and Process Concepts
  • Sébastien Rifflart, Michelin Engineered Polymers (FR): New Bio-based and Non-toxic Building-block Molecules Available at Industrial Scale
  • Jörn Kiwitt, Evonik (DE): Building Resilience in the Chemical Industry – The Rheticus® Process and Renewable Carbon
  • Martin Lindmeyer, YNCORIS (DE): DeMoBio – Decentralized Modular Biorefinery-Container: Decentralized Pretreatment of Lignocellulosic Residues – Process Concepts & Techno‑Economic Assessment
  • Michael Carus, nova-Institute (DE) & Peter Leonhardt, Cargill (DE): Primary Biomass for Chemistry & Key Enabler of Europe’s Circular Bioeconomy Through Integrated Biorefineries

Fine Chemicals

  • Jan Weernink, IFF (US): Designed Enzymatic Biomaterials (DEB™) a Versatile Technology Capable of Providing Functional Performance Coupled with Advanced Renewable Carbon
  • Christoph Wittman, Saarland University (DE): From Biomass to Materials: Unlocking Renewable Carbon through Microbial Platform Engineering
  • Tanja Meyer, Bio Base Europe Pilot Plant (BE): Transforming Organic Waste into Bio-based Succinic Acid

Lignin Utilisation

  • Florian Diehl, UPM Biochemicals (DE/FI): UPM’s Lignin-based Materials: Driving Innovation and Sustainability
  • Justine Charmillot, Bloom Biorenewables (CH): Preserving Nature’s Chemistry to Enable High-Performance Renewable Materials
  • Balaji Sridharan, VITO (BE): Reductive Lignin Depolymerization: A Carbon Efficient Pathway towards Biomaterials and Green Chemicals
  • Sari Rautiainen, VTT (FI): Higher Value from Lignins by Tuneable Depolymerisation

CO₂ Utilisation

  • Balász M. Hepp, eChemicles (HU): An Industrial Use-case for Low-temperature CO₂ electrolysis: CO2 utilization in iron & steel refining
  • Valtteri Oksanen, VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland (FI): Production of Succinic and Adipic Acids from CO₂ and Ethylene via Electrochemical Carboxylation
  • Anastasios Perimenis, CO2Value Europe (BE): Quantifying the role of CCU towards climate neutrality in Europe

Day 2, 23 September 2026

Fossil-free Plastics

Bio-based and Bio-attributed Plastics

  • Michael Carus, nova-Institute (DE): Renewable Polymers: Status and Outlook
  • Martin Clemesha, Braskem Netherlands (NL): Bio-based Polyethyelene Success Story: History, Status and Outlook
  • Geoffroy Delvinquier, FUTERRO (BE): PLA Success Story: History, Status and Outlook
  • Pramod Shankar Kumbhar, Praj Matrix-R&D Center (IN): From HA( Hyaluronic acid) to PHA (Polyhydroxy alkanoate)
  • Stefaan De Wildeman, B4Plastics (BE): Swap or Scrap – Making Europe’s New Biopolymers in its Existing Assets
  • Paul Stockmann, Fraunhofer IGB (DE): Caramides – Monoterpene-based Polyamides Scaled for Fibres, Foams, and Cast Polyamides
  • Marcus Elmer, Lixea Sweden (SE): High Performing Fibres from Annual Crops Through Ionic Liquid Fractionation
  • Jan Harm Urbanus, TNO (NL): Advancing Fossil-Free Polymers Through AI-Powered Polymer Development
  • Arthur Groh, KUORI (CH): A RMC Success Story – Biobased and Biodegradable Elastomers for Abrasion-Critical Applications
  • Roland Klein, Fraunhofer LBF (DE): From Compostable to Capable: Tailoring Biobased Polyesters via Additivation
  • Jouni Lattu, VTT (FI): Novel PGA Barrier Polymer
  • Robert Kunzmann, AC Biode (AT): Biogenic and Biodegradable Superabsorbent Polymers

CO₂-based Plastics

  • Nick Smith, Viridi (UK): New CO₂-to-polymers catalysts made for the industry we have today
  • Sergio Santos, TECNALIA Research & Innovation (ES): Plastics Sustainability: Synthesis of CO₂- and Bio-based Polycarbonates and Polyurethanes

Recycled Plastics

  • Delphine Largeteau, Schneider Electric (FR): Open, Software-defined Automation as a Catalyst for the Sustainable Carbon Industry
  • Oliver Borek, Entzimatiko (ES): Converting Polyolefins into Monomeric Building Blocks using Enzymatic Machinery
  • Andreas Sommerfeldt, Danish Technological Institute (DK): From RePURpose to PURfection: Danish Innovation Towards a Fully Circular Economy for Polyurethane
  • Wouter Post, Wageningen University & Research (NL): Mechanical Recycling of PLA Based Food Packaging

Coating & Adhesives

  • Thomas Lueder, Beckers Group (DE): How to Create a Pull for Renewable Coatings in the Construction Industry?
  • Tim Kidd, Stahl (NL): Beyond the Surface: How Coatings Can Enable the Transition to Renewable Carbon
  • Sarvesh Poddar, Sustanix Materialtech (NL): 100% Solid Bio-Coating System to Replace Water/Solvent Based PFAS & Acrylate Systems
  • Michael Wilhelm, Henkel (DE): Fuelled by Data, Driven by Markets – Henkel Adhesive Technologies’ Renewable Carbon Pathway
  • Sanjay Wahal, Decarbonization (US): Mycelium-Based Binders and Packaging Materials: High-Performance, Circular Alternatives for Hygiene and Spill-Control Applications

Day 3, 24 September 2026

Setting the Frame for Renewable Carbon

Creating Market Pull

  • Tristan Brown, Molecule Group (US): An Industry-Driven Framework for Enhancing Sustainable Chemicals and Materials Market Access
  • Ivana Krkljus, BASF (DE): tba
  • Janine van Kampen, Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate (EU): Critical Chemical Alliance – Lead markets for sustainable carbon products

Vision & Strategy

  • Marc Borghans, ING Bank (NL): The Role of Finance: From Barrier to Enabler
  • Volker Strauss, Umweltbundesamt (DE): A sustainable Chemicals Economy – a Common Vision and the Need for New Collaborative Approaches
  • Malte Niebelschuetz, Brands 4 Change (DE): From Centralized Factory Hubs to Micro-Manufacturing, Rethinking Production for the Renewable Carbon Economy
  • Michael Carus, nova-Institut (DE): Solar Energy and Renewable Chemistry

Biodegradation

Science & policy progress

  • Theodora Nikolapoulou, European Commission (EU): Biodegradability in EU Products Legislation: Case Studies of Fertilising Products and Detergents
  • Ferdinand Koch, Bündnis Mikroplastikfrei & VÖA (AT): Disposal – Overall Picture   
  • Michael Sander, ETH Zürich (CH): From Fundamentals to Function: Scientific Insights into Polymer Biodegradation
  • Jessica Mugleston, BASF (DE): Digital Tools for Biodegradation

Applications

  • John Ryan, Sinclair Industries (UK): Biodegradable Adhesives for Fruit Stickers
  • Julie Capsalas, LACTIPS (FR): Enosis® by Lactips: Leveraging Biodegradability to Deliver High-Performance Bio-based Materials for Plastics Applications
  • Ryan Simkovsky, Algenesis Labs (US): Biodegradation of Thermoplastic Polyester Polyurethanes Produces Microplastic-free, Plant-Enhancing Compost Under Home Composting Conditions  

System solutions

  • Patrizia Marie Schmidt, BASF (DE): Fragmentation of Soil-Biodegradable Mulch Film: The Difference Between Fragments Released from Certified Soil-Biodegradable Products and Persistent Microplastics
  • Christian Lott, Hydra Marine Sciences (DE): Reducing Agriculture’s Plastic Footprint: The Role of Biodegradable Plastics
  • Clayton Bunyard, Kimberly-Clark (US): Building the Case for Biodegradable Hygiene Products          
  • Rick Passenier, NGF Biobased Circular (NL): A Practice-Driven Biodegradation Innovation Cluster for Biopolyesters and Renewable Materials