03.09.2026
Can companies secure their fossil fuel supply at a reasonable cost and foster resilience?
It is a paradoxical situation. The risks posed by fossil fuels, are more apparent than ever, yet chemical companies are competing harder than ever for access to the dwindling pool of reliable, low-cost fossil sources. Instead, they should speed up their positioning in non-fossil sources to prepare for the transition to renewable carbon.
The golden age is over: Fossil fuels have reached their peak, renewable energy has become competitive, and from now on, usage of fossils will – and has to – decline. Fossil feedstocks such as crude oil, natural gas and coal are linked to several critical problems and risks, the main ones being climate change, insecure supply, high price volatility, a linear economy rather than a circular one, and a failure to achieve resilience and strategic autonomy. Furthermore, Europe is currently unable to compete with other global regions with better access to cheaper crude oil.
For some sectors, including the chemical and plastics industries, carbon is an indispensable component for producing a wide range of everyday products. Unlike the energy sector, these industries cannot be fully decarbonised – instead they must be defossilised. To achieve this, fossil carbon must be replaced by renewable carbon sources derived from biomass, CO₂ and recycling.
How can industries escape this “fossil trap” and transition to renewable carbon? Fortunately, for years thousands of scientists and companies, ranging from start-ups to large multinationals, have been working on technologies, upscaling and policy strategies to bring the aspired shift. Also, policy makers are starting to support the transition through a variety of instruments.
Bringing all these players together, the Renewable Materials Conference has evolved into a key summit for the chemical defossilisation sector, where innovators, pioneers and decision makers meet and discuss their latest developments and strategies. What is already possible today? When will new technologies become mainstream? How is the political framework shaping markets and competitiveness?
From 22 to 24 September, 400 to 500 international experts will meet in Siegburg/Cologne (Germany) to attend 75 presentations, 20 panel discussions and 17 interactive workshops. The event is accompanied by an exhibition, plenty of opportunities for networking, and three evening events. A user-friendly matchmaking tool allows attendees to get in touch and facilitate meetings.
Find the final program here: https://renewable-materials.eu/program/
Highlights of the Renewable Materials Conference 2026
22 September: Defossilisation of the chemical industry: Renewable Carbon Strategies; New Pathways: Fine and Speciality Chemicals; Lignin and CO₂ utilisation. The day will conclude with a highlight Panel Discussion on “Quadruple System Shock as Catalysts for Industrial Transformation“, a crucial aspect for realising defossilsation.
23 September: Fossil-free plastics: Market and Application Development, Coating, Adhesives and Binders; CO₂-based Polymers; Recycled Polymers & Plastics; Automotive, Consumer Goods, Packaging, Textiles and Toys. The second conference day culminates with the election of the prestigious Innovation Award “Renewable Material of the Year 2026” sponsored by Covestro.
24 September: Setting the frame for renewable carbon: Creating Market Pull; Vision & Strategy. Biodegradation: Science & Policy Progress; Applications; System Solutions.
Further information and registration: https://renewable-materials.eu
Last exhibition booths available: https://renewable-materials.eu/exhibition-booking/
Participants of the conference
The Renewable Materials Conference brings together a broad mix of stakeholders from across the value chain. Large enterprises and brands make up the largest share of participants at 39%, followed by research institutes and universities at 17% and start-ups and scale-ups at 15%. SMEs account for 11% of participants, while associations, clusters and NGOs, as well as policy makers, each represent 8%. Investors make up the remaining 3%. A selection of well-known companies and institutions are: ++ ADM International ++ Alfred Talke ++ Asahi Kasei ++ BASF ++ Beckers Group ++ Beiersdorf ++ Biotope Ventures ++ BLOOM ++ Braskem ++ Cargill ++ Clariant ++ Colesco Capital ++ Covestro ++ Crop Energies ++ DSM-Firmenich ++ Dutch Ministry ++ ENI ++ European Commission ++ Evonik ++ FECC ++ Futerro ++ Henkel ++ Heraeus ++ Holland Colours ++ Honeywell ++ IFF ++ ING Bank ++ Kemira ++ Kimberly-Clark ++ Klüber Lubrication ++ Kraton Chemical ++ Lactips ++ Lego ++ Michelin ++ Mosca ++ Neste ++ Nippon Shokubai ++ Omya ++ On ++ Peter Greven ++ Rheinmetall ++ Schneider Electric ++ SBTi ++ Stahl ++ SYENSQO ++ T.EN ++ UB FIGG ++ UPM ++ Verbio ++ Volvo ++
Please find all registered participants here: https://renewable-materials.eu/participant-list/
Thanks to Sponsors and Partners
The nova-Institute would like to thank UPM Biochemicals (FI) for supporting the conference as Platin Sponsor, Celluranics (CN), GS Biomats (CN), IFF (BE), Leaf Biotech (CN), L'Oreal (FR) and VERBIO (DE) as Gold Sponsors, as well as DIN CERTCO (DE), Peterson Solutions (DE) and TÜV Austria Belgium (BE) as Silver Sponsors. The innovation award “Renewable Material of the Year 2026” is sponsored by Covestro (DE).
More sponsors are welcome: https://renewable-materials.eu/sponsoring/
The Renewable Materials Conference is supported by industry and trade associations, non-profit organisations, research institutions and interest groups that are thematically linked to the conference: AVK (DE), BCNP (DE), BIC - Bio-based Industries Consortium (EU), BioBase (AT), bündnis mikroplastikfrei (AT), C.A.R.M.E.N.(DE), ChemCologne (DE), ChemieClusterBayern (DE), CLIB (DE), CO2Value Europe (EU), Enterprise Europe Network.NRW (DE), European Bioplastics (EU), FECC - European Association of Chemical Distributors (EU), GO!PHA (International), IBB Netzwerk (DE), INAK (DE), kunststoffland NRW (DE), NRW.Energy4Climate (DE), ÖGUT - Österreichische Gesellschaft für Umwelt und Technik (AT), Plastics Europe (DE), Renewable Carbon Initiative (International).