Day 1, 22 September 2025
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09:00 | Michael Carus nova-Institute  Conference Opening |
Defossilisation of the Chemical Industry & Fine Chemicals |
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09:20 | Lars Börger nova-Institute The Future of a Resilient Chemical Industry in a Vulnerable World |
| 09:40 | Ruirui Zong-Rühe Roland Berger Heardwind or Tailwind – Defossilization in the Chemicals Industry |
| 10:00 | Florie Gonsolin CEFIC  How can the Chemical Sector Contribute to Sustainable Carbon Cycles |
| 10:20 | Samir Somaiya Godavari Biorefineries  India’s Transition to a Green Economy and the role of Godavari Biorefineries by Regenerative Biomass realising Commercial Scale Advanced Biochemicals (and Social Approach) |
| 10:40 | Panel Discussion with all Speakers of the Session |
| 11:00 | Coffee Break |
Parallel Sessions |
Grand Hall |
Defossilisation of the Chemical Industry & Fine Chemicals – Part II |
| 11:30 | Ortwin Ertl Annikki  High-Volume Chemicals from Biomass – By Means of a Unique Fractionation Technology and Enzymatic Reactions |
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11:50 | Andreas Kohl Verbio Vegetable Oil to Alpha Olefins: A New Direct Value Chain Emerges in the Chemical Industry |
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12:10 | Reinier Grimbergen Blue Circle Olefins  Defossilizing the Chemical Industry by Circular Methanol |
| 12:30 | Panel Discussion with all Speakers of the Session |
| 12:50 | Lunch Break & Networking |
| 14:20 | Lee Walko Omni Tech International  From Farm to Industry: U. S. Soybean Innovations Driving Chemical Defossilisation |
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14:40 | Doris De Guzman Green D Market Analytics LLC Renewable Chemicals Market Update – Navigating Shifting Global Dynamics |
Defossilisation of the Chemical Industry & Fine Chemicals – Part II |
| 15:00 | Virginie Roux Michelin Engineered Polymers  5-HMF: When a Sleeping Giant Wakes up |
| 15:20 | Pauline Rullière Pili Bio-based Aromatic Intermediates: Pioneering Sustainability to Decarbonise the Industry |
| 15:40 | Panel Discussion with all Speakers of the Session |
| 16:00 | Coffee Break |
| 16:30 | Jean-Paul Lange University of Twente Recycling Cascade for Plastics Waste |
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16:50 | Outi Teräs Neste  The Future of Plastics is REnewable and REcycled |
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17:10 | Marleen Ramakers & Youri Michiels Indaver Plastics2Chemicals Indaver P2C: Closing the Loop with Cutting-Edge Advanced Recycling |
| 17:30 | Panel Discussion with all Speakers of the Session |
Small Hall |
Fine Chemicals |
| 11:30 | Sunil Divekar Praj Industries Technology for Bio-based Cosmetic Ingredients- Bio-IDD and Bio-IHD |
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11:50 | Christian Lenges IFF Sustainable Solutions that Transform Consumers’ Lives and Experiences: Biotechnology Enabled Material Innovation – Opportunities and Challenges |
| 12:10 | Christos Rampotas Kemira Breaking New Ground with Polysaccharides in Sustainable Additives |
| 12:30 | Panel Discussion with all Speakers of the Session |
| 12:50 | Lunch Break & Networking |
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14:20 | Adrian Brandt Henkel Latest Renewable Carbon Developments at Henkel Adhesive Technologies |
| 14:40 | Frank Polzer Celanese Carbon Capture and Utilisation at Celanese: Turning CO2 Emissions Into Essential Chemicals and Plastics |
Lignocellulosic Biorefineries and Lignin Utilisation |
| 15:00 | Balaji Sridharan VITO Scaling Up Reductive Lignin Depolymerization: A Sustainable Pathway towards Biomaterials and Green Chemicals |
| 15:20 | Viktor Odenbrink Södra Skogsägarna ek. Förening  Södra Becomes the World’s Largest Kraft Lignin Producer – How? |
| 15:40 | Panel Discussion with all Speakers of the Session |
| 16:00 | Coffee Break |
| 16:30 | Fredrik Malmfors Lignin Industries AB Scalable, Processable, Renewable, Recyclable and Cost Effective – Lignin-based Plastic Ticks all of the Boxes |
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16:50 | Peep Pitk Fibenol  Pioneering the Future of Biomaterials: Fibenol’s Journey from Innovation to Industrial Scale |
| 17:10 | Marcus Elmer Lixea Sweden High Quality Lignin from Waste Biomass – A Crucial Carbon Source for the Future |
| 17:30 | Panel Discussion with all Speakers of the Session |
Grand Hall – Future of the Chemical Industry in Europe: Defossilised and Competetive, how can this work? |
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Chairperson(s) Christopher vom Berg & Michael Carus nova-Institute |
| 18:00 | tba |
| 20:00 | Gala Dinner |
Day 2, 23 September 2025
Fossil-free Plastics |
| 09:00 | tba nova-Institute Day Opening |
Parallel-Sessions |
Grand Hall |
Markets and Applications, Bio-based Polymers – Part I |
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09:10 | Pia Skoczinski & Pauline Ruiz nova-Institute Renewable Polymers from Biomass, CO2 and Recycling – Status and Outlook |
| 09:30 | Julia Resch IKT University Stuttgart Bio-based Plastics in Technical and Long-Term Applications |
| 09:50 | Ed de Jong Avantium PEF, a Next Generation Packaging Material |
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10:10 | Susan Zhu Zhongke Guosheng (Hangzhou) Technology  Sustainable Furan Bio-based Materials |
| 10:30 | Panel Discussion with all Speakers of the Session |
| 10:50 | Coffee Break |
Markets and Applications, Bio-based Polymers – Part II |
| 11:20 | Stefano Facco Novamont  Renewable Monomers and Polymers, New Coating Technologies |
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11:40 | Joris Vermunt Corbion Lactic Acid Solutions for a More Sustainable Future |
| 12:00 | Geoffroy Delvinquier Futerro Alternatives to Fossil-based Chemistry and Plastics: the Potential of Lactic-acid-based Chemicals and Polymers such as Polylactic Acid (PLA) for Sustainability, Circularity, and Innovative Applications |
| 12:20 | Panel Discussion with all Speakers of the Session |
| 12:40 | Lunch Break |
Bio-based and -attributed Polymers |
| 14:10 | Dirk Hölter Cerdia  Cellulose Acetate – How a Material Predating Modern Polymer Chemistry Provides Solutions for Today |
| 14:30 | Nicko Reuter UPM BIOCHEMICALS Revolutionizing Packaging with UPM BioPET |
| 14:50 | Stephan Roest Borealis Borealis A/B/C Approach to Carbon Circularity for Plastics |
| 15:10 | Frank Eisenträger Ineos Styrolution Switzerland Making Bio-Attributed Styrenics a Reality: INEOS Styrolution’s Path to Renewable Carbon and Net Zero |
| 15:30 | Panel Discussion with all Speaks of the Session |
Small Hall |
Sustainable Polymers |
| 09:10 | Alexander Hofmann Fraunhofer Institut UMSICHT InnoKuR – A Path to Climate-friendly Plastics by Replacing Fossil Raw Materials |
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09:30 | Jan Harm Urbanus TNO This is How Polymer Informatics Can Help in Designing Novel Safe-and-Sustainable Polymers |
| 09:50 | Claudia Coelho Technip Energies The Path to Sustainable and Affordable Plastics |
| 10:10 | Andrew Richardson Johnson Matthey PLC  Sustainable Aromatics for Drop-in Bio-based Packaging, Fibres and Films |
| 10:30 | Panel Discussion with all Speakers of the Session |
| 10:50 | Coffee Break |
CO2-based Polymers |
| 11:20 | Alex Hogan Vioneo Pioneering Fossil Free Plastics |
| 11:40 | Tony Rehn NG Nordic Carbon2x – The Next Generation of Biodegradable Plastics from CO2 |
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12:00 | Keith Wiggins Econic Technologies Repurposing CO2: Polymers, Surfactants and Beyond |
| 12:20 | Panel Discussion with all Speaker son the Session |
| 12:40 | Lunch Break |
Recycled Polymers |
| 14:10 | N.N. AXELERA WhiteCycle : An innovative European Project to Process and Recycle PET From Complex Waste |
| 14:30 | Gian De Belder Procter & Gamble Industry Partnerships for Solvent-based Cleaning Technologies for Polyolefin Recycling |
| 14:50 | Jean-Paul Lange University of Twente PU Depolymerization with Phosgene-free Recovery of Diisocyanate |
| 15:10 | Karin van der Helm-Rademaker Cargill Novel Recycled Based Polyols, Raising the Bar for More Demanding Polyurethanes Adhesives |
| 15:30 | Panel Discussion with all Speaks of the Session |
| 15:50 | Coffee Break |
Grand Hall – Innovation Award |
| Chairperson(s) Michael Carus nova-Institute |
| 16:40 | Presentations of the 6 Award Nominees |
Day 3, 24 September 2025
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09:00 | Christopher vom Berg nova-Institute Day Opening |
Parallel Sessions |
Grand Hall |
Setting the Frame for Renewable Carbon |
| 09:10 | WEF tba |
| 09:30 | Miriam Freudenberger CropEnergies Bio-based Chemicals: Yes, we can!? What is it About? What are our Experiences? Which Framework Conditions are Decisive? |
| 09:50 | Gerben Hieminga tba |
| 10:10 | N.N. |
| 10:30 | Panel Discussion with all Speakers of the Session |
| 10:50 | Coffee Break |
| 11:20 | Tim Börner Empa – Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology A Prospective Framework to Assess the Potential for Environmental and Technical Net-Benefits of Early-Stage Bio-Manufacturing Routes Using Renewable Carbon |
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11:40 | Matthias Stratmann nova-Institute Case Studies Based on Peer-reviewed Life Cycle Assessments – Carbon Foot-prints of Different Carbon-based Chemicals and Materials |
| 12:00 | N.N. |
| 12:20 | Panel Discussion with all Speakers of the Session |
| 12:40 | Lunch Break & Networking |
| 14:10 | Luciano Proto Cassina nova-Institute EU Policy Updates. Biotechnology, Biomanufacturing and the Clean Industrial Deal |
| 14:30 | Wolfgang Kraus/Sebastian Kunz Südzucker European Carbon Utilisation Trading System (CUTS) – an Opportunity for the Material Use of Carbon from Renewable Sources |
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14:50 | Philippe Dewolfs TÜV AUSTRIA Belgium OK renewable : What’s new? |
| 15:10 | Melanie Williams SCS Standards Lower Carbon Chemicals and Packaging: A Certification Standard for Defossilising the Chemicals Industry |
| 15:30 | Panel Discussion with all Speakers of the Session |
Small Hall |
Biodegration |
| 09:10 | European Commission tba |
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09:30 | Pauline Ruiz nova-Institute Where does Biodegradation Make Sense? |
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09:50 | Christian Lott HYDRA Marine Sciences Rethinking Compostability: Why we need Environmentally Biodegradable Plastics |
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10:10 | Andreas Künkel BASF Biodegradability as End-of-Life Option in a Circular Economy: Value and the Path Forward |
| 10:30 | Panel Discussion with all Speakers of the Session |
| 10:50 | Coffee Break |
| 11:20 | Robert Dierkes University Hamburg Identification of Microbial Enzymes for Plastic Degradation: Possibilities and Limitations |
| 11:40 | Katrin Schwede INAK Making Compostability Work: Aligning Biodegradable and Compostable Plastics with EU Policy Goals |
| 12:00 | Afsaneh Nabifar CbDP Compostable by Design Platform: boosting a circular economy with cross-value chain collaboration |
| 12:20 | Panel Discussion with all Speakers of the Session |
| 12:40 | Lunch Break & Networking |
| 14:10 | Daniel Steinitz Bündnis „Mikroplastikfrei Österreich“ Joint Approaches to Reduce Persistent Microplastics in Austria. |
| 14:30 | Alain Marty Carbios The Power of Enzymes to Ensure Plastic Circularity |
| 14:50 | Anju Massey-Brooker Royal Society of Chemistry Sustainable Polymers in Liquid Formulations (PLF`s) Catalysed by the Royal Society of Chemistry |
| 15:10 | Amy Goddard Croda Sustainable Polymers for a Clean Future, Prospertity Partnerships |
| 15:30 | Panel Discussion with all Speakers of the Session |
| 15:50 | Final get-together |
| 16:00 | End of Conference |