Future of Chemical Recycling Europe 2027

During the afternoon of Tuesday, 2 February 2027, a limited number of conference attendees will have the opportunity to visit BASF’s Ludwigshafen Verbund site. The visit will provide first-hand insight into one of Europe’s most significant chemical production and circular economy hubs.

There is no additional charge to attend the site visit; however, places are limited and will be allocated on a first-served basis. Please register your interest when booking your conference place.

•Accelerating Regulatory Readiness for PPWR Compliance and Market Adoption
• Creating Sustainable Demand for Recycled Materials Before 2030
• Scaling Advanced Recycling Technologies for Commercial Success
• Building Collaborative Value Chains to Accelerate Circularity
• Financing the Next Generation of Recycling Infrastructure
• Driving Demand Through Downstream User Adoption
• Securing Feedstock Supply Through Collection, Sorting and Recovery Excellence
• Aligning Brand Owner Strategies with Circular Economy Targets
• Geopolitics, Energy Security and the Competitive Future of European Industry
• Unlocking Growth Opportunities Across High-Value End Markets

• Dr Jens Hamprecht, Vice President Sustainability Performance Materials, BASF
• Dr Peter Dziezok, Director R&D Open Innovation, Procter & Gamble
• Dr Stefanie Eiden, Enabling Technology, COVESTRO
• Peter Weidinger, Head of Materials Technology, BROSE
• Frank Fischer, Materials Engineer and Coordinator for Sustainability and Recycled Material Use in Materials Technology, AUDI
• Janina Nizol, Vehicle Development Sustainability, Circular Economy, Specialist Sustainability, BMW Group
• Marius Lehadus, Material Innovation Developer, IKEA
• Dr Thomas Lueder, Global Director Sustainability Partnerships, Beckers Group
• Christoph Lindner, Managing Partner, Conversio Market & Strategy GmbH
• Valentijn de Neve, CEO, BlueAlp & President, Chemical Recycling Europe
• Stephan Roest, Head of Circular Economy Business Development, Borouge International
• Senior Representative, LyondellBasell
• Arjen Wittekoek, Recycled Content Manager, Verpact
• Fabian Loske, Senior Manager – Business Development Sustainability, Sphera
• Liesbeth Stockman, Program Manager Industry – Sustainable Transition, Antwerp Bruges Port
• Xavier Milcent, Global Plastics Strategic Marketing Manager, Exxon Mobil
• Arne Ringkowski, Senior Director SC Network and Reverse Logistics, ALDI Nord Group
• Dr Christine Bunte, Managing Director, Plastics Europe
• Aliaksandra Shuliakevich, Climate Protection and Circular Economy, Plastics Europe
• Dorothee Arns, Director General, FECC
• Thomas Fehn, Group leader for recycling technologies, Fraunhofer UMSICHT
• David Walsh, CEO, Impact Recycling
• Senior Represenative, NESTE
• Marina Bortoletto Sette, Senior Recycling Manager, ELOPAK

If you would like to be considered as a speaker for the event with a 20-25 minute presentation, please submit an abstract for consideration to:

Marta Hoffmann

+48 616 467 039

+44 (0) 20 7 593 0071

Email: [email protected]

• Cement Producers
• Green Fuel Suppliers
• EPCs
• Concrete Manufacturers
• Policy Makers & Regulatory Bodies
• Carbon Capture Technology Providers
• Cementitious End-Product Manufacturers
• Senior Industry Consultants
• Industry Associations

ACI has put together a range of packages to suit your requirements. These range from branding options, to full scale partner solutions and can be tailored to meet your objectives and budgets.

If you are launching a new product or service and wish to gain visibility and brand recognition within your industry, contact us today!

For commercial opportunities, please contact:

Venkat Paramasivam

Tel: +44 (0) 20 3141 0642

Email: [email protected]

Event Overview

The 2026 edition of ACI’s Future of Chemical Recycling Summit brought together chemical producers, recyclers, technology developers, polymer manufacturers, waste management companies, brand owners, regulators and sustainability experts in Düsseldorf to explore the commercial future of chemical recycling in Europe. Across two days of presentations and discussion, the event examined the regulatory landscape, commercial investment, feedstock security, value chain collaboration, technology innovation, circular product design and strategies for scaling chemical recycling technologies to industrial maturity.

Regulation, Investment and Market Development

One of the central themes of the conference was the role of regulation in shaping the future of chemical recycling. Presentations examined the impact of European legislation, including the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR), alongside mass balance methodologies and broader policy developments influencing commercial investment. Speakers highlighted the importance of regulatory clarity in creating market confidence and supporting long-term infrastructure investment.

The discussions also explored the relationship between compliance and commercial development. Rather than viewing regulation solely as a reporting obligation, the programme demonstrated how policy influences technology selection, financing decisions, recycled content claims and the wider commercial viability of chemical recycling projects.

Building Collaborative Circular Value Chains

Collaboration across the plastics value chain was a recurring message throughout the summit. Sessions explored how stronger partnerships between waste collectors, recyclers, polymer producers, converters, brand owners and policymakers are becoming essential for developing scalable circular business models.

Presentations examined successful partnership models, joint investment strategies and data-sharing initiatives that improve transparency across complex supply chains. Speakers consistently highlighted that commercial scale will depend upon greater coordination between upstream waste management and downstream manufacturers, supported by long-term market demand and shared sustainability objectives.

Feedstock Security and Supply Chain Challenges

Feedstock availability remained one of the industry’s most significant challenges. Discussions focused on improving collection systems, sorting technologies and feedstock quality to support reliable chemical recycling operations. Speakers examined the practical constraints surrounding post-consumer plastic waste, including contamination, inconsistent material quality and competition for suitable feedstocks.

The conference highlighted the importance of investing in collection infrastructure, pre-treatment technologies and stronger collaboration across the waste management sector to ensure stable feedstock supplies capable of supporting future commercial facilities.

Technology Innovation and Commercial Scale-Up

Technical innovation formed a major part of the programme, with presentations covering pyrolysis, depolymerisation, dissolution technologies, catalyst development and enzymatic recycling. Rather than focusing solely on emerging research, speakers concentrated on technologies approaching commercial deployment and the challenges associated with industrial scale-up.

Sessions examined methods for upgrading mixed plastic waste into petrochemical feedstocks, improving product quality, increasing recycling yields and processing more complex waste streams such as PVC, tyres and composite materials. Technology providers also demonstrated how catalyst innovation and process optimisation can improve efficiency while supporting integration with existing petrochemical infrastructure.

Discussions on the second day focused on technology readiness, project structuring and lessons learned from early commercial facilities, reinforcing the industry’s shift from pilot projects towards large-scale implementation.

Circular Product Design and Sustainability

The programme also examined the role of product design in improving future recyclability. Presentations explored how design-for-recycling principles can support chemical recycling technologies while enabling greater use of recycled content in finished products.

Sustainability discussions focused on lifecycle assessment, harmonised environmental methodologies and carbon accounting. Speakers highlighted the need for consistent LCA frameworks to support credible sustainability claims, regulatory compliance and customer confidence. Carbon reduction was discussed alongside broader circular economy objectives, positioning chemical recycling as one element within wider strategies for reducing emissions and improving resource efficiency.

Innovation Across Emerging Recycling Technologies

Alongside established recycling pathways, the conference explored emerging technologies capable of expanding future recycling opportunities. Presentations examined enzymatic hydrolysis, advanced thermochemical conversion, catalytic reforming and technologies designed to recover valuable materials from increasingly complex waste streams.

These sessions demonstrated that innovation continues across multiple technology platforms, with the industry’s focus moving towards commercially viable solutions capable of processing a broader range of plastics while improving environmental performance.

Value Chain Collaboration

A recurring conclusion throughout the event was that chemical recycling cannot develop successfully without closer collaboration across the full plastics value chain. Speakers emphasised the growing interdependence between technology developers, recyclers, chemical producers, waste management companies, regulators, brand owners and end users.

The conference demonstrated that many of the sector’s current challenges—including feedstock security, regulatory compliance, technology deployment and market development—require coordinated action rather than individual company initiatives. Greater transparency, stronger partnerships and shared commercial objectives were consistently presented as key drivers of future growth.

A Practical Industry Discussion

Overall, the 2026 Future of Chemical Recycling Summit reflected an industry moving from technological development towards commercial implementation. Across the programme, discussions consistently returned to the need to balance regulatory compliance, commercial investment, feedstock availability, technology innovation and sustainability. The event positioned chemical recycling as an increasingly important component of Europe’s circular economy, with future growth dependent on scalable technologies, credible environmental performance and stronger collaboration across the plastics value chain.

At the event we strive not only to bring you to the same location at the same time as your customers/suppliers/peers, we strive to ensure you meet face-to-face with each and every one of your target contacts and to provide you with the time you need to have multiple unhurried conversations with them and build a lasting business relationship:

• A pre-event informal introduction the evening before the conference
• A minimum of five hours’ networking built into the two day conference agenda
• A networking grid which enables you to make your target contacts aware you are looking for them
• The option to join either social drinks or dinner during the evening of Day One
• ACI’s on-site team will assist you in locating your hard-to-find target contacts & make face-to-face introductions

Of course, if there is anybody you are unable to meet over the two days, ACI’s event team will do their best to initiate contact after the event.