Circular Valley Convention 2026: Concrete solutions for a circular tomorrow
On March 11 and 12, 2026, Düsseldorf’s Areal Böhler will once again become an international hotspot for the circularity as the key to a resilient economy: The Circular Valley Convention combines a trade fair, specialist conference, and networking event into a holistic format with thought leaders in the circular economy from politics, business, research, and society.
Following its successful launch in 2025, the Circular Valley Convention 2026 – a joint initiative of Circular Valley, Messe Düsseldorf, and Fraunhofer – is positioning itself as the central cross-industry platform for the circular economy. Under the motto “Uniting Industries for a Circular Tomorrow,” the focus is on concrete products, practical approaches, technological innovations, and new business models along the entire product life cycle. The Circular Valley Convention once again combines trade fair, conference, and networking in a unique event format that enables strategic discussions, concrete solutions, and personal encounters in one place.
To this end, the Circular Valley Convention on March 11 and 12, 2026, will bring together leading players from industry, politics, science, and startups across all sectors at the Areal Böhler in Düsseldorf, providing important impetus for the transformation to a circular economy.
Strong co-hosts and a growing international network
Five leading global companies – BASF, Bayer, Evonik, Henkel, and Vorwerk -are co-hosting the Circular Valley Convention. Together with numerous other partners, they are helping to shape the event on stage and in the exhibition area, sending a strong signal for cooperation along the value chain and for shared responsibility within the industry.
The Circular Valley Convention 2026 takes a holistic approach and combines three key elements:
- A high-profile conference with keynotes, panels, and deep dives.
- A trade fair serving as a marketplace for circular solutions, technologies, and business models.
- Exclusive networking formats that facilitate direct exchange and new collaborations.
High-profile speakers from politics, business, and science, plus an expo featuring prominent exhibitors and innovative startups
Speakers already announced include representatives from federal and state politics, such as Federal Environment Minister Carsten Schneider, Deputy Minister-President and North Rhine-Westphalia Minister of Economic Affairs Mona Neubaur, North Rhine-Westphalia Minister of the Environment Oliver Krischer, and North Rhine-Westphalia Minister for Home Affairs, Local Government, Building, and Digitalization Ina Scharrenbach. CEOs and board members of international companies such as Henkel, BASF, Komatsu, Bayer, Evonik, and Vorwerk will also be represented on stage.
From the field of science, participants include Prof. Christoph Schmidt, President of the RWI Leibniz Institute for Economic Research, Prof. Dr. Manfred Renner from Fraunhofer CCPE, and Prof. Dr. Regina Palkióvits from RWTH Aachen University, Prof. Dr. Michael Braungart, developer of the cradle-to-cradle concept and Reiner Hoffmann, Chairman of the German Council for Sustainable Development, have also confirmed their attendance. Prof. Channing Rex Robertson will be traveling to Düsseldorf from Stanford University in Silicon Valley.
The exhibition area at the Circular Valley Convention 2026 offers companies, research institutions, initiatives, and startups a stage to present various circular solutions. This will once again make the convention a central meeting place for everyone who wants to not only discuss the circular economy, but also put it into practice.
About Circular Valley
Circular Valley, based in the greater Rhine-Ruhr region, is the international hotspot for the circular economy. The nonprofit Circular Valley Foundation unites relevant stakeholders. Companies, startups, academia, and policymakers from various industries and technologies are collaborating to develop solutions for the transformation to a true circular economy. The foundation’s main areas of focus are public relations, the world’s first Circular Economy Accelerator, and policy recommendations.
Hinweise für die RedaktionenNote for editors
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Photo: The photo shows (2.f.l.:) Wolfram Diener, Managing Director Messe Düsseldorf, Dr. Carsten Gerhardt, Chairman of the Circular Valley Foundation and Prof. Dr. Manfred Renner of Fraunhofer CCPE. Source: Jan Turek/Circular Valley
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