Main Stage
Donnerstag, 12. März 2026
Das Programm der Main Stage
Die Main Stage ist ein Highlight der Circular Valley Convention – ein Ort, an dem führende Köpfe aus Wirtschaft, Wissenschaft, Politik und Gesellschaft ihre Visionen und bahnbrechenden Projekte präsentieren. Hier erfahren Sie aus erster Hand, wie die Zukunft der Circular Economy gestaltet wird. Mit inspirierenden Keynotes und richtungsweisenden Impulsen bieten renommierte Experten wertvolle Einblicke in innovative Strategien, transformative Technologien und globale Trends. Lassen Sie sich von den Perspektiven der Top-Speaker begeistern und erleben Sie, wie Ideen Gestalt annehmen, die unsere Welt nachhaltig verändern werden.
Donnerstag, der 12. März 2026
09:30 - 11:15 Uhr
Opening & Keynotes
09:30 - 09:45 Uhr
Review & Outlook
–
Format: Opening
Session: Opening & Keynotes
Language: English
Speaker
Chérine De Bruijn
Moderatorin Main Stage
Managing director
CORPORATE KITCHEN®
Dr. Carsten Gerhardt
Chairman
Circular Valley Foundation
09:45 - 10:00 Uhr
Changing systems to boost sustainable growth
Format: Keynote
Session: Opening & Keynotes
Language: English
Speaker
Dr. Thomas Stoffmehl
CEO
Vorwerk Group
Lecture information
- Vorwerk aims to be the world’s most attractive direct selling company by 2030, treating sustainability as a growth driver. Core thesis: circularity is the new operating system for growth—materials are strategic assets, products are material banks, manufacturers are resource stewards.
- At Vorwerk, we have three connected loops:
- Small Loop (Factory): precise, low-waste production and disciplined material management
- Medium Loop (Products): long-lasting product ecosystems (upgrade/repair/refurbish) —driving recurring revenue
- Big Loop (Material system): incentives over mere regulation; proposal for a voluntary “Circularity Credits” market modeled on ETS
- Call to action: launch a pilot, form a working group, engage policymakers. Make circularity easy, logical, and affordable
10:00 - 10:15 Uhr
Keynote
Format: Keynote
Session: Opening & Keynotes
Language: English
Speaker
Carsten Schneider
Minister for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Climate Protection and Nuclear Safety
Germany
10:15 - 10:30 Uhr
Driving the green transformation through circularity
Format: Keynote
Session: Opening & Keynotes
Language: English
Speaker
Dr. Stephan Kothrade
Member of the Executive Board and Chief Technology Officer
BASF SE
Lecture information
Stephan Kothrade’s keynote outlines how circularity is becoming technically feasible at industrial scale, from recycled and renewable feedstocks to concrete examples such as loopamid® in textiles or solvent‑based PA6 recycling in the automotive sector. These innovations show what is already possible – but they also reveal a gap: despite progress, the green transformation is not moving fast enough. Clear, coherent regulation, technology‑neutral rules and demand‑pull mechanisms are needed to make circular solutions economically viable and scalable. The presentation makes the case that Europe can strengthen its resilience and competitiveness, if policymakers help create the conditions to accelerate circularity across industries.
10:30 - 10:45 Uhr
The future of the circular economy in North Rhine-Westphalia: How to scale innovations and best practices
Format: Keynote
Session: Opening & Keynotes
Language: English
Speaker
Oliver Krischer
Minister for the Environment, Nature Protection, and Transport
NRW
Lecture information
The circular economy is no longer optional, but essential for resilience, innovation, and climate neutrality. In North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW), it currently generates over €20 billion revenue annually and secures 240,000 jobs. To promote innovation, the state uses various instruments, such as setting the regulatory framework, providing funding and financing, consulting services, and networking opportunities. With thiswe accelerate the circular economy in North Rhine-Westphaliafocussing on key sectors such as chemicals, plastics, and construction. By strengthening recycling infrastructure, supporting start-ups and SMEs, removing regulatory barriers and aligning with EU and federal policies, North Rhine-Westphalia aims to turn best practices into widespread market adoption and establish itself as a market leader.
10:45 - 11:00 Uhr
European challenges: growth, supply chain, environment – Circular economy as a solution.
Format: Keynote
Session: Opening & Keynotes
Language: English
Speaker
Dr. Henrik Ahlers
Country Managing Partner
EY Germany
EY Deutschland GmbH
11:00 - 11:15 Uhr
Effective AI policy as a prerequisite for establishing a Circular Economy
Format: Keynote
Session: Opening & Keynotes
Language: English
Speaker
Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Christoph M. Schmidt
President
RWI - Leibniz Institute for Economic Research
Lecture information
Transforming the economy to a circular economy (CE) requires an encompassing digital transformation. In particular, applications of artificial intelligence (AI) can serve as enablers of CE applications. To this end, an effective AI policy needs, first, to be formulated as a European endeavor: It needs to reduce technological dependencies, but without compromising openness and competition. Second, the provision of a high-performance computation infrastructure is indispensable for the training of sufficiently powerful AI models. Third, access to high-quality data is a key prerequisite of the further development of specialized AI applications, requiring a lean and business-friendly regulation and the establishment of trustworthy approaches to data sharing, especially of industry data.
11:15 - 13:00 Uhr
Central R-Strategies - Extension of Product Lifespan
11:15 - 11:30 Uhr
Closed Loops and Open Systems - The dynamics of construction material recycling
Format: Lecture
Session: Extension of product lifespan
Language: English
Speaker
Michael Scharpf
Head Sustainable Construction
Holcim Germany
Lecture information
Thesis One – Circular construction must and will replace linear construction.
The session will highlight down-to-earth methods of multidimensional material sourcing.
Thesis Two – Innovative recycling and upcycling technologies already exist.
We will dispel a couple of recycling concrete myths and demonstrate how high-quality recycled building materials and waste can be efficiently processed and utilized in concrete and cement to reduce raw material consumption and CO₂ emissions.
Thesis Three – Sustainable transformation of building materials requires common sense and political impetus.
The session will emphasize the importance of standards, financial support, and improved infrastructure for deconstruction and recycling to establish circular construction across and beyond Germany.
11:30 - 11:45 Uhr
If Products Could Speak – How Product Marking and Digital Transparency Unlock the Circular Economy
Format: Lecture
Session: Extension of product lifespan
Language: English
Speaker
Thomas Krämer
Director Asia | Pacific
WIPOTEC GmbH
Lecture information
What if every product could tell its own story – from the origin of its materials to its reuse and/or recycling? This talk demonstrates how product marking and digital transparency become key enablers of the circular economy. Starting from the limits of the linear economy (Take–Make–Waste), it explains the shift toward data-driven, circular systems. The focus is on digital product markings and QR codes as the foundation for traceability, Digital Product Passports, and the implementation of regulatory requirements such as PPWR and ESPR. Practical examples illustrate how products become part of a resource-efficient digital ecosystem – and how knowledge of existing processes and development possibilities, combined with imagination, drives real innovation.
11:45 - 12:00 Uhr
Circular by design. Financed to fit.
Format: Lecture
Session: Extension of product lifespan
Language: English
Speaker
André Rolfes
Chief Sustainability Officer
GEFA BANK GmbH
Tobias Hense
Philips Capital Manager DACH
Philips GmbH Market DACH
Lecture information
This presentation explores how circular financing acts as a strategic enabler across the entire asset lifecycle, from acquisition and use to upgrades and end-of-life management. Using Philips as a core example, it illustrates how financing partners and manufacturers can work closely together to design lifecycle-oriented solutions. The focus lies on reducing investment barriers, extending asset life, enabling technological renewal, and aligning economic efficiency with circularity and long-term transformation objectives.
12:00 - 12:15 Uhr
Circular Economy in the Komatsu Mining Business
Format: Lecture
Session: Extension of product lifespan
Language: English
Speaker
Ansgar Thole
President & MD
Komatsu Germany GmbH
Lecture information
In this lecture, Ansgar Thole explores how Komatsu embeds circular economy principles into its mining business. Starting with the role of ultra-large mining machines, he shows why extending value creation beyond first use has become a business imperative. At the core is refurbishment – giving components and even entire excavators a second life, unlocking efficiency, sustainability, and customer value. The lecture also offers an outlook on managing assets across their full lifecycle, showing how transparency and smart insights support better decisions. A hands-on view of how circular thinking is reshaping modern mining.
12:15 - 12:30 Uhr
Circular economy – design requirements for reusable transit packagings
Format: Lecture
Session: Product Lifespan: Reuse, Repair, Refurbish
Language: English
Speakers
Walter Ahn
Founder
WASTO-PAC GmbH
Lecture information
EU’s PPWR is a key driver for reducing oneway (plastic) packaging and forces companies to think about reusable packaging. But the devil is in the detail as today’s oneway design is often not ideal at all for multiway purposes as suddenly reverse logistics, sorting, inspection, cleaning and repair needs to be considered.
We will address these topics as we are offering such services already long before PPWR and the term ’sustainability‘ became a trend.
12:30 - 13:00 Uhr
Germany as an Industrial Power? – Ideas for a Strong Location Using the Plastics Industry as an Example
Format: Panel Discussion
Session: Opening & Keynotes
Language: English
Speaker
Dr. Christine Bunte
Managing Director
PlasticsEurope Deutschland e.V.
Christian Hündgen
Managing Director
Hündgen Entsorgungs GmbH & Co. KG
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Manfred Renner
Institute Director UMSICHT,
Spokesperson CCPE
Fraunhofer UMSICHT / CCPE
Alexander Roeske
Stiftung Arbeit und Umwelt, IGBCE
Melanie Hackler
CEO
Matterr
13:00 - 13:15 Uhr
Q&A Audience Interaction
Format: Q&A
Session: Opening & Keynotes
Language: English
12:30 - 12:45 p.m.
TBA
Duration: 00:15 h
Format: Speech
Language: Keynotes – Enabling Circular Economy
Language: English
Speaker
TBA
Position
Company
Lecture information
TBA
13:00 - 13:30 Uhr
Networking Lunch
13:15 - 14:45 Uhr
Late R-Strategies - Recycling of Resources
13:15 - 13:30 Uhr
Catalytic Re- & Upcycling of Plastic Waste: Case studies from the WSS Research Centre catalaix
Format: Lecture
Session: Recycling of resources
Language: English
Speaker
Prof. Dr. Regina Palkovits
Chair of Heterogeneous Catalysis and Technical Chemistry @RWTH, Director of the Institute of a Sustainable Hydrogen Economy @FZJ and Spokesperson of the WSS Research Centre catalaix
catalaix / RWTH Aachen University & Forschungszentrum Jülich
Lecture information
Today, thousands of chemical products are manufactured within a predominantly linear economy, relying largely on fossil primary resources such as coal, natural gas, and crude oil. These processes, optimized over decades, have enabled remarkable efficiency and scale. However, the principles of sustainable development make a profound transformation of this linear system imperative — placing closed carbon cycles at the core of a future-oriented chemical industry.
The WSS Research Centre catalaix is at the forefront of developing advanced catalytic re- and upcycling technologies to accelerate the transition toward a multidimensional circular economy. Through innovative catalysis, we enable the sustainable conversion of complex waste streams and the effective integration of renewable energy into chemical production. In doing so, catalaix actively shapes the transformation of the chemical industry toward circularity and long-term sustainability.
13:30 - 13:45 Uhr
Building a circular world that works – transparency unlocked
Format: Lecture
Session: Recycling of resources
Language: English
Speaker
Dorothea Flockert
Head of Group Sustainability
Speira
13:45 - 14:00 Uhr
Hydrometallurgical battery recycling at industrial scale:
What really matters for reliable, high-recovery and future-proof operations
Format: Lecture
Session: Recycling of resources
Language: English
Speaker
Dr. Michel Siemon
CEO
Primobius
Lecture information
For battery manufacturers, recycling companies, and automotive OEMs seeking to close material loops, lithium-ion battery recycling is no longer a question of technical feasibility. The challenge is how to operate plants that perform efficiently, responsibly and reliably while ensuring long-term economic viability.
As battery technologies evolve, facilities must process varying material compositions across chemistries such as NMC, LCO and LFP while achieving high recovery rates, battery-grade quality and stable throughput.
The presentation illustrates how the combination of mechanical pre-treatment through wet shredding and hydrometallurgical refining enables efficient metal recovery while reducing emissions, residues and water consumption. It shows how Primobius recycling processes support responsible resource recovery and stable plant operation.
14:00 - 14:15 Uhr
Unlocking Low‑Carbon Construction: Ambition, Barriers, and the Case for Scaling Iron Silicate
Format: Lecture
Session: Recycling of resources
Language: English
Speaker
Inge Hofkens
COO Multimetal Recycling
Aurubis AG
Lecture information
Europe has committed to climate neutrality by 2050 – and construction must deliver. Yet a paradox persists: proven, low-CO₂ materials struggle to scale due to fragmented regulation. Using iron silicate from Aurubis as a case study, this talk shows how a safe, industrially available mineral can reduce concrete’s footprint by around 10% and save thousands of tons of CO₂ in large projects. To unlock such potential, Europe needs harmonised, science-based rules that enable circular materials to move from ambition to implementation.
14:15 - 14:30 Uhr
Advanced recycling technologies and beyond - current status and perspektives
Format: Lecture
Session: Recycling of resources
Language: English
Speaker
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Matthias Franke
Head of the Sulzbach-Rosenberg
Fraunhofer CCPE / Fraunhofer UMSICHT
Lecture information
Circular Aromatics from MSPW Sorting Residues: Pyrolysis Char as an Alternative Reforming Agent – Lab-to-Demo Scale
Aromatics are foundational to Europe’s sustainable plastics value chain, underpinning packaging, fibers, and engineering polymers. Securing low carbon supplies of BTX (Benzene, Toluene and Xylene) is therefore strategic: European demand is on the order of 15 Mt/y for BTX. Chemical recycling via pyrolysis can address this need by converting yet non-recyclable plastic waste streams into high-value hydrocarbons while reducing contaminants. The Pyromat technology developed at Fraunhofer UMSICHT employs pyrolysis char – the solid by-product of the initial pyrolysis step – as an alternative reforming/upgrading agent, promoting aromatic formation and lowering heteroatom contents in a single process.
The process demonstrates robust removal performance for halogens and metals – including chlorine, bromine, aluminum, phosphorus, and other heteroatom species – achieving thresholds compatible with drop-in petrochemical processing
14:30 - 14:45 Uhr
Europe’s Competitive Advantage: Making Recycling the Core Feedstock for a Circular Chemical Industry
Format: Lecture
Session: Energy, Digitalization & AI
Language: English
Speaker
Dr. Lars Börger
CEO
nova-Institut für politische und ökologische Innovation GmbH
Lecture information
Europe is structurally positioned to become the global leader in recycling-based circularity. With limited access to low-cost fossil feedstocks and increasing pressure on supply security, secondary raw materials are not just an environmental option – they are emerging as Europe’s most strategic industrial resource. In this context, recycling is the logical backbone of Europe’s future feedstock system.
This presentation outlines how an overall circular economy vision fits to recycling becoming the primary pillar for transforming the European chemical industry and safeguarding industrial competitiveness. It highlights key technology pathways, discusses critical barriers, and regulatory framework, and the economic opportunities.
By aligning circular economy ambitions with industrial reality, Europe can turn its feedstock challenge into a competitive advantage—building resilient value chains, reducing dependency on virgin imports, and securing the long-term future of European manufacturing.
Key message
By aligning circular economy ambitions with industrial reality, Europe can turn its feedstock challenge into a competitive advantage—building resilient value chains, reducing dependency on virgin imports, and securing the long-term future of European manufacturing.
14:45 - 16:05 Uhr
Energy, Digitalization & AI
14:45 - 14:50 Uhr
Digitalization as the engine of the Circular Economy
Format: Video Message
Session: Energy, Digitalization & AI
Language: English
Speaker
Thomas Jarzombek
Parliamentary State Secretary to the Federal Minister for Digital and Public Administration
Federal Ministry for for Digital Transformation and Government Modernisation
(BMDS)
14:50 - 15:05 Uhr
Data Platforms versus Data Spaces. A Strategic Comparison of Digital Ecosystem Architectures.
Format: Lecture
Session: Energy, Digitalization & AI
Language: English
Speaker
Dr. Christoph F. Strnadl
CTO
Gaia-X European Association for Data and Cloud AISBL
Lecture information
Digital ecosystems – including data spaces – unite different actors under a common governance frameworks towards fulfilling a shared value proposition with the promise, to be faster, more cost efficient, and more productive than other forms of coordination.
Invariably, digital ecosystems build on the sharing of data as the first step to be able to provide value add services based on this shared data. Conceptually and technically, this may be realized either in the form of a more centralized (data) platform or a more decentralized data space. [548]
This lecture compares the two options and provides clear guidance on several key determinants influencing such as decision.
15:05 - 15:20 Uhr
From data to decisions: Digital tools to reduce fuel burn in flight operations
Format: Lecture
Session: Energy, Digitalization & AI
Language: English
Speaker
Jörn Messner
Vice President Digital Operations Solutions
Lufthansa Group
15:20 - 15:35 Uhr
#Green AI Hub: AI Innovation for the Circular Economy
Format: Lecture
Session: Energy, Digitalization & AI
Language: English
Speaker
Johannes Fischer
Senior Consultant
Green AI Hub
Lecture information
How can circular solutions in companies be accelerated and implemented more quickly? What is the role of AI and Digitisation in this context? Within this impulse, Johannes Fischer, Senior Consultant Green AI Hub will give answers and show innovative approaches the Green AI Hub has in stock.
We will take a global look on the entire value chain and where AI may act as an accelerator for CE. While data readiness is key, we will inspect more closely one of the Green AI Hub company best practices – finalised within only six months. AI can turn CE challenges into a competitive advantage, gaining real traction. Start-ups, spin-offs, medium-sized enterprises as well as industrial units should also see the chances of saving energy, material and resources as well as the innovative force of creating new business models.
15:35 - 15:50 Uhr
Renewable Energies - Enabler for the Circular Economy
Format: Lecture
Session: Energy, Digitalization & AI
Language: English
Speaker
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Christian Doetsch
Spokesman Fraunhofer Energy Alliance and Head of Institute Fraunhofer UMSICHT
Fraunhofer Energy Alliance and Fraunhofer UMSICHT
Lecture information
The lecture highlights the link between the energy transition and the circular economy, explaining how energy-efficient, low-carbon recycling and the recovery of molecules and carbon are key to a sustainable transformation. Renewable energies enable climate-neutral value creation, while circular processes conserve resources and strengthen supply security. This approach combines innovation with systemic thinking to achieve a resource-efficient future.
15:50 - 16:05 Uhr
enerPort II - Optimized energy use in the port-microgrid @ DGT
Format: Lecture
Session: Energy, Digitalization & AI
Language: English
Speaker
Alexander Garbar
Head of Corporate Development, Digitalization and Strategy
duisport- Duisburger Hafen AG
Lecture information
enerPort II demonstrates how ports can evolve into integrated energy hubs that actively shape the energy transition. Implemented at the Duisburg Gateway Terminal the project combines renewable generation storage hydrogen based technologies and an intelligent energy management system within a port microgrid. The focus lies on optimizing energy use at terminal level while increasing resilience security of supply and operational efficiency. Beyond the terminal boundary enerPort II explores scalable models for linking ports with surrounding industrial and urban energy systems. The project provides strategic insights for ports positioning themselves as future ready infrastructure platforms.
16:05 - 17:35 Uhr
Closing
16:05 - 16:35 Uhr
Implementation of the NKWS with the participation of the federal states
Format: Panel Discussion
Session: Closing
Language: English
Speakers
Dr. Carsten Gerhardt
Chairman
Circular Valley Foundation
Cornelius Laaser
Head of Unit for resource efficiency and circular economy
Ministry of Environment, Agriculture, Nature, and Consumer Protection NRW
Reinhold Rünker
Ministry of Economic Affairs, Industry, Climate Action and Energy of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Stephan Ramesohl
Co-Head of the Digital Transformation Research Department
Wuppertal Institut für Klima, Umwelt, Energie gGmbH
16:35 - 17:35 Uhr
Employer to student pitch - Career opportunities in Sustainability and Circular Economy
Format: Panel Discussion
Session: Closing
Language: English
Speakers
Janosch Muschick
Interior Architect
Erfurt & Sohn KG
Till Hermann Iseke
Managing Partner
Kalkwerke H. Oetelshofen
GmbH & Co KG
Nhung Kieu
Head of Sustainability
Vorwerk Group
Saskia Hackstein
Employer Branding Expert
Evonik
Jan Scheffczyk
Director | Pharma Product Supply
- API Manufacturing
Bayer
Matthias Brey
EY Partner and Europe West Sustainability Leader; Carbon2Chem® project partner
EY Consulting GmbH
Martin G. Viehöver
Founder & CEO
Positive Impacts
Kabir Olaosebikan
Founder & CEO
Craft Planet
