29 June 2021, Würzburg

Thought leaders on the circular economy, users and innovators will all convene at the SKZ Innovation Day Circular Economy in Würzburg in late June to focus on the topic of recycling. The event is being hosted by SKZ – The Plastics Center. The attendees will include Henkel, Werner & Mertz, Pöppelmann, Alba Group, Mr. Green Africa, Plastics Europe and many more.

One new feature is that the conference is being organised by Erema, a developer and manufacturer of plastics recycling machines and system components. And Erema has put together a high-calibre programme right from the start: the keynote address will be given by the CEO of Smurfit Kappa – a company that regards itself as one of the driving forces of the circular economy. Prof Tacker, a packaging scientist at the University of Applied Sciences Vienna, will then give an insight into his research on methods for assessing the sustainability of packaging. The industry giants Werner & Mertz, Henkel and Pöppelmann will present real-life examples of what true circularity can look like and how post-consumer waste from the German “yellow sack” collection system can be reprocessed to a high standard. The recycling industry will also be represented by Dr Manica Ulcnik-Krump, Alba Group, and the companies Brückner Maschinenbau, Engel and Arburg.

The one-day conference has set itself the goal of demonstrating the innovative strength of the plastics industry and its willingness to implement change. The aim is also to discover interconnections, provide impetus and gain inspiration by looking at other industries and the projects of up-and-coming researchers. To this end, a number of in-house projects and practical examples from the industry will be presented.

With its new concept, SKZ has combined exhibitions, networking and presentations into a unique festival event: innovative networking, curated interaction and first-hand insights. The conference will feature plenary lectures in the morning and live demonstrations in the technical centre with insights into research in the afternoon.

Further information on the conference is provided on the event website: https://www.skz-bildung.de/tagungen/t/recycling