• Michael Hofmann, Managing Director, Ecophoenixx

• Bettina Lorz, Senior Expert and Team Leader, B3 – Waste Management & Secondary

Materials, DG ENV

• Joan Marc Simon, Executive Director, Zero Waste Europe

The question of plastic recycling is crucial to our vision of a Circular Economy and an important step towards diminishing the ecological footprint and reducing pollution in Europe. While more and more countries ban imports of foreign plastic waste, the demand for recycling solutions is growing rapidly on a global scale. However, the market for recycled plastics faces numerous challenges as, for instance, waste collection costs and logistics costs remain an important burden. For example, so far, only about 1.6 million tons of polymers are recovered for re-usage of plastic from 140 million tons of postconsumer plastic waste per year.

How can plastic waste recycling become more economical, promote job creation and prevent pollution of the environment? How can the divide between the plastic manufacturing sector and the recycling sector be bridged effectively in order to promote more recycling? What are possible solutions to the main challenges faced by the recycling industry?

At the event, Michael Hofmann, CEO of the German recycling company Ecophoenixx will present his innovative decentralised business model for plastics recycling to improve the recovery of polymers from postconsumer plastic waste, which will form the basis of our discussion.

The discussion will be held in English.

I am looking forward to your positive response. Seating is limited. Please register here until 18 March.