In February 2025, the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) entered into force. It aims to reduce packaging waste and promote recycling, for example through new requirements for design for recycling and the mandatory use of recycled content. The regulation is expected to serve as a blueprint for further legislation, for instance in the automotive sector and later also in electronics and construction.

On Circular Thursday, key aspects of a successful circular economy will be discussed:

• What are the recycling potentials in different industries?
• What technologies will be required?
• What conditions are necessary to make recycling competitive?
• What role can alternative raw materials such as biomass or CO₂ play?

These and other questions will be discussed in expert talks with one association representative and two industry representatives on stage – and in dialogue with the audience.

In the afternoon, a panel will explore the complementarity and future perspectives of mechanical and chemical recycling under current competitive conditions.

The day will be moderated by Prof. Dr.-Ing. Manfred Renner, Director of the Fraunhofer CCPE and Head of the Fraunhofer Institute UMSICHT. Within the Fraunhofer CCPE, six Fraunhofer institutes pool their expertise to develop, implement and optimise processes, products and technologies up to application and market maturity – working with and for partners from industry and the public sector to shape the transformation towards a circular plastics economy.

“I am convinced that Germany can do the circular economy. The technological foundations are there, now we just need to combine research and application more closely. That is precisely the aim of Circular Thursday,” explains Manfred Renner.

Programme for Circular Thursday

• 10:00 – 10:15 | Introduction: Get into the Loop – with Fraunhofer
• 10:15 – 10:30 | Keynote: Closing the Loops of Different Material Flows
• 10:30 – 11:00 | Expert Talk: PPWR – Packaging
• 11:00 – 11:30 | Expert Talk: Textile Recycling
• 11:30 – 12:00 | Expert Talk: Electronic Waste
• 12:00 – 12:30 | Expert Talk: Construction Sector
• 12:30 – 13:30 | Panel Discussion: Driving Circularity under the ELV Directive: Inside the Global Impact Coalition’s Automotive Plastics Circularity Pilot
• 14:35 – 14:55 | Keynote: Perspectives on Chemical and Mechanical Recycling by Fraunhofer CCPE
• 14:55 – 15:10 | KI – Kunststoff Information: White Paper Presentation – Recycling: Forecasts, Prices and Profit. The Development of the European Recycling Market up to 2030
• 15:10 – 15:20 | Keynote by Dr. Christine Bunte
• 15:20 – 16:30 | Panel Discussion: Perspectives on Chemical and Mechanical Recycling

Working Together for a Sustainable Future

“Circular Thursday is an opportunity to reflect on our achievements in circular economy and to discuss how we can accelerate the transformation even further,” says Dr. Christine Bunte, Managing Director of Plastics Europe Deutschland. “We invite all interested parties to participate and to work together on solutions that protect the environment while enabling economic success.”

Tickets and Further Information
On 8 October 2025, K 2025 – the world’s leading trade fair for the plastics industry – will open its doors in Düsseldorf.
Held every three years, the fair attracts over 200,000 visitors from around 160 countries for eight days. It serves as a key barometer for trends and developments across the entire plastics sector – from global corporations and start-ups to NGOs and policymakers.

Further details about the fair and the special show Plastics Shape the Future at:
Plastics Shape the Future – K 2025

• Dates: 8–15 October 2025
• Venue: Messe Düsseldorf, hall 6, booth C40
• Tickets: Day passes from €60