With the necessary transformation into a circular economy with plastics, the plastics industry is facing a far-reaching paradigm shift. Plastics Europe would like to drive this change forward. In the first half of 2022, as part of an initiative by Plastics Europe Deutschland, leading experts in the field of circular economy with plastics have developed recommendations for action for the German circular economy strategy announced in the latest coalition agreement in 2021 after intensive consultations. Plastics Europe Deutschland took the role of a moderator in this discussion process in order to guarantee recommendations for action on a technical and scientific basis.
With this paper we would like to initiate a discussion process and actively accompany the circular economy strategy and thus also the transformation path for our industry.
Contributions to the recommendations for action were made by:
- Prof. Dr. André Bardow, Professor Energy and Process Systems Engineering at the Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering ETH Zurich, Switzerland.
- Prof. Dr.-Ing. Christian Bonten, Head of the Institut für Kunststofftechnik at the University of Stuttgart, Germany.
- Dipl.-Phys. Michael Carus, CEO nova-Institute for political and ecologic innovation GmbH, Hürth, Germany.
- Prof. Dr.-Ing. Christian Hopmann, Head of the Institute for Plastics Processing (IKV), RWTH Aachen University, Germany.
- Prof. Dr.mont. Reinhold W. Lang, Head of the Institute of Polymeric Materials and Testing, Johannes Kepler University Linz, Austria.
- Dr. Markus Schopf, Public Affairs Advisor.
- Prof. Dr.-Ing. Dieter Stapf, Head of the Institute for Technical Chemistry (ITC), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Germany.
- Dr. Henning Wilts, Director Division Circular Economy, Wuppertal Institut für Klima, Umwelt, Energie GmbH, Germany.
The process was moderated by:
- Ingemar Bühler, Managing Director PlasticsEurope Deutschland e.V. (PED).
- Carolina Hupfer M.Sc., Head of Economics, PED.
- Dr. Alexander Kronimus, Head of Climate Protection and Circular Economy, PED.