#Recycling / Circular Economy

2024-08-29

Advanced Recycling Conference 2024: New focus areas and innovative program announced

The Advanced Recycling Conference (ARC) 2024 scheduled for 20-21 November 2024, in Cologne, Germany, and online, will feature an enhanced program that tackles some of the most pressing issues in recycling technology. Along the recycling of plastic packaging this year’s conference will spotlight additional urgent topics such as E-waste valorisation, PVC recycling, textile recycling, and the utilisation of advanced recycling for engineering thermoplastics. Another key focus will explore advanced recycling through the lens of investments and funding strategies.

Participants will have the opportunity to explore a comprehensive range of recycling technologies, including extrusion, dissolution, enzymolysis, solvolysis, pyrolysis, thermal depolymerization, and gasification with Carbon Capture and Utilisation (CCU). The program also includes discussions on pre- and post-treatment technologies and digital innovations that are shaping the future of recycling.

Designed to address the ambitious EU recycling targets, ARC 2024 will focus on achieving the recycling quotas, e.g. achieving up to 70 % recycling quotas for packaging materials and 55 % for plastics. The conference serves as a crucial platform for industry leaders, brands, investors, and policymakers to navigate the evolving regulatory landscape and explore new opportunities in recycling.

Building on its rapid success, ARC has seen a 30 % increase in participation, with nearly 300 attendees from 26 countries joining the 2023 event. The 2024 edition aims to expand on this momentum by fostering deeper collaboration between experts in both physical and chemical recycling. Attendees will gain essential insights into how emerging trends and technological advancements can address the sector’s evolving demands while aligning with sustainability and regulatory goals.

Early bird tickets are now available, offering a 10 % discount until 10 September 2024.

More information is available at https://advanced-recycling.eu.

How innovations drive BASF’s success

“Innovation has always been part of BASF’s DNA. Especially in these volatile times, it is crucial to leverage our innovative strength to develop competitive solutions that differentiate us as a company in our markets and give us a competitive edge,” said Dr. Stephan Kothrade, Member of the Board of Executive Directors of BASF and Chief Technology Officer, at the company’s Research Press Briefing held today. To achieve this, BASF implemented its “Winning Ways” strategy about a year ago with the clear goal of becoming the preferred chemical company to enable its customers’ green transformation.

Textiles Recycling Expo announces collaboration with Future Fabrics Expo for 2026

The Textiles Recycling Expo has entered a major new collaboration with the Future Fabrics Expo which means that both events will run alongside each other at the Brussels Expo, Belgium on 24–25 June 2026. This co-location marks a significant step forward for the textile and fashion industries, bringing together two influential and complementary events under one roof.

More safety and comfort for protective clothing thanks to auxetic fabrics

When everyday materials are pulled, they stretch or elongate in the direction of the pull and become narrower in cross-section. We can also observe this property in two-dimensional textiles. Auxetic structures behave differently here. They have the striking property of not changing under tensile stress or even increasing their width or thickness. These properties are advantageous, for example, in protective textiles or textile filter media. The DITF are researching auxetic fabrics for various applications.

SHIMA SEIKI returns to ShanghaiTex

Leading flat knitting solutions provider SHIMA SEIKI MFG., LTD. of Wakayama, Japan, together with its Hong Kong and Chinese market subsidiary SHIMA SEIKI (HONG KONG) LTD., will exhibit at the ShanghaiTex 2025 exhibition (Booth No.: Hall N3, Booth A20) held in Shanghai, China this month. This marks the return of SHIMA SEIKI to ShanghaiTex after a 14-year hiatus, its last exhibit at the show having been in 2011.

Fraunhofer CCPE presents the “Monomaterial Design Set” – Innovative solutions for circular product design

Composite materials made from different types of plastic often extend the lifetime of products but make recycling more difficult in the circular economy. That is why Fraunhofer CCPE has developed the “Monomaterial Design Set”. This new approach helps to reduce the variety of plastics used in durable products and offers circular solutions for designers and product developers.