Advanced Recycling Conference 2025: New Paths to the Circular Economy
Top experts from business, research and policy discuss the opportunities of recycling at the Advanced Recycling Conference 2025.
Leading experts from the recycling industry will meet in Cologne, Germany, on November 19 and 20, 2025 to present innovative solutions for the recycling of plastics, textiles and automobiles. The event will therefore have a clear focus on industry goals, digitalization and current EU policy.
The event remains committed to plastics and polymer recycling, but is increasingly focusing on emission-intensive sectors such as the textile and automotive industries. These industries face major challenges as their complex material flows make recycling difficult. Despite intensive efforts, the recycling rate for textiles in the EU is still below 20%, which is mainly due to fiber blends that are difficult to separate. At the same time, the EU End-of-Life Vehicles Directive is increasing regulatory pressure by tightening the requirements for the recycling of plastic and rubber materials from vehicles.
To address these challenges, the Advanced Recycling Conference 2025 offers four new focus topics: biochemical recycling, textile and automotive recycling, and advanced digital tools such as AI-assisted sorting, traceability systems and process optimization for industrial scaling. These digital innovations complement proven processes such as extrusion and dissolution (physical recycling), solvolysis (chemical recycling), thermochemical technologies such as pyrolysis, thermal depolymerization and gasification as well as carbon capture and utilization (CCU) technologies.
The conference is taking place at a critical time, as the EU's recycling targets are becoming significantly more stringent. The Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation provides for binding quotas of 10% to 35% recycled post-consumer plastic in various types of packaging by 2030. A further increase in the quota is expected by 2040. In addition, the End-of-Life Vehicles Directive requires a minimum quota of 25% recycled plastic for new vehicles. These requirements will significantly increase the demand for recycled materials. Innovative technologies and the expansion of recycling infrastructure are required to meet these ambitious targets. The Advanced Recycling Conference 2025 will therefore address regulatory and environmental aspects in detail and present the latest market trends.
The conference will be attended by international experts from various industries and companies, including BASF, Covestro, Evonik, Fluor, Grüner Punkt, ISCC, LEGO, LyondellBasell, NFIA, Siemens, Sulzer, Trinseo and Vaude. Leading research institutions such as Chalmers University of Technology, Fraunhofer IVV, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Recycario Data Science - Institute for Economic Plastics Recycling and TU Bergakademie Freiberg are also represented.
With this broad program, the Advanced Recycling Conference 2025 creates a unique platform for technology providers, waste management companies, brands, investors, policy makers and scientists to share knowledge, build partnerships and drive circular value chains. The conference is supported by forward-thinking sponsors who are committed to promoting circular solutions: Gold Sponsor Siemens and Bronze Sponsors BUSS ChemTech, Erema Group and Starlinger.
The full program can be found at: https://advanced-recycling.eu/program/
Further information and the possibility to register
are available on the official website
Further information
