#Recycling / Circular Economy

2024-05-16

Exploring the future of advanced recycling: Early bird tickets now available

Smart birds book early – Future focused attendees of the Advanced Recycling Conference 2024 can save 20 % with the early bird bookings until July 16th 2024. This unique event covers all – extrusion, dissolution, enzymolysis, solvolysis, pyrolysis, thermal depolymerisation, gasification with Carbon Capture and Utilisation (CCU), pre-and post-treatment technologies as well as digital solutions. Diving deep into discussions about ambitious EU recycling targets, the commitments of the chemical industry and brands, and the evolving demands of customers and investors driving the recycling sector forward.

Advanced Recycling Conference 2023 Audience © 2024 nova-Institut

Taking place on 20-21 November 2024 in Cologne, Germany and online, the Advanced Recycling Conference (ARC) 2024 highlights the latest innovations in recycling technology. The event provides a collaborative platform for industry leaders, innovators, and policy makers to discuss advanced recycling solutions and related topics, preparing industries for recycling quotas of up to 70 % for packaging materials and 55 % for plastics. With an impressive increase of almost 30 % to nearly 300 participants from 26 countries in 2023, the Advanced Recycling Conference (ARC) has established itself as the leading event for innovation in recycling in just one year. Being a playground for the recycling key players, ARC 2024 aims to build on this success and foster dialogue by building a bridge between physical recycling and chemical recycling.

Future focused attendees now have the opportunity to stay ahead of the curve in recycling technology and secure their early bird tickets profiting from a 20 % discount till July 16th 2024.

Off to uncharted lands: sneak peak into the Advanced Recycling Conference’s ongoing evolution

Participants can expect to gain a comprehensive status quo on recycling solutions and in-depth insights from confirmed speakers and experts:

Pelin Uran (DePoly, CH) on chemical recycling of polyester-based products into monomers.

Jan-Willem Muller (Infinity Recycling, NL) providing insights from an investor's perspective.

Richard von Goetze (Interzero, DE) discussing evolving feedstock specifications in the circular economy.

Gonzalo Izquierdo (Blueplasma Power, ES) sharing insights on turning waste into CO2-free hydrogen and Circular Carbonates.

Annick Meerschman (Cefic, BE) leading discussions with industry experts.

Emmeline Aves (Reventas, UK) presenting solvent-based purification of PE, PP, and ReVentas technology.

While the Advanced Recycling Conference 2023 left participants inspired and motivated to strive for new and best possible recycling solutions, the 2024 edition aims to build on this success and expend its umbrella. All introduced technologies will demonstrate that industries can successfully incorporate smart solutions, effective recycling methods, and renewable material into their processes and hereby close the carbon loop for a sustainable future. Advanced recycling not only offers recycling solutions for difficult waste streams, but also presents a key source for a variety of renewable raw materials. It hereby secures the renewable carbon supply for the chemical and materials industry at large, with plenty more developments laying ahead of it.

More information on the Advanced Recycling Conference 2024 and the conference programme is available at http://www.advanced-recycling.eu.

Ticket registration is now available at https://advanced-recycling.eu/registration/

“Production is a product”

From technical textiles and AI-driven robotics to the limitations of textile circularity: Professor Dr Thomas Gries looks back on more than two decades of development at ITA Aachen. In the interview, he explains why production technology remains a decisive success factor, discusses international collaborations and innovation ecosystems, and shares his views on the transformation of production landscapes and the challenges facing an increasingly regulated industry.

“We need to move away from the price trap and return to a value-driven mindset.”

With its new Textile Innovation Center, KARL MAYER is sending a strong signal for innovation, collaboration, and the future of textile applications. In this interview, Karl Josef Mayer discusses new opportunities in warp knitting, the processing of staple fibres, recycling, the changing role of machinery manufacturers, and why the textile industry must once again focus more strongly on the value of textiles. by Oliver Schmidt

“Innovation, resilience and international experience remain the great strengths of the Swiss textile machinery industry”

Geopolitical uncertainty, growing competitive pressure from China, new free trade agreements and the shift towards a circular economy are currently reshaping the global textile industry. In this interview, Cornelia Buchwalder discusses the current mood within the Swiss textile machinery sector, the industry’s distinctive innovative strength, new market opportunities in India and Asia, and the technological trends that could shape the upcoming trade fair cycle leading up to ITMA 2027.

RE&UP’s Next-Gen Cotton fibers power Zalando private label t-shirt collection crafted from innovative recycled textiles

RE&UP Recycling Technologies’ Next-Gen Cotton powers a new collection from Zalando’s private labels, marking a step forward in bringing textile-to-textile recycled fibers into commercial fashion production. Launching on Zalando in August, the collection comprises five t-shirts across YOURTURN by Zalando and Even&Odd by Zalando, made from a circular-knit fabric blending 80% organic cotton with 20% RE&UP Next-Gen Cotton — textile-to-textile recycled fiber produced from textile waste. This is the first time RE&UP's recycled fibers feature in Zalando's private label assortment.

Driving circularity with Uster Recycled Fiber Matrix

The textile industry’s commitment to circularity continues to accelerate, and mechanical recycling is viewed as a targeted approach to cutting textile waste and its environmental impact. At the forefront of this drive, Uster has developed the Recycled Fiber Matrix, a two-dimensional assessment of mechanically recycled fibers to guide optimum processing and end-uses.

Novel flame-retardant and recyclable fiber-reinforced composite

Airplanes and passenger trains must meet strict safety requirements, including fire safety standards. This calls for materials that are flame-retardant, lightweight, robust, and scalable. Empa researchers, in collaboration with their industry partner Elantas, have now succeeded for the first time in making such a material – a composite – fully recyclable.

ITMA Asia 2026: How Barmag is reshaping the future of man-made fiber production

The textile industry is entering a groundbreaking era. Manufacturers face rising energy prices, growing sustainability demands, increasing labor shortages, and an unprecedented need for flexibility. For a globally active textile industry, where competitiveness is closely linked to production efficiency and cost leadership, this means that technology is no longer merely a means of improving operational processes – it is increasingly becoming a strategic differentiator.

Archroma wins ICIS Innovation Award for sulfur dye breakthrough

Archroma, a global leader in specialty chemicals, has won a coveted 2026 ICIS Innovation Award for Best Product Innovation from a Large Company for FiberColors®. These high-performance sulfur dyes are synthesized from pre-consumer wool waste, reducing industry reliance on petroleum-based inputs while contributing to the circular economy by upcycling unwanted wool that farmers would otherwise pay to dispose of.