Industry leaders and researchers attend ARC 2026 in Cologne, Germany; EU regs may boost demand for recycled plastics

Industry leaders and researchers attend ARC 2026 in Cologne, Germany; EU regs may boost demand for recycled plastics

Moving Advanced Recycling from Innovation to Implementation | Presseportal

Moving Advanced Recycling from Innovation to Implementation

26-09-14_PR_ARC_2026_Programm_EN.pdf PDF - 164 kB

The Advanced Recycling Conference 2026 explores technologies, markets, financing and scale-up of innovative recycling solutions for waste streams including mixed plastic waste, textiles and PVC.

Europe’s chemical and materials sector faces growing pressure to close carbon loops, strengthen raw-material safety and resilience and meet increasingly ambitious EU recycling targets. Against this backdrop, the Advanced Recycling Conference (ARC) will bring together industry leaders, technology providers, researchers, innovators and policy-makers on 17–18 November 2026 in Cologne, Germany.

Alongside core topics such as plastics and polymer recycling, this year’s conference will place a strong focus on relevant sectors such as textiles and on material-specific challenges including PVC. Dedicated sessions will examine key technologies such as dissolution, depolymerisation, pyrolysis and thermochemical recycling. The programme will also explore how digitalisation, financing and investment can accelerate the scale-up and commercial implementation of advanced recycling solutions. International experts will assess market potential and environmental performance and discuss the implications of evolving policy and regulatory frameworks.

With nearly 300 participants, the Advanced Recycling Conference has established itself as a key international meeting point for the recycling and materials sector. It enables technology providers, industry, researchers, investors and policy-makers to exchange practical knowledge and identify opportunities for collaboration. In doing so, the conference supports the transition of advanced recycling technologies from innovation to successful industrial implementation.

Further information and the full conference programme are available at https:

Focus sessions tackle key challenges

The conference comes at a critical time, as new EU regulations are tightening requirements for recycling quotas and the use of recycled materials. The Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR), for example, introduces minimum recycled-content requirements of between 10 % and 35 % for different types of plastic packaging by 2030, with higher targets expected by 2040. The proposed End-of-Life Vehicles Regulation would also require a minimum of 25 % recycled plastic in new vehicles. If adopted, this could significantly increase demand for recycled post-consumer plastics.

Meeting these targets will require the wider deployment of innovative recycling technologies and further investment in the necessary infrastructure. The conference will therefore address not only key technologies, but also regulatory impacts, market dynamics and environmental considerations in dedicated sessions:

Advanced Recycling – Markets, Financing & Scaling

Sustainability & Life Cycle Assessments

Pyrolysis Oil Post-processing & Upgrading

Depolymerisation Technologies for PET & Si-O-Based Polymers

Regulations and Tools for End-to-end Certifications Within the Recycling Loop

The Advanced Recycling Conference 2026 is supported by sponsors commited to advancing circular solutions. nova-Institute thanks Gold Sponsor Siemens, Silver sponsors BUSS ChemTech and Yncoris, and bronze sponsor Erema Group.

To encourage exchange among industry professionals, the event also features a trade exhibition and poster session. Exhibition stands can be booked at https:

. Posters can be submitted until 9 October 2026 via https:

The Advanced Recycling Conference is supported by industry and trade associations, non- profit organisations, research institutions and interest groups that are thematically linked to the conference: BCNP Consultants (DE), C.A.R.M.E.N. (DE), ChemCologne (DE), Chemie-Cluster Bayern (DE), CLIB (DE), Fecc – European Association of Chemical Distributors (EU), IBB Netzwerk (DE), kunststoffland.NRW (DE), Plastics Europe (DE), Renewable Carbon Initiative (International), VinylPlus(DE).

Find all nova press releases, images and more free-for-press material at https:

Since the mid-1990s, the nova-Institute has been dedicated to sustainability and today focuses primarily on renewable carbon cycles. As an independent research institute, it supports companies – particularly from the chemical, plastics, and materials industries – in the use of renewable carbon derived from biomass, direct CO₂ utilisation (CCU), and recycling.

With a multidisciplinary team of scientists, the nova-Institute participates in international innovation projects and provides science-based management consulting. The institute follows a holistic approach: its experts analyse which technologies and raw materials are suitable for specific products, in which markets their application is feasible, which regulatory frameworks apply, how sustainable the solutions are, and how they can be successfully positioned in the market.

Based on these analyses, the team develops tailored strategies to support the transformation from fossil to renewable carbon. Around 50 experts from various disciplines work together to drive the defossilisation of industry – for a climate-neutral future.

More information: www.nova-institute.eu – www.renewable-carbon.eu

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