Agenda

Day 1 - 07 February

Welcome coffee

Welcome and introduction

Session 1- Market Dynamics

Overall

Patrick Bouzekri

SBA-CCI, Inc

Patrick joined SBAcci after 14 years of experience in the Fast Moving Consumer Goods (F.M.C.G.) industry with the global leader of bottled water. This experience gave him in-depth exposure to PET resin, PET preforms and PET containers. He has further experience in International Business Development and High Performance Coaching and Leadership. Patrick focuses on Europe, Middle East, Africa, and Asia with the World Polyester Research Program, which is a balanced model of supply and demand for global polyester raw materials (PX, PTA, MEG) and the global production and consumption of PET resin. Patrick’s vast experience on the procurement side of the table brings a fresh perspective to our clients and to our understanding of the industry.

Brandowner

Nicholas Hodac

Unesda

Nicholas Hodac is the Director General of UNESDA Soft Drinks Europe since October 2019, leading the Brussels-based association representing the European soft drinks industry with 23 national members and 10 corporate members. The areas of priority for Mr. Hodac are Sustainability (e.g. packaging, collection), Responsibility (e.g. nutrition, health, labelling) and Competitiveness (e.g. taxation). which form the core of UNESDA’s Aspirations for 2019-2024. Previously, Mr. Hodac worked for IBM Europe, Ford Motor Company and General Motors. Mr. Hodac holds a Masters in European Foreign Policy, a Bachelor in European and International Economics and a Bachelor in Law.

Retailer

TBC

PET producer

Coffee break

Converter

Bernard Merkx

Recycler

Tjerk Kuhlemann

REMONDIS

Tjerk Kuhlemann is managing director of REMONDIS PET Recycling and responsible for three plants and their material flows. He started his career with REMONDIS in 2017 as a project manager and set up two plastics recycling plants. During his studies, he already focussed on the subject of raw material shortages and was appointed a member of the management board in 2021. He is committed to a sustainable rPET supply in Europe and partnerships that promote a European circular economy. Tjerk holds a master’s degree in industrial engineering. He lives with his family in Essen.

Panel discussion

Moderator

Patrick Bouzekri

SBA-CCI, Inc

Walking Lunch

Systemiq

TBC

Rob Wilson

Session 2 - Science and Regulatory

Constant improvement of analytical methods

PPWR

Leonor Garcia

E&ACT

Sustainable transformations strategies. Leonor supports clients with scientific, regulatory and advocacy expertise. She helps companies in setting and progressing forward–looking sustainable goals on the use of chemicals and selection of packaging materials to make Green Deal ambitions a market reality. Leonor has gained over 30 years of industry working experience in R&D, Innovation, Manufacturing, and Regulatory and Public Affairs within the Petrochemicals, Chemicals Specialties and Food Industries.

Networking coffee break

Session 3 - Communication and Advocacy

Advocacy with Q&A

Antonello Ciotti

Petcore Europe

He has a long-term story as Dow Plastic employee in different roles mainly in the PET business as Global Commercial Director in Equipolymers and in plastic recycling as Sr. Business Development Director EMEAI in Dow Plastics & Specialty Plastic Recycling. Antonello is Past President and actually Deputy Chairman in Corepla, the Italian EPR scheme for plastic packaging recycling.

Com Campaign with Q&A

TBC

Sam Rowe

Caro Consulting

Sam Rowe is a communications consultant with over 35 years’ experience. She has spent her career working in large network consultancies and moved to Brussels in 1997 having spent the first 15 years of her working life in London. Sam now runs her own business advising a range of public and private sector clients on communications and lobbying. She is a member of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations and a past-president of the International Association of Business Communicators in Belgium.

TBC

Session 4 - View from decision makers

View from the Commission

View from the Parliement

Dinner at Le Plaza Hotel

Day 2 - 08 February

Networking coffee break

Welcome and introduction

Antonello Ciotti

Petcore Europe

Session 1- Emerging technologies and applications

Depolymerisation overview

TBC

Bruno Langlois

Carbios

Bruno Langlois, PhD, graduated from Clarkson University, NY, USA. Over 25 years of experience in the chemical industry to develop business with innovative chemistries and establish long term partnerships. Bruno is passionate about innovations. Carbios, with its unique technical solution, business model, and ability to make PET circular is a perfect fit to passionately address the major issues to transition to a more sustainable economy by reducing our plastic and textile waste.

BHET

TBC

Jesper van Berkel

Textile

Christian Crepet

Petcore Europe

With a commercial and executive business management background, Christian-Yves Crépet started his career with Dow Chemical and went on with Eni Chem both in France and other European countries. Before running Petcore Europe, he has been the Managing Director of the French 50 kt/pa PET&HDPE recycling company Sorepla Industrie for the last 21 years. He is very familiar with the PET and the Polyolefin Industry. Having been a member of Petcore since 1993, became a director and treasurer. Also, for the past 15 years, Vice-President of PRE (Plastics Recyclers Europe), Chairman and founder of it’s HDPE/PP WG and Vice-Chairman of the PET WG. Christian Crepet moved into an Ambassador role as of 1 January 2023 and became an honorary member of the Board.

Q & A session 1

Coffee break

Innovation

TBD

Session 2 - Improving purity

NIAS PING and KÖR

Casper van den Dungen

Plastics Recyclers Europe

Casper is also Chairman Working Group PET, Member technical committee EPBP, Member steering board EPBP, Chairman Technical committee PETCORE Europe, Member of BoD PETCORE Europe. Casper is more than 20 years active in PET recycling. He started as mechanical engineer with a specialization in Plastic processing. Gained experience in Explorative Research and Development as well as heading a Plastic processing using recycled materials.

Bernd Schwarz

KÖR

Bernd is General Manager for the DACH region in KÖR Group and project manager for the NIAS ordering platform LABS, provided by KÖR. Bernd is holding an engineering degree in applied chemistry with specialization in analytical chemistry. Bernd has held several managerial roles at large TIC companies over the last 25+ years and managed several business lines and laboratories. He joined KÖR in October 2021.

Q & A session 2

TBC

Raphael Jaumotte

Petcore Europe

TBC

Lunch

Session 3 - Rising market challenges

FB

José-Antonio Alarcon

Petcore Europe

José Antonio has a degree in Industrial Chemistry from the University of Granada (Spain) and PDD from the Austral University of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Jose Antonio has been involved in the Plastics industry for 35 years, mainly concentrated in the PET industry, involved in Virgin PET, Co-polyesters, Recycling and Packaging business. He has developed his carrier in Multinational companies as Eastman, Artenius, and Selenis. José Antonio is currently CEO of IGBS, dedicated to Technical, Operational and Business consultancy, with special focus on the Plastic industry. As independent consultant, he has collaborated in the past with Petcore-Europe as coordinator of the Thermoforming Working Group He´s currently collaborates with Indorama in Different recycling integration projects. In December, Jose Antonio started a collaboration with Petcore Europe to work as Secretary of the Functional Barrier Consortium.

TCEP

Argiris Dabanlis

Petcore Europe

Argiris Dabanlis holds the position of PETCORE Europe Technical Manager since September 2021. In parallel he is the General Secretary of EPBP (European Pet Bottle Platform) and TCEP (Trays Circularity Evaluation Platform) He possesses MEng (1983), MSc (2007), MBA (2018), has technical, and executive business background experience. Argiris started his career at Petzetakis – Pipelife plastic pipe industry and then, he moved to FMCG area. He worked for Coca-Cola Hellenic in Greece and Armenia and then, moved to The Coca-Cola Company, holding senior technical position for Central-Southeastern Europe Business Unit, for more than 26 years.

Q & A session 3

TBC

José-Antonio Alarcon

Petcore Europe

TBC

Sergio Collado

Sulayr

A Chemical Engineer from the Superior School of Engineering of Seville. The beginning of his career was linked to polymers in a SBR production facility, after this he participated in the development of the Single Operation Procedures and One Point Lessons instructions, and TPM for packaging lines at KRONES (2008-2012). Between 2012 and 2015 he was dedicated to the agri-food industry in the development of selective liquid-liquid and solid-liquid extraction processes for the recovery of olive industry residues rich in phenols and terpenes. After a brief stint in the construction sector where he led an EU-funded project for the development of resilient bitumen-polyurea pavements to increase urban safety, he joined the Sulayr GS team in 2016-2017 as head of R&D, and since 2018 as technical director of the Sulayr Group. He has extensive experience in the development of mechanical and chemical processes for waste recovery and, especially in biphasic or triphasic interactions, such as liquid-liquid extraction or froth-flotation processes. He has participated in a patent (as an inventor) to produce food spherifications and in the last years has developed a process for post-consumer tray recycling.

Session 4 - Design guidelines

EPBP

Antoon Spiessens

Coca-Cola

Antoon Spiessens is Technical Sustainability Director at The Coca-Cola Company for Europe. In his role, Antoon is accountable for the design and stewardship of the The Coca-Cola Company’s sustainability strategy, commitments and execution plans for packaging, water and climate in Europe. Antoon brings more than 2 decades of international technical and business knowledge, innovation, supply chain and sustainability leadership.

Labels

Sofiane Mameri

Sleever International

He joined the Marketing Department as Communication Executive in 2012, to become Head of Marketing & Communication in 2017. Presently responsible for sustainable development products, he promotes to worldwide brands all the added value and benefits of shrink sleeve recycling technologies. With an intricate understanding of the customers expectations in terms of packaging eco-design and differentiation, Sofiane has provided valuable insight to multiple customers and partners.

O&F

Alessandra Funcia

Sukano

Alessandra Funcia is Global Head of Marketing and Head of Sales EMEA at Sukano AG, with almost 20 years of experience working in leading global & regional roles at multinational companies focused on the color and additives masterbatches business, she is responsible for the planning, development, and implementation of market strategies and communication activities, with a focus on specialty resins, polyesters recyclability, and biodegradable plastics. Alessandra is a yoga practitioner, a nature lover and local communities supporter. In her free time, she also acts as an environmental activist using science-based approaches to set priorities and promote impactful changes in our daily life.

Standardisation

Raphael Jaumotte

Petcore Europe

Q & A session 4

Raphael Jaumotte

Petcore Europe

Networking coffee break

Session 5 - Supply chain optimisation

LCA, REUSE

Monica Harting

Remondis

Monica Harting is a Portuguese who moved to Germany to study process engineering. She first worked in the automotive industry, implementing development processes and sustainability projects. An additional MBA allowed her to further pursue the idea of combining sustainability with economics. In that period she developed renewable energies, always in an international scope. In the last 5 years she focussed on waste management, having worked with teams in different countries to optimize waste management strategy and develop new recycling processes. At REMONDIS she supports the goal of achieving more circular economy for plastics throughout the entire value chain and different industry sectors.

Bernard de Caevel

EUPC

Delphine Close

Unesda

Delphine Close is the EU Policy Manager of UNESDA since 1 September 2021. In her role, she is responsible for leading the association’s advocacy activities on sustainability and taxation policies. Prior to joining UNESDA, Delphine worked at Grayling, a public affairs consultancy, for seven years where she gained solid experience in developing and implementing public affairs campaigns and advising companies and trade associations on European political and legislative developments. Her expertise mainly lies in the areas of trade, environment and waste, nutrition and food safety.

LCA

Laura Steward

Napcor

Lauren Laibach

NAPCOR

Lauren serves as Director of Data Services for NAPCOR, the trade association representing the PET plastic industry in North America. She began contributing research for NAPCOR’s annual reporting in 2012—as a summer intern while completing a Sustainability degree at the University of Rochester—and has grown within the organization ever since. Today her work is concentrated on calculating annual gross and net PET bottle recycling rates for the United States, oversight of an annual PET bale composition audit, and managing life cycle analysis data and projects commissioned by NAPCOR.