The motto of the Circular Valley Convention 2025, ‘United industries for a circular future’, is a perfect fit for the Fraunhofer CCPE, as the successful transformation towards a circular plastics economy requires creative approaches along the entire value chain. Visitors can look forward to interesting presentations highlighting the latest developments in the areas of business models, product development and high-quality material development, such as geotextiles or roof membranes. Topics such as odor prevention of recyclates, lightweight construction materials based on polylactic acid (PLA) and the design of logistics networks and digitalization will also be covered. In the masterclass on ‘Environmental assessment of circular plastics’, participants will learn which methods are suitable for the transparent and comparable assessment of recycling technologies. Participants are invited to bring their questions and find out what they need to look out for in a comparative environmental assessment of plastics in the circular economy.

Miniature Wonderland shows circular innovations in everyday life

A special highlight at the Fraunhofer CCPE stand is the interactive ‘Miniature Wonderland’, which demonstrates how circular innovations can be implemented in everyday life in the plastics industry. Here, visitors have the opportunity to discover roofing membranes made from biodegradable plastics, innovative circular logistics solutions and a newly designed, modular child seat made from sustainable materials. This child seat embodies the principles of circular design, is repairable and uses reusable components. Interested parties can also familiarise themselves with the Circular Readiness Level® (CRL®) tool. This enables products to be subjected to an initial circularity check and valuable insights to be gained and production processes to be optimized. Another crowd-booster is the recycling cascade, which demonstrates the optimal recycling paths for different waste streams.

The Circular Valley Convention from 12 to 13 March 2025 offers an important platform for the exchange of circular solutions, strategies and business models. Organized by Messe Düsseldorf in cooperation with the Circular Valley Foundation and scientifically supported by Fraunhofer UMSICHT, the convention brings together decision-makers from companies, start-ups, research, politics and society to drive progress in the circular economy and promote synergies.