BKV Symposium 2026: The plastics cycle – between requirements and practice
The BKV Symposium will take place on 3 November 2026 from 9.30 am to 4.00 pm at the Representative Office of the State of Brandenburg in Berlin.
The agenda for the BKV Symposium, which will be held in German, once again features presentations and discussions on the latest BKV studies and current industry topics, this time under the title ‘Plastics Circular Economy: Status Quo and Outlook – Between Requirements and Practice’. ‘Kreislaufführung Kunststoff: Status quo und Ausblick zwischen Anforderung und Praxis’.
Leading experts from business, academia, government and NGOs will gather at the Brandenburg State Representation to discuss current developments, regulatory requirements and practical innovations in the plastics circular economy. Following opening remarks by Hanka Mittelstädt, Minister for Agriculture, Food, the Environment and Consumer Protection for the State of Brandenburg (via video) and Matthias Stechhan, Chair of the BKV Advisory Board (LyondellBasell), the technical programme will begin. Dr Frank Buckel (Covestro Deutschland AG), spokesperson for the BKV Technical Committee, will host the event.
The first session in the morning will focus on the latest data regarding the state of the plastics circular economy in Germany, as well as on the challenges involved in implementing regulations such as the EU End-of-Life Vehicles Regulation (ELVR) and the EU Packaging Regulation (PPWR). Christoph Lindner (Conversio Market & Strategy GmbH) will present the latest figures from the plastics flow in Germany. Dr Marianne Kuhlmann (ETH Zurich) will then examine the implementation of producer responsibility in accordance with the current ELVR within the automotive value chain. Sandra Beckamp (Institut cyclos-HTP GmbH) will then speak about recyclability as a conformity requirement under the PPWR. The subsequent panel discussion will be expanded by the perspectives of Katharina Istel (Naturschutzbund Deutschland, NABU) and Dr Dirk Textor (Graf Polymers and Chair of the Plastics Recycling Association within the bvse).
In the afternoon, the programme features presentations and discussions on practical applications, technology and AI. Dr Petar Doshev (Borouge International) will provide an outlook on the use of recycled materials in the electrical and electronics sector up to the year 2040. Dirk Jepsen (Ökopol Institut für Ökologie und Politik GmbH, Institute for environmental strategies) will then address the issue of verifying the authenticity of recycled plastics. Finally, Dr.-Ing. Markus Hiebel (Fraunhofer UMSICHT) will analyse the potential of artificial intelligence within the value chain. Georg Pescher (ALPLA Werke) and Stephan Schmidt (Miele & Cie. KG) will also take part in the second panel discussion. The event concludes, following closing remarks by Dr Ingo Sartorius (BKV GmbH), with a group coffee and time for networking.
You can register (free of charge) for the BKV Symposium via this link: https://forms.office.com/e/VW9pn9HGPs?origin=lprLink
The programme (in German) for the BKV Symposium „Kreislaufführung Kunststoff: Status quo und Ausblick zwischen Anforderung und Praxis“ can be downloaded here (PDF file).
Photo: © BKV GmbH / AI-generated graphic