Post by matterr

How can Germany turn innovation into industrial value creation? This question shaped many of the discussions at this year’s ChemCologne Chemistry Forum. This week, around 300 representatives from industry, politics, and associations gathered at the 15th ChemCologne Chemistry Forum in Chemical Park Knapsack. The conference addressed the current challenges that the Rhineland chemical industry is facing, while also highlighting the opportunities ahead and the growing momentum for industrial transformation. NRW has the innovation potential to remain a leading industrial region. The opening remarks by Nathanael Liminski (Minister für Bundes- und Europaangelegenheiten, Internationales sowie Medien des Landes NRW) and the keynote by Markus Steilemann (CEO Covestro & Präsident German Chemical Industry Association VCI) particularly resonated with us, highlighting the importance of maintaining a strong industrial base in times of profound transformation.  At the invitation of Christoph Kappenhagen, Chairman of the ChemCologne board, our CEO Melanie Hackler shared matterr's experiences from building our first small-industrial scale chemical recycling plant and discussed what it takes to scale in Europe. Three key messages were highlighted:  - Waste is a resource. Every year, plastic waste streams with an estimated raw material value of €9.2 billion are incinerated or landfilled in Europe, despite the opportunity to recover these resources and return them to the value chain. - Germany has the innovation. What is needed are the framework conditions that allow these innovations to scale and become industries. - Whether new recycling infrastructure is built depends not only on technological progress, but also on competitive energy prices, access to financing, and long-term investment certainty. The discussion continued in a panel with Tim Hartmann (Currenta) and Dr. Klaus Altfeld (OGE), focusing on the links between competitiveness, infrastructure, and innovation, and the need for a clear long-term strategy for Germany and Europe. 🤝 Thank you to ChemCologne for creating a platform for these conversations. The exchange of perspectives showed once again how important collaboration will be in shaping the future of industry in Europe.