Plastics Europe Germany hosted a panel discussion at K 2025, at which Dr Ralf Duessel, President of Plastics Europe Germany, presented the latest paper, “Circular Economy PLUS,” as a stimulus for discussion.
According to the paper, the industry is well positioned overall, yet its global market share is declining. This failure is not due to technological issues, but rather to
- slow approval procedures,
- high energy and non-wage lab costs,
- insufficiently defined recycling quotas,
- clear guidelines from public procurement, and
- the implementation of the German circular economy strategy.
So what does Europe's path to the future look like?
In the opinion of the participants in the discussion, in addition to improved framework conditions through politics and regulatory authorities, a more intensive social approach to the issues of climate change, pollution, and biodiversity is necessary. The global challenges and the associated costs cannot be mastered in Europe or Germany alone as long as competition comes from autocratic systems that deny these challenges. Transformation processes are costly, and many companies are facing economic ruin or have already had to give up. If sustainability is to be at the heart of future action, then this must also apply to the economic pillar, with political support, and extend to education, science, and research.
In addition to Prof. Hans-Josef Endres, the panel included:
- Dr Thorsten Dreier (Covestro)
- Dr Ralf Duessel (Plastics Europe Germany)
- Bernhard Hoppe-Biermeyer, Member of the Federal State Parliament (CDU parliamentary group in North Rhine-Westphalia)
- Dr habil. Volker Strauss (Federal Environment Agency)
- Johannes Winkel, Member of the Bundestag (CDU/CSU parliamentary group, Junge Union Deutschland)
The entire event is available on YouTube: K 2025: Wettbewerbsfähigkeit als Treiber der Transformation - Keynote und politisches Panel
