Circular Valley Convention 2026
02.03.2026Cross-Border cooperation as a driving force for the circular economy
How does political ambition turn into real circular practice? On 11 and 12 March 2026, the Circular Valley Convention in Düsseldorf will demonstrate how international cooperation delivers concrete projects, solutions and new value creation for Europe’s key industries.
The transition to a circular economy is a shared international challenge. Taking place on 11 and 12 March 2026 at Areal Böhler in Düsseldorf, the Circular Valley Convention brings together leading stakeholders to show how cross-border cooperation between policymakers, industry and science can enable this transformation. The focus is not on abstract goals, but on tangible results: joint projects, thematic project groups and practical solutions for key industries.
The Circular Valley Convention brings people together across industries and borders
© Jan Turek/Circular Valley
The main stage and innovation stage will feature a high-calibre congress programme with leading representatives from business, science and politics. The programme has three content blocks based on the R strategies, in which cross-sector examples from operational practice will be presented.
We welcome, among others, Federal Environment Minister Carsten Schneider, Deputy Minister-President of North Rhine-Westphalia Mona Neubaur, Mark Dorn, Member of the Management Board of Henkel, Dr Stephan Kothrade, Member of the Board of Executive Directors of BASF, Reiner Hoffmann, Chairman of the German Council for Sustainable Development, Prof. Dr Regina Palkovits from RWTH Aachen University, Prof. Dr Christoph Schmidt, President of the RWI Leibniz Institute, and Prof. Channing Robertson from Stanford University in Silicon Valley.
Trilateral cooperation: From Strategy to implementation
A central programme highlight focuses on the cooperation between North Rhine-Westphalia and Flanders, which was expanded in 2025 to include the Netherlands. This trilateral alliance at the heart of Europe also represents Europe’s largest industrial region. High-level representatives from politics, public administration and research will discuss how political intent can be translated into concrete joint projects.
Speakers include State Secretary Viktor Haase from the Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Transport of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia; State Secretary Silke Krebs from the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Industry, Climate Action and Energy of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia; Brigitte Mouligneau, Transition Manager Circular Economy at Circular Flanders; Arnoud Passenier from the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management, who also serves as Chair of the Strategic Supervisory Board of the trilateral cooperation; Inge Neven (CEO of VITO); and Cornelius Laaser, Head of the Circular Economy Division at the Ministry of Agriculture and Consumer Protection of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia.
The discussion will focus on the progress achieved through this collaboration, including the work of joint project groups in the fields of chemicals, batteries and construction materials – key industries for Europe’s circular transformation.
(From 2.f.l.:) Wolfram Diener, Managing Director Messe Düsseldorf, Dr. Carsten Gerhardt, Chairman of the Circular Valley Foundation and Prof. Dr. Manfred Renner of Fraunhofer CCPE
© Jan Turek/Circular Valley
European country participation: Austria contributes an industry and practice perspective
The international perspective is further enriched by participation from Austria. Representatives from business, industry and applied research will share insights into circular solutions along the plastics and recycling value chain. Participants include Dr Michael Scherz (Austrian Federal Economic Chamber – Advantage Austria), Claudia Legawiec (EREMA Group), Michael Heinzelreiter (Business Upper Austria), Werner Kruschitz (KRM Recycling), Dr Christoph Burgstaller (Transfer Center for Plastics Technology) and Dr Christian Kirchnawy (OFI – Austrian Research Institute for Chemistry and Technology).
These contributions demonstrate how country participation beyond formal partnerships can strengthen European exchange and bring concrete industrial solutions into the discussion.
The panel “Energy, Digitalization & AI” will explore how digital technologies, energy infrastructures and artificial intelligence can support cross-border circular economy projects. Prof. Dr Christian Doetsch (Fraunhofer Energy Alliance) and Alexander Garbar (duisport) will discuss with further representatives from politics, industry and technology how data spaces, digital control systems and intelligent energy solutions enable new forms of collaboration along international value chains.
Evening programme: Europe, Mon Amour
The Wednesday evening programme also takes a cross-border perspective. International trash artist HA Schult will provide insights into 60 years of European trash art and discuss them with Channing Roberts, who has accompanied the development of Silicon Valley for six decades. The dialogue links European cultural history with technological transformation processes and offers an unconventional perspective on sustainability, consumption and innovation.
“Circular economy does not stop at national borders. The Circular Valley Convention shows how international cooperation leads to concrete projects – and why this is a key lever for Europe’s competitiveness and resilience,” says Dr Carsten Gerhardt, Chairman of the Circular Valley Foundation.
Exhibition, conference and networking in one place
Under the guiding theme “Uniting Industries for a Circular Tomorrow”, the Circular Valley Convention 2026 – taking place place on 11 and 12 March 2026 at the Areal Böhler in Düsseldorf – once again combines conference, exhibition and networking into an integrated format.
Over 130 exhibitors from business, research, science and numerous start-ups will present concrete technologies, their products, business models and ideas across the entire product life cycle for the circular economy.
The Circular Valley Convention is a joint initiative of Circular Valley, Messe Düsseldorf and Fraunhofer Institutes. Co-hosts include BASF, Bayer, Evonik, Henkel and Vorwerk. In doing so, they are underlining their commitment to economic transformation towards closed material cycles. And in the current geopolitical context, we see that R strategies also stand for resilience and independence of the national and European economy.
The successful premiere in March 2025 underscored the importance of this new format. The aftermovie offers a brief and impressive review.
Exhibitors and the programme for the Circular Valley Convention.
Tickets for the Circular Valley Convention 2026.
Representatives/employees of a Circular Valley partner organisation can also register directly at and receive the access data.
