Skip to main content

together towards
higher ambitions

Focused on the theme Together Towards Higher Ambitions, the VinylPlus Sustainability Forum 2024 will feature keynote speeches and presentations from leading experts to explore how policymakers and industry stakeholders can jointly achieve higher sustainability ambitions in Europe and globally.


The VSF2024 will be held as a physical event in Cologne on 23 May 2024 and will bring together sustainability experts and speakers from academia, politics, industry and much more. The day before (22 May), the VinylPlus General Assembly will be organised for VinylPlus partners only.

For the last 23 years, VinylPlus® has been a frontrunner that has focused on sustainability and the circular economy. As an industry, we have achieved a lot, but we know that there is still more to do, in a context where industry needs to be competitive and innovative whilst addressing planetary challenges.
In June 2021, the entire European PVC value chain officially launched VinylPlus 2030, its third 10-year commitment to sustainable development. With VinylPlus 2030, the European PVC industry has opened the next stage of its journey to accelerate the transition towards a more sustainable and circular future with even more ambitious goals. As we approach the halfway point of this commitment, a mid-term review is foreseen for 2025. This review is a key opportunity to take stock of EU and global developments, as well as the achievements and challenges faced by the PVC industry, and further progress towards higher ambitions.

At the #VSF2024, we will discuss how the European PVC industry works jointly with policymakers and industry partners towards meeting EU and global ambitions. We will put the spotlight on the PVC value chain’s efforts to find solutions towards advancing circularity ambitions and towards minimising its environmental footprint. We will also showcase how the PVC value chain contributes to sustainable development by accelerating its transition towards certified and traceable PVC products.

During a dedicated Awards Ceremony, #VSF2024 will recognise companies that deliver the highest sustainability performance of PVC products through the VinylPlus® Product Label for PVC converters and the VinylPlus® Supplier Certificates for PVC additives producers and compounders.

 

Key Topics at #VSF2024

  • Exploring EU and Global Regulatory Developments Towards Sustainability
  • Advancing Circularity Ambitions: Commitment, achievements and challenges of the PVC value chain
  • Innovation: PVC as a blueprint for circular plastics
  • Minimizing the Environmental Footprint of PVC products
  • Rewarding and recognising sustainability: VinylPlus® Product Label & VinylPlus® Supplier Certificates

Details

Start: 22 May 2024
End: 23 May 2024
VinylPlus®

Köln Marriott Hotel, Johannisstraße, Köln, Innenstadt, Germany

Johannisstraße 76-80
50668 Köln NRW
Germany

Speakers

Marina Arz

Managing Director
IVK - Europe
  • www.ivk-europe.com
  • Marina Arz

    Marina Arz is Managing Director of IVK Europe, the European Association of Plastic Films and Sheets. Prior to join IVK, Marina worked in the European Commission’s 'Chief Economist Team‘ in the Directorate-General GROW in 2018, before she joined the German Federal Parliament in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania as advisor on European affairs and domestic policy.

    Read more

Stéphane Content

Senior Technical Advocacy Manager
VinylPlus®
  • www.vinylplus.eu
  • Stéphane Content

    Stéphane has joined the European Council of Vinyl Manufacturers (ECVM) and VinylPlus in December 2021, where he is in charge of the Environmental Footprint Committee and the Additives Committee.
    Previously, Stéphane worked in Cefic (2011-2021) and supported the Silicones sector group and the Plasticisers sector group. He was also a manager of Product Stewardship working on communication in the value chain.
    He also worked for 11 years at Procter & Gamble (2000-2011) in analytical, product design and process development department for liquid detergent development.
    Stéphane graduated in Chemistry and got his PhD in the field of photochemistry in 1998 from the Université Libre de Bruxelles. He also did a post doctoral stay at UCSD in the field of sensors (1998-2000).

    Read more

Sarah Debbiche Krichen

Senior Public Affairs Manager
VinylPlus®
  • www.vinylplus.eu
  • Sarah Debbiche Krichen

    Sarah joined VinylPlus as Public Affairs Senior Manager in January 2023. She is an experienced public affairs and communications professional with ten years of experience. Sarah started her career at the European Small Business Alliance in Brussels and then moved to the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) in Helsinki, working as Administrative Assistant for the Board and the EU Relation's Team. Eventually, she came back to Brussels and became the Public Affairs Manager for the campaigning association Fire Safety Europe. More recently, Sarah worked at BCW as Director in the Sustainability practice.  She gained over the years a deep and comprehensive expertise on chemicals regulation, construction products regulation, as well as on larger sustainability issues.

    Read more

Magdalena Garczyńska

Technical Project Manager
VinylPlus®
  • www.vinylplus.eu
  • Magdalena Garczyńska

    Magdalena has joined ECVM in April 2021. Prior to that, she worked for the European Aluminium Association, where she worked on the environmental and circular economy policies. She has also experience in public affairs of the machine tools sector. Her professional experience included 3rd party quality control audits. Magdalena holds a PostGraduate diploma focused on Turbomachinery from The von Karman Institute of Fluid Dynamics in Belgium, and a Master’s in Mechanical Engineering from the Technical University of Poznan, Poland.

    Read more

Patrick de Kort

Advisor
Plastics Recyclers Europe
  • europur.org
  • Patrick de Kort

    Patrick De Kort is Regulatory Affairs Manager at EUROPUR (European Association of Flexible Polyurethane Foam Blocks Manufacturer). He brings experience from previous roles at Plastics Recyclers Europe, Euromoulders, ChemiWise and Hubrecht Organoid Technology. Patrick De Kort holds a 2010 - 2013 Bachelor's Degree in Biomedical Sciences, at the University of Utrecht. Patrick i also advisor for Plastics Recyclers Europe (PRE).

    Read more

Jane Gardner

Managing Director
European Resilient Flooring Manufacturers’ Institute (ERFMI)
  • erfmi.com
  • Jane Gardner

    Jane Gardner is Managing Director of the European Resilient Floorcoverings Association, ERFMI, with a demonstrated history of working in the non-profit organization management industry. Skilled in Sustainable Development, Waste, Corporate Social Responsibility, Sustainability, and Renewable Energy. Strong business development professional with a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) from University of East Anglia.

    Read more

Siân Hughes

Managing Director & Communications Leader and Moderator
Mona Consulting & Advisory
Siân Hughes
  • Siân Hughes

    Siân Hughes has 25 years’ experience enabling organizations to devise meaningful corporate affairs and sustainability strategies to engage internal and external stakeholders and create long-term business value. She has worked in corporate affairs, communications and human resources functions holding senior leadership roles in trade associations, international consultancy and C-suite positions in global businesses.

    Siân is accustomed  to operating at the highest level of organizations, balancing shareholder expectations, commercial imperatives and regulatory demands with taking meaningful action on people and the planet. She has successfully spearheaded strategies and campaigns across areas as varied as decarbonization, circularity, wellbeing, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) and community and employee engagement.

    She is also a multilingual communicator and has extensive experience in supporting organisations and business leaders to communicate with their internal and external stakeholders in a way that is authentic, meaningful and engaging. She is passionate about connecting people, which is why she enjoys moderating events!

    Read more

Arnaud Marquis

Chief Sustainability and Innovation Officer
Tarkett
  • www.tarkett-group.com
  • Arnaud Marquis

    Arnaud Marquis is Chief Sustainability & Innovation Officer at Tarkett, a global leader in innovative and sustainable flooring and sports surface solutions. To lead Tarkett’s climate roadmap, Arnaud closely cooperates with many stakeholders, ie. customers, architects, designers, suppliers and distributors. Prior to this role, Arnaud was in charge of the Hardflooring EMEA business at Tarkett. Previously, he held several international leadership business roles related to sales, marketing and operations in Ahlstrom Group, a leading player in fibre products, where he spent more than 20 years.

    Read more

Raoul Meys

Managing Director and Co-Founder
Carbon Minds

Charlotte Röber

Managing Director
VinylPlus®
  • www.vinylplus.eu
  • Charlotte Röber

    Charlotte is managing VinylPlus and ECVM since January 2024.
    She has been working for the PVC  industry for  a decade, previously representing the interest of the PVC window profile industry towards policy-makers, standardization bodies and other sectors. Her functional experience includes the sustainability assessment of construction products, standardization activities, chemical and waste legislation and corresponding advocacy actions.

    Charlotte Röber completed her Masters in European and International Law at the University of Maastricht. She also holds a Master of Business Administration from the Vlerick Business School in Ghent.

    Read more

Karl-Martin Schellerer

Managing Director
Westlake Vinnolit GmbH & Co. KG
  • www.westlake.com
  • Karl-Martin Schellerer

    Dr. Karl-Martin Schellerer is Vice-President - European & Asian Chlorovinyls at Westlake Corporation since July 31, 2017. His responsibilities also include two Westlake joint ventures, the Chinese PVC resin and PVC film manufacturer Suzhou Huasu Plastics Co. Ltd. (Huasu), as well as the chloroalkali producer Taiwan Chlorine Industries (TCI), in addition to the management of the Vinnolit Group Europe. Karl-Martin Schellerer joined the VinylPlus Steering Board in 2015.

    Read more

Sarah Schmidt

Scientific Associate
University of Kassel
  • www.uni-kassel.de
  • Sarah Schmidt

    As part of her research, Sarah aims to develop optimization approaches for waste management systems that contribute to increasing resource efficiency and reducing environmental impacts. She is currently focusing on management systems for plastic waste - especially from packaging applications and the construction sector. To evaluate and optimize these waste management systems, she uses system analytical methods, such as material flow analyzes and life cycle assessments, in which she uses, among other things, data from my own experimental work (e.g. waste characterization campaigns or pollutant analyses).

    Read more

Svenja Schulze

Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development
  • www.bmz.de
  • Svenja Schulze

    Svenja Schulze is a German politician of the Social Democratic Party (SPD). She serves as Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development in the cabinet of Olaf Scholz. Svenja Schulze has been serving as member of the German Bundestag since 2021, representing North Rhine-Westphalia. She served as the Minister for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety in the fourth coalition government of Chancellor Angela Merkel from 2018 to 2021. From 15 July 2010 to 30 June 2017, she was Minister for Innovation, Science and Research in the state government of North Rhine-Westphalia

    Read more

Noam Steinman

Lead Chemist
Plastic Back
Noam Steinman
  • Noam Steinman

    Noam Steinman is trained and experienced in organic and polymer chemistry, specifically in the organic synthesis of both small molecules and polymers, as well as in formulations. 
    He is currently leading Plastic Backs R&D measures, PVC and polyolefin depolymerization and dechlorination projects, and technical communications with partners and customers.

     

    Read more

Vincent Stone

Technical & Environmental Affairs Senior Manager
VinylPlus®
  • www.vinylplus.eu
  • Vincent Stone

    Vincent Stone graduated in Plastics Engineering at the Catholic University of Louvain, Belgium, where he also earned a PhD. He later earned a part-time MBA degree from the Solvay Brussels School Economics & Management. He joined UCB Group (later Cytec Industries) in 1998, where he led several resin and additive development projects for coatings, inks and adhesives applications. He joined in 2010 ArcelorMittal, where he developed and managed a portfolio of pipe coating technology development and testing services for a range of clients along the oil and gas value chain. He then joined in 2015 the Ferro’s Polymer Additives business (later Synegis) where he led the customer and manufacturing support activities, as well as the global product stewardship activities for the benzoate and polyadipate plasticizers portfolios. Since May 2018, he has joined the European Council of Vinyl Manufacturers (ECVM). ECVM delivers a broad range of technical, sustainability, advocacy and communication services to the leading European PVC resin manufacturers. As Technical and Environmental Affairs Senior Manager, he is mainly in charge to develop the activities of the PVC4Pipes platform. He is also actively involved in the Additives and Sustainable Product Label activities of VinylPlus®, the association managing the voluntary sustainability commitment of the PVC value chain.

    Read more

Myriam Tryjefaczka

Director Sustainability and Public Affairs EMEA
Tarkett
  • www.tarkett-group.com
  • Myriam Tryjefaczka

    Myriam Tryjefaczka joined the Tarkett Group in 2015 where she holds the position of Director Sustainability and Public Affairs  for the EMEA division. In her role, Myriam participates in the activities of European industry associations  and think tanks in the field of circular economy and construction sector. She chairs the AFNOR X30M Circular Economy standardization Commission, mirror group to the ISO TC 323. Prior to Tarkett, Myriam has developed thorough expertise on sustainability and public affairs at Camfil, a leading manufacturer of clean air solutions, where she participated in the development of EPBD  (Energy performance of buildings directive) harmonised standards on indoor environment quality and CEN and ISO related standards.

    Myriam holds a Master's degree in Biochemistry and Enzymology, completed by a Master of Business Administration. She developed her professional carrier in different industrial sectors (packaging, electronics, air filtration and flooring, in quality, environment, international project management) and has been focusing on sustainable development and public affairs for the last 15 years.

    Read more

Tina Teucher

Presenter and expert
on sustainability
  • www.tinateucher.com
  • Tina Teucher

    Tina Teucher is an author and consultant. She inspires people to change their thinking and to embrace positive transformation in companies and society. For over ten years, she has dedicated herself to megatrends and the question of how companies can use them to remain fit for the future. Teucher completed her MBA in sustainability management at Leuphana University. From 2009 to 2014, she was chief editor at the decision-makers’ magazine ‘forum Nachhaltig Wirtschaften’. She has served as a Sustainable Matchmaker since 2015, bringing together organisations, people and companies to jointly create the underlying conditions needed for sustainable business. In doing so, she accompanies enterprises and institutions in addressing the essential questions of transformation.

    Read more

Oskar Vögler

Project Manager
Carbon Minds

Pernille Weiss

MEP
The European Parliament
  • www.europarl.europa.eu
  • Pernille Weiss

    MEP Pernille Weiss is a politician from the Conservative People’s Party of Denmark and belongs to the European People's Party (EPP Group) in the European Parliament. 

    MEP Weiss holds both a seat in the Industry, Research & Energy Committee (ITRE) and in the Committee on Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI). Additionally, she is a Member of the Panel for the Future of Science and Technology (STOA), a board member of SME Europe and the chair of the MEP Water Group. Among other files, she was the European Parliament's Rapporteur on the Waste Shipment.

    MEP Weiss is a trained nurse and holds a Master’s degree in Health from the University of Southern Denmark and a Master’s in Innovation and Leadership from Copenhagen Business School. MEP Weiss has been head manager in the public health care sector and the building consultancy industry before establishing her own consultancy firm in 2008.

    Read more

VinylPlus Sustainability Forum 2023 recap

 

 

Detected timezone