Rethinking How We Innovate Materials — Plastic. Climate. Future.

New episode of our series with Plastics Europe Deutschland, exploring “What HighTech is made of – Plastics as the Enablers of German Innovation Goals,” is live.

Episode 2: Rethinking How We Innovate Materials

How do we turn promising material ideas into solutions that actually work at industrial scale — and can we do it faster?

In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Jürgen Stebani, founder and CEO of Polymaterials, to explore how material innovation itself is changing.

We discuss:

How to accelerate material development and move from ideas to industrial solutions faster
How to bridge the gap between startups, research and established industry
How AI, digitalization and data are changing the way new compounds and materials are developed
What Germany needs to remain competitive as a location for material innovation
Why speed, experimentation and a willingness to take risks matter for the next generation of materials

Because ultimately, innovation isn’t only about discovering new materials. It’s also about rethinking how we develop them and bring them into industry.

Listen now on Spotify and Apple Podcasts!

August 25, 2026

Rethinking How We Innovate Materials

August 20, 2026

Building Circularity at Industrial Scale

Germany’s future technologies share one common denominator: plastics. In our series with Plastics Europe Deutschland, we talk to the people turning that into solutions — from material volume to material competence, the core idea behind The Plastic Shift.

For our first company conversation, we sit down with Daniel Koch from LyondellBasell to look at what circularity means when it moves beyond the lab and into industrial reality.

At LyondellBasell’s Wesseling site, the company is building its first industrial-scale MoReTec plant, designed to turn difficult-to-recycle mixed plastic waste into feedstock for new polymers.

We talk about what it really takes to bring circularity to industrial scale — from transforming existing production sites and integrating new technologies into established operations, to creating the conditions that allow these investments to succeed. And we explore why the transition will depend not only on new technology, but also on infrastructure, expertise, regulation and demand.

As Daniel puts it:

“Circularity is not really only a technology question.”

And perhaps that is the bigger story: transforming the plastics industry doesn’t necessarily mean starting again from scratch. It can also mean using the infrastructure, expertise and people we already have to build something new.

This is the first episode in our new mini-series exploring the innovative spirit of Germany’s plastics and polymer industry — and the people turning transformation into industrial reality.

🎧 Listen now on Spotify and Apple Podcasts!

August 18, 2026

The Next Chapter for Germany’s Plastics Industry

Germany doesn't have an ideas problem.

Eight years of shrinking industrial production. Christine Bunte, Managing Director of Plastics Europe Deutschland, calls it what it is: not an economic dip, but a structural crisis.

And yet — the universities are excellent. The research is excellent. The ideas are there. What's missing is the step from idea to industrial scale.

“We have lost speed in making these ideas industrial products and bringing them to industrial scale. That is often the step that's missing.”

So Plastics Europe Deutschland is turning the perspective around: from material volume to material competence. Plastics not as the villain, but as the invisible key technology behind Germany's future industries.

From today, our series “What Hightech Is Made Of” — following the seven fields of Germany's Hightech-Agenda, with the people actually building the solutions. Every Tuesday and Thursday, through to the innovation press conference in Berlin on 11 September.

Here a short preview of what’s coming:

How mixed plastic waste becomes raw material again - at industrial scale, inside a working chemical park.
Why finding the right formulation used to take months and now takes minutes.
What's inside a power cable and why it decides how much wind energy actually arrives.
Why no electric car moves without flame retardants.

🎧 Listen now on Spotify or Apple Podcasts!

July 23, 2026

The Plastic That Fades Away, and Ends Up Saving Coral Reefs

What started as an effort to create a better alternative to conventional plastic straws led to something nobody expected.

In this episode, we speak with Brad Laporte and Michael Winters from WinCup, the team behind PHADE®—a PHA-based material designed to biodegrade in environments where conventional plastics persist. Along the way, they discovered an entirely unexpected application: helping researchers restore coral reefs by protecting young corals during their most vulnerable stage.

Together, we discuss:

How bacteria can produce the next generation of plastics
Why they chose PHA over paper straws
The surprising connection between biodegradable plastics and coral restoration
What it takes to bring a new material from the lab to billions of products
Why science, certification, and performance matter in building trust

This is a fascinating conversation about material innovation, unexpected discoveries, and how one idea can solve problems far beyond its original purpose.

July 1, 2026

Are Circular Plastics Ready for the Mainstream?

Circular plastics have moved beyond pilot projects. Today, companies are investing in mechanical recycling, chemical recycling, renewable feedstocks, and even CO₂-based materials. But are these solutions ready to scale—and what will it take to make them mainstream?

In this episode, we sit down with Stephan Roest, Head of Circular Economy Business Development at Borouge International. Having spent many years at Borealis, Stephan brings a unique perspective on how the plastics industry is evolving—from linear production towards truly circular value chains.

What it takes to scale circular plastics
The roles of mechanical and chemical recycling
Renewable and alternative carbon feedstocks
Why collaboration across the value chain is essential
How regulation, innovation, and market demand are shaping the industry's future

This is an insightful conversation about the opportunities (and the challenges) of making circular plastics part of the mainstream.

June 9, 2026

Is Seaweed a New Hope for Sustainable Packaging?

In this episode, we speak with Neil Morris, founder of Kelpi, about how seaweed-based materials could help reshape the future of packaging — and what it really takes to move beyond fossil-based plastics.

Why seaweed is attracting attention as a renewable feedstock
The challenge of scaling sustainable packaging solutions
How brands are approaching next-generation materials
The realities behind replacing conventional plastics
Why infrastructure, economics, and regulation matter as much as innovation

What makes this conversation especially interesting is that it moves beyond hype. Neil shares the practical realities of building a materials startup in one of the world’s most challenging industries — packaging.

At Plastic Climate Future, we believe serious conversations about plastics, climate, circularity, and innovation need nuance, not slogans.

April 16, 2026

Is Plastic Recycling in Europe Really Broken?

What if the problem isn’t that we’re failing to recycle, but that the system itself is working against it?

In this episode, we speak with Joan Marc Simon, founder of Zero Waste Europe and one of the leading voices shaping circular economy policy across the EU. With decades of experience bridging grassroots action and European regulation, he brings a sharp and often uncomfortable perspective on what’s really happening behind the scenes of plastic recycling.

Note: This conversation was recorded prior to recent developments in the Middle East impacting global oil and plastics markets.

From oversupply and global market dynamics to policy design and economic realities, this conversation challenges some of the most widely held assumptions about circularity.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗲 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗹𝗼𝗿𝗲:

Why plastic recycling in Europe is struggling — despite ambitious targets
How global oversupply is undermining local circular systems
The role of policy, economics, and unintended consequences
Whether we need to rethink not just recycling, but plastic production itself

A thought-provoking conversation that goes beyond the surface — and asks whether we’re solving the right problem at all.

March 24, 2026

Can Design Thinking Change the Future of Plastics?

What if the future of plastics doesn’t start in a lab, but in a design studio?

In this episode of Plastic. Climate. Future., we speak with Beat Karrer, founder of FluidSolids, who took an unconventional path from industrial design into material innovation — developing high-performance materials made entirely from waste streams.

From corn cobs to coffee waste, his work challenges a fundamental assumption: that plastics must come from fossil resources.

We explore:

How waste streams can become high-performance material feedstock
Why design thinking is a powerful (and often overlooked) driver of material innovation
What it takes to scale new materials — from pilot to industrial production
Why circularity depends on systems, not just materials

A refreshing and grounded perspective on what it really takes to rethink plastics, not just replace them.

March 3, 2026

Electrifying the Future: Can Power Drive Circularity?

Circularity isn’t just about materials. It’s about energy.

In this episode of Plastic. Climate. Future., we speak with Constantine Lau from Schneider Electric, who is leading electrification strategies for some of the world’s most energy-intensive industries.

With decades of experience across oil, gas, and chemicals, Constantine shares why the shift from managing molecules to managing electrons may be one of the most underestimated levers for circular transformation.

Why electrification is central to scaling circular systems
How digitalization and energy management reshape industrial operations
The connection between decarbonization and circularity
Why ROI and regulatory clarity must align for real impact

A strategic, forward-looking conversation about how energy systems and circular systems are more connected than we often think.

February 19, 2026

Are Enzymes the Missing Link in Plastics Circularity?

What if the breakthrough in plastic recycling doesn’t come from higher temperatures or bigger reactors — but from biology?

In this episode of Plastic. Climate. Future., we speak with Oliver Borek from Entzimatiko, a company developing a novel enzymatic technology that goes beyond conventional chemical recycling.

Their approach combines enzyme engineering, nano-encapsulation, and oxidation in a single-step process — operating at ambient conditions and targeting even the toughest materials, including polyolefins.

Why polyolefins have long been considered “uncrackable” — and what may be changing
How enzymatic machinery differs from pyrolysis and hydrothermal methods
What low-temperature, solvent-free processing could mean for cost and scalability
Why competitiveness with fossil equivalents is critical for real impact
The roadmap to commercial scale by 2030

A fascinating conversation about science, risk, and what it takes to move breakthrough technology from lab to market.

If circularity is to scale, innovation must go beyond incremental change. This episode dives into what that could look like.