Kateryn Carrillo is driven by a passion for combating plastic waste and advancing social entrepreneurship.

With a background as Industrial Engineering and a master’s in social Innovation and Entrepreneurship, she has cultivated a rich blend of technical expertise and innovative thinking through her work in both Colombia and Germany.

As the CEO of Natupla—short for “Natural Plastic”—Kateryn leads efforts to tackle the global challenge of plastic pollution. Her team develops biobased and biodegradable polymers derived from renewable resources and agricultural waste, offering sustainable alternatives to conventional plastics.

By harnessing local raw materials and embracing circular economy principles, Natupla is not only reducing environmental impact but also fostering a more sustainable and inclusive future.

He has an extensive research career in melt processing of polymers. First at Akzo Nobel, later at Acordis and Diolen. After the bankruptcy of Diolen in 2008 he was one of the founders of an independent commercial research institute, Applied Polymer Innovations BV (API). This company was later renamed to Senbis Polymer Innovations (Senbis). Senbis offers a unique combination of lab facilities and an extensive pilot plant. Together with a team of specialists this institute has a track record with respect to the development of applications based on biopolymers, especially in cases where biodegradability is an advantage for environmental reasons. Bas Krins supervised many projects with respect to the development of spin-off activities of API and Senbis

Dr. Jens Balko studied Medical Physics at Martin-Luther-University Halle (MLU) and graduated there in Polymer Physics.

After that he worked as a Postdoc in an industrial project between MLU and BASF.In 2016 he joined Fraunhofer-Institute for Applied Polymer Research (IAP).

Currently, he is heading the Technical Center for Processing Biopolymers at IAP.

During his career he worked on research topics such as: polymer processing, structure formation, nucleation and crystallization, biodegradation,hybrid materials, polymer electrolytes and semiconducting polymers

Alexander Röder has been Director Climate and Production at Plastics Europe since 2023. In this position, he supports the sector in its efforts to drive life-cycle emissions to net zero, building on his vast experience in management of sustainability in general and climate change in particular. Alexander holds both a Ph.D. and a diploma in physics from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich as well as a diploma in business from the German correspondence university in Hagen.

In her role, she is overseeing and driving the business development and circular economy projects, including the offering of polyolefins based on renewable feedstocks (Bornewables™). Annika has worked her professional career across the Olefin and Polyolefin industry, first in feedstock sourcing and later in polyolefin customer interphase, last managing strategic polyolefins customers in packaging industry in Europe. She holds Master’s degree in Industrial Engineering and Management from Lappeenranta University of Technology, with technical minor in Process Engineering

Gianluca Belotti is an innovation maker, business manager and sustainability expert. Over the last years Gianluca led the development and market growth of innovative biobased solutions for the chemical and fashion industry. Currently Gianluca is the business leader at Stahl for advanced flexible substrates such as biobased materials, mycelium and lab grown tissues. Gianluca started his career as a researcher obtaining the PhD in Chemical Engineering and publishing several papers. Later, he focused on business development and making innovation happen at startup and corporate level, securing public and private investments and business partnerships for his projects.

She is project manager of the biodegradable trimmerline project. Besides she is also involved in the development of marine degradable multifilaments and monofilaments for several applications, home compostable yarns and researches PHA (blends) in multifilament applications. From 2016-2020 she did her Bachelor Chemistry, and graduated at Senbis Polymer Innovations. After graduation in 2020 she started working at Senbis Polymer innovations and engaged in the biodegradable topic.

Andrea Vittadello coordinates the group of Project Managers in our Food Science Center and is himself Project Manager for the "Sustainability" area. He has been part of this laboratory since 2002 and has been involved almost immediately in biodegradability studies. He was a Stakeholder in EU Ecolabel for Detergents and Cosmetics working group. Now is a member of the European Bioplastics T.C., Din Certco, TUV Austria and the BPI Committee on Standards and Procedures and CEN and ISO working group on Biodegradability, Recycling of Plastics and Packaging . He is also currently Convenor of the CEN 194 WG7 for Specific Migrations, of the CEN WG8 for Global Migrations and EU Stakeholder for evaluation of FCM regulation.

• 1981 to 2004 Albin Kälin was Managing Director of Rohner Textil AG in Switzerland. Under his leadership, the company won since the 90s 19 international design awards. In 1993 he stimulated the development of the product line Climatex ® (www.climatex. com) and thus the first Cradle to Cradle ® products worldwide. Albin Kälin was awarded in 2001 with UBS Key Trophy as the “Rhine Valley Entrepreneur of the Year”. 2002 – 2007 member of supervisory board of Fein Elast Group in Austria. 2005 to 2009, CEO of EPEA Internationale Umweltforschung GmbH in Hamburg. 2007 in addition CEO of EPEA Netherland.
• 2009 – today Albin Kälin founder and CEO of epeaswitzerland gmbh
• 2021 awarded CEO Today Europe Award.
• 2022 10 Awards: M&A Today Global Awards, Lawyers International and Global 100 > Best CEO of the Year - Albin Kaelin, CEO Today Europe > Manufacturing – Leader of the year. Business Worldwide Magazine CEO Awards > Most Innovative CEO in the Worldwide Textile Industry and > Business Leadership and Outstanding Contribution to Sustainable Manufacturing, Acquisition Int. > Best Specialist Cradle to Cradle Products & Services Provider, CIO Views Magazine and Fortunes Crown > Top 10 Most Inspiring CEO in Business in 2022, World Finance Innovation Awards > Textile Industry epeaswitzerland.
• 2023 11 Awards: M&A Today Global Awards, Global 100, Corporate America Today and Lawyers International 100 > Best CEO of the Year - Albin Kaelin, Acquisition International > 2023's Best Specialist Cradle to Cradle Products & Services Provider, Fortunes Crown > The Most Innovative Technology Leaders to Watch in 2023, The European – Global Sustainability & ESG Awards 2023 > Best CEO in the Textile Manufacturing Industry > Best Cradle-to- Cradle Products & Services Innovation Experts > Most Sustainable Textile and Materials Value Creation Leadership. IE 100 > Albin Kaelin - Most Innovative CEO of the Year – epeaswitzerland gmbh – Europe, CorporateLiveWire > Household Hardware Specialists of the Year, Environmental – Leader of the Year: CEO Today Europe (2023)
• 2024 9 Awards: M&A Today Global Awards, Lawyers International Legal 100, Corporate Amerika Today 2024 and Global 100 > Best CEO of the Year – Albin Kaelin, Corporate Amerika Today 2024 –Best Specialist Cradle to Cradle Products & Services ' Provider 2024, IE 100 – 2024 Albin Kaelin - Most Innovative CEO of The Year - epeaswitzerland gmbh – Europe, THE EUROPEAN - Most Innovative CEO in the Textile Manufacturing Industry 2024, Pioneers in Cradle-to-Cradle Innovation: Leading Experts in Textile 2024, Trailblazer Award for Circular & Sustainable Textile Innovation 2024
• 2025: Global 100 > Best CEO of the Year – Albin Kaelin

Nicko Reuter is a Business Development Manager and “BioPET Advocate” at UPM Biochemicals. He develops the European market for PET packaging by introducing innovative, eco-friendly solutions. With his commitment to BioPET, he significantly contributes to reducing the carbon footprint of food packaging and supports companies in achieving their environmental goals.

Sven Riechers is a hands-on Senior Executive with global expertise and extensive international polymers experience in sales, marketing and business management across various regions and industries. Sven started his career in 1996 as sales engineer for engineering plastics at DSM Germany. In 1999, he joined BASF, where he worked as a global key account manager and later transitioned into global product management for Terlux (mABS). Sven worked in all three global regions. In 2005, he moved to the US to lead the American business management of Specialty Styrenics. In April 2009, Sven moved to Singapore to lead the global 3C (Computers, Communication Devices & Consumer Electronics) industry activities for BASF. 2011, he joined INEOS Styrolution and in July 2013, Sven became Vice President Business Management Styrenics Specialties, Asia. In October 2018, Sven moved to Switzerland to lead the Standard Products (PS and ABS) Business Management, EMEA, as Vice President. As of February 2023, Sven is Vice President Sales Management for INEOS Styrolution in EMEA, based in Frankfurt, Germany. In addition, Sven is a Steering board member of Styrenics Circular Solution (SCS).

BSc in Chemistry (Specialty: Macromolecules) at the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU). She completed an MPhil in the department of Pure and Applied Chemistry at the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow. European Thesis at POLYMAT and the Chemical Engineering Group UPV/ EHU (The University of the Basque Country, Donostia - San Sebastián) PhD. Thesis: “Silicone-Modified Acrylic Nanoparticles by Miniemulsion Polymerization”. Working at TECNALIA (research centre in the north of Spain) in the sustainable and functional polymers department. She has extensive experience in the synthesis of functional and/or biobased polymers such as polymeric binders for coating and adhesive formulations and micro/nanocapsules containing active substances (self-healing, PCM slurries, fragrances...). She has participated in numerous research projects at the regional, national and European level, and is the author of more than 10 publications and 2 patents. Actually, coordinator of TORNADO project funded by the European Commission related to the development of new PFAS free biobased water and oil repellent coatings.

Janine Korduan, M.Sc. Environmental Engineering, studied at the Technical University of Berlin, worked with and for different engineering offices and foundations in Berlin, Belgium and Ethiopia, including the Climate Advisers Network, ttz Bremerhaven, Kollektiv für angepasste Technik, Friends of the Earth and the Heinrich Böll Foundation.

She won the DIN-Young-Talent award in 2020 and works as senior expert for circular economy for BUND (Bund für Umwelt und Naturschutz).

Dr. Milad Golkaram is a scientist specializing in the circular economy, with a focus on polymer science and chemistry. He currently serves as a Scientist in Circular Economy at TNO, the Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research, based in Utrecht.

In addition to his role at TNO, Dr. Golkaram holds an academic position as an Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Science and Engineering at Maastricht University, within the Circular Chemical Engineering department.

Dr. Golkaram's work is instrumental in advancing sustainable practices within the chemical industry, particularly in the development and implementation of circular economy principles.

His current projects are about the application of machine learning for polymer design and recycling of plastics

Berk Büyükbas, MSc. Sustainable Energy Supply (focus on biogenic feedstocks), studied at RWTH Aachen. He is working as a System Manager for Traceability, Chain of Custody & GHG at ISCC (International Sustainability & Carbon Certification) in the ISCC PLUS Team.

He contributes to the development of the ISCC PLUS scheme, which supports  the transition to a circular economy and bioeconomy  in different markets, including using first- and second-generation biogenic feedstocks for polymers and plastics.

He is also supporting the multi-stakeholder dialogues for the development with legislators, system users and third party verifiers.

Bineke Posthumus is Commercial Director at the Renewable Polymers department of Avantium.

She holds the global responsibility for commercialization of Avantium’s lead plant-based products FDCA and PEF for the materials and packaging industry.

Before joining Avantium Bineke worked as a senior business consultant for almost 10 years at TNO, the leading Dutch research Institute.

Bineke hails a master’s in strategic management from the London School of Economics where she graduated in 2007.

Dr. Susan Borjesson Newman received her PhD from the University of Idaho in Physiology. While rooted in research and development, Dr. Newman is passionate about connecting science with people.

Dr. Newman is a Stanford University d.school coach and the CEO of Integrated Lipid Biofuels (ILB). ILB leverages two key technologies: Yeast Cell Factories and Sequential Hydrothermal Liquefaction to valorize mixed organic waste streams to produce bioplastics, biofuels, and high-value intermediates.

ILB is the recipient of several Small Business Innovative Research Grants through the United States Department of Agriculture and the Department of Energy.

Ramani Narayan was named MSU University Distinguished Professor -- the highest honor that can be bestowed on a faculty member by the university; Governor’s (State of Michigan) University Award for commercialization excellence; Michigan Green Chemistry Governor’s Award for developing biofoams technology; University Distinguished Faculty Award, Withrow Distinguished Scholar award; Withrow Global leadership award; Fulbright Distinguished Lectureship Chair in Science & Technology Management & Commercialization (University of Lisbon, Portugal); DuPont’s Packaging Award for excellence in Innovation & Sustainability, as part of the Coca Cola Plant bottle team. He is elected Fellow of the U.S. National Academy of Inventors; Fellow of ASTM & ASTM award of merit - - the highest award given by the society to an individual member. First recipient of the William N. Findley Award for “significant contributions to the application of new technologies within the scope of ASTM Committee D20 on Plastic; Award of Excellence from ASTM committee D20 on Plastics for exemplary technical contributions, and valued leadership. Received the James Hammer Memorial Lifetime Achievement Award, for outstanding leadership, and research accomplishments in the field of Degradable Polymers from the BioEnvironmental Polymer Society (BEPS). First recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award from the BEPS; Research and Commercialization Award sponsored by ICI Americas, Inc. & the National Corn Growers Association. Science Advisor to the U.S. Biodegradable Products Institute (BPI); Technical Advisor to the WWF BioPlastic Feedstock Alliance, and advisor to EU certification organizations & USDA Biopreferred program, European certification organizations, and other NGOs. U.S. National Academy of Science, Engineering, & Medicine (NASEM) invited committee member reporting on U.S. contributions to global ocean plastic wastes. He is an expert on LCA studies and serves on “Critical Review Panels”. Founding Chair of ASTM subcommittee D20.96 that developed biodegradable-compostable plastics Specification Standards D6400, and D6868, and D6866 radiocarbon analysis for biobased carbon content. These are used world-wide by regulators, industry, and academic researchers. USA technical expert to ISO (International Standards Organization) TC 61 on Plastics, and specifically on SC 14 subcommittee on "Environmental Aspects", including convener of WG 3 on Biobased Plastics. Serves on “Critical Review Panels” required by ISO standards that govern LCA, based on ISO 14044, §7.3.3 Narayan has 300+ refereed publications, 32 issued patents, and graduated 24 Ph.D. and 25 Master’s students. Successful entrepreneur, having commercialized several biobased and biodegradable product technologies. Polylactide (Ingeotm) technology development and engineering scale-up studies for Cargill/NatureWorks (www.natureworksllc.com ). This is a 150 k-ton production facility for PLA, the world’s foremost 100% biobased, industrially compostable, and recyclable polymer. He engineered advanced PLA-biopolyester hybrid resin materials that is used commercially for many product applications (www.natur-tec.com ). He developed biobased & biodegradable starch foams to replace persistent, nonbiodegradable PE, & PS foams for cushion protection and insulation packaging. Professor Narayan is actively researching biodegradability and compostability of polymer plastics. He is engineering a new flow composter system for treatment of food waste and associated compostable plastics

University degree in Pharmaceutical Technologies at the Faculty of Pharmacy of the University of Milan in 2000, specialisation in Environmental toxicology. Previous lab experience.

In Tecnoalimenti S.C.p.A. since February 2001. In the last years worked as senior researchers on topics such as agri-food wastes valorisation, promotion of the sustainable production of renewable energy, development of compostable and biodegradable new biopolymers, circular economy.

Since 2016, she is involved in four funded European Projects which deal with Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), a class of microbially synthesized polyesters with diverse structures with renewability, biodegradability, and broad application prospects

At Steinbeis Europa Zentrum, Patrik supports startups, SMEs, and research organisations in securing Horizon Europe funding and managing EU projects.

With expertise in proposal development, partnership building and project execution, Patrik helps organisations navigate the complexities of EU funding programs. At the event, Patrik will share insights on unlocking EU funding, building strong partnerships, and ensuring project success.

Nicolaj Ma, M.Sc. in Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, is a Specialist and Consultant in Bioresources and Biorefinery at the Danish Technological Institute, where he has participated in cutting-edge research and industrial collaborations since 2017.

With a decade of expertise in biorefinery, biopolymer innovation, biodegradability certification, and circular economy solutions, Nicolaj is a leading voice in advancing sustainable material technologies across Europe and beyond.

Nicolaj’s work focuses on bridging laboratory research with industrial scalability. He specializes in biodegradability analysis (EN 13432, ISO 14855, ISO 17556) and process design for bioplastics, including PHA production from agricultural sidestreams and antimicrobial seaweed-based materials.

A trusted advisor on regulatory compliance, Nicolaj leads biodegradability testing for plastics, textiles, and packaging under aerobic (compost, soil, marine) and anaerobic (biogas, sludge) conditions.

His work ensures materials meet stringent international standards, enabling companies to navigate evolving consumer demands and EU regulations.

 His pioneering projects, such as the EU Horizon initiatives MacroFuels and MacroCascade, have optimized biorefinery protocols for seaweed biomass, extracting high-value compounds like alginate and fucoidan while improving storage through lactic acid fermentation.

Currently, Nicolaj coordinates the Nordic Bioplastics Conference and drives innovation in projects like Antimicrobial Seaweed Plastics and From Waste Material to Coffee Cups.

His research has been published in journals such as the Journal of Chemical Technology & Biotechnology, and he frequently addresses misconceptions in biodegradability standards.

Agata Kotkowska is an official of the European Commission and transformative policy leader with 20+ years of experience driving European Union policies, with a focus on circular economy, bioeconomy, sustainable finance, production, and consumption. Known for successfully mobilising stakeholders across public-private sectors and delivering high-impact results in EU Green Deal, including for several legal proposals in the environmental policy.

As a Deputy Head of Unit at the European Commission's DG Environment, Kotkowska has been instrumental in implementing EU laws to promote sustainable practices. Agata has also made significant contributions to EU financial instruments and budgeting.

She has supervised the implementation of the Natural Capital Financial Facility. Her expertise extends to programming and implementation of major EU funding programs such as Structural Funds, LIFE and Horizon programmes. In 2023/24, Agata was EU Fellow at Uuniversity of California, Berkeley affiliated with the Institute of European Studies as a visiting researcher, where she has researched the financial innovations essential for the private capital market to leverage investments in support of biodiversity in Europe and across the globe.

Previously, she led a team coordinating EU research and innovation projects in energy efficiency, buildings and heating and cooling.

Her work has directly contributed to the recast of key EU directives, including the Energy Performance of Buildings and Energy Efficiency Directive.

Agata's international experience includes representing the EU in various forums, negotiating with Member States, and coordinating with third countries on cross-border cooperation and transnational programs and financial innovations.

Zachary Berenson-Barros is an Account Executive at Uncountable Inc. In this role, he helps guide multi-national chemical manufacturing organizations in their evaluation and adoption of innovative technologies for R&D Digital Transformation and Material Informatics. His background is in Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology at the University of Cambridge.

Marc Close works as Head of Business Development at the Polymers & Chemicals department of Neste.

In his work he is building sustainable and economically viable value chains and is working with industrial customers to reduce their carbon footprint by developing and providing renewable and circular feedstock solutions.

Marc Close has a Master of Science degree in Industrial Engineering & Management Science from Eindhoven University of Technology and a career spanning 16 years in the petrochemical industry, covering several supply chain, commercial and business development positions.

Before working for Neste he worked 14 years for SABIC, where he was amongst others leading the European Supply Chain Planning department and the downstream Circular Economy Business.

Graduated in Environmental and Marine Sciences, she completed the Master in Contamination, Toxicology and Environmental Health at the University of Valencia.

During her studies she worked as a student collaborator in the Department of Physical Chemistry at the University of Cadiz carrying out activities related to the preparation of samples for biomarker analysis.

She also did an internship in the Department of Ecology and Biogeography of Aquatic Systems of the Cavanilles Institute of Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology carrying out biometric analysis of fish, chemical analysis of water and treatment of sediment samples.

She did an extracurricular internship at AIMPLAS in the Department of Agriculture and Aquatic Environment participating in different projects related to the development of new biodegradable and compostable plastics for various applications in the agricultural sector, development and functionalization of plastic culture products and tests for the determination of the biodegradability of plastic products in different media.

She is currently a junior technician in the Controlled Release and Soil Quality Group belonging to the Agriculture and Aquatic Environment Cluster at AIMPLAS

As the director of CIRCPACK ® , Vincent and his team offer consultancy services to brand owners, retailers and packaging companies around the globe in order to increase the recyclability of packaging.

CIRCPACK is your compass in the world of recycling of packaging waste.

It is part of the Veolia-group, the world leader in smart and sustainable resource management. Vincent has over 15-years’ experience in the recycling industry.

He established multiple new recycling propositions and set up value-chain partnerships.

With an extensive background in product innovation, marketing and sustainability, Vincent combines strong customer focus with clear understanding of technological challenges. The services of CIRCPACK ® range from MasterClasses to dedicated packaging advice.

On top of that, his team provides certification on recyclability for different types of packaging. For plastic packaging, circpack is an accredited certifying body of RecyClass™.

For metals, glass, and fibre-based packaging, they developed their own certification methodology. CIRCPACK ® performs sorting tests in MRF’s, NIR-detection tests, glue removal tests, pulping tests, fibre loss tests, glass-sorting tests, etc.

The operational knowledge of Veolia in the field of collection, sorting and recycling of packaging material, provides additional credibility to the expertise of the circpack-team.

This knowledge and access to information is also reflected in CIRCPACK’s online ReCoRe-platform (Recycling Country Reports) and other dedicated reports on recycling of packaging.

Vincent is 55 years old and holds a degree in Marketing from The Hague University of applied sciences.

Julia is an experienced investment professional specializing in sustainable and innovative solutions. At ECBF, she focuses on bio-based innovations in packaging and construction materials, leveraging her expertise to track industry trends and emerging technologies.

Prior to joining ECBF, she worked at the DeepTech & Climate Fund, a public growth investor supporting companies developing next- generation technologies.

She began her VC career at High-Tech Gründerfonds in the life sciences and chemistry department, gaining extensive experience working with founders and cutting-edge innovations and acquiring technical knowledge on such scientific-based segments.

Julia holds a bachelor's degree in economics and a master's in finance, equipping her with a strong financial foundation to navigate complexinvestment landscapes.

About ECBF The European Circular Bioeconomy Fund (ECBF) is the first venture fund exclusively dedicated to backing up businesses driving the shift from a fossil-based to a bio- based economy.

ECBF aims to catalyze the transition towards a sustainable future by investing in biobased and circular growth-stage companies with high potential for innovation, favorable returns, and sustainable impact.

As a growth-stage venture capital fund, ECBF offers both project funding and venture capital investments. ECBF shares its industry expertise to raise awareness among private and public investors to increase their financial participation in bioeconomy companies.

Patrick Zimmermann graduated from the University of Applied Science in Aachen with a diploma in Mechanical Engineering. His specialty subjects were Energy and Environmental Technology with a main focus on waste treatment and waste management of dangerous and nuclear substances. In addition, he was granted a diploma in Engineering and Economics from the University of Applied Science in Hamburg specializing in Risk Management.

Patrick currently holds the position of Managing Director at the FKuR Group and specific corresponding affiliated subsidiaries.

In the past 20 years he has been deeply involved in the global business development and strategic marketing of FKuR ́s product & distribution portfolio. He was responsible for the establishment of FKuR ́s activities in the USA as part of the global marketing strategy.

He is also member of the Board of Directors at SKYi FKuR Biopolymers Pvt ltd. Pune, India.

TBA