Speakers 2023

Raheel Afzal is a sustainability consultant bringing eight years of work experience. He started his career within the industry and then made the switch to consultancy. Having worked previously at Tata Steel and Environmental Resources Management (ERM), Raheel’s technical and interpersonal abilities have allowed him to make significant contributions since joining Sphera in May 2022. Raheel has a MEng in Chemical Engineering from the University of Leeds and a PhD in Materials Science from the University of Sheffield where he worked on LCA of ferroalloys in the Steel Industry.

Alex Battù has a master degree in chemical engineering from Polytechnic of Turin and he has worked for almost eight years as a process and sales engineer for biochemical technologies related to bio-fuels and bio-polymers from renewable sources. He has been involved with Sulzer in the deployment of biopolymer licensees as Licensing Manager for six years.

Kristina Block is Product Manager at DIN CERTCO, a TÜV Rheinland company. She is responsible for the certifications in the environmental department which includes compostability certifications, biobased products certification, recycled content audits, sustainable biomass under ISCC and REDCert, as well as recyclability certification. With a background in environmental engineering specialized in recycling technologies and circular economy, she contributes to the expert knowledge of DIN CERTCO. Currently, she is also involved in the InnoCERT project in cooperation with the TU Berlin, Landbell and the Wuppertal Institute. This project aims to develop evaluation criteria and methodologies for the circularity of packaging including consumer behaviors.

Marieke Brouwer is researcher of 10+ years’ experience in sustainable packaging & systems assessment at Wageningen University & Research. She performs research on the sustainability of the entire packaging system from packaging design to the end-of-life. She has written multiple publications on the effect of improvements in these packaging systems, but on systems and product level. Marieke has a master degree in industrial engineering with a focus on sustainable product & packaging design (University of Twente, 2013). With her insights in packaging design and systems assessment Marieke tries to help incumbents to improve the sustainability of packaging systems. She is convinced that sustainability can best be achieved when the complete system is taken into account and all chain actors are fully committed and aligned. 

Marco de la Feld has more than 15 years of experience and a specific expertise in exploitation related activities, awareness raising on entrepreneurship, innovation management and critic analysis of economic factors of the market definition of new markets and new customer segments. Marco de la Feld graduated from the University of Studies of Naples Federico II, Faculty of mechanical engineering (energy). He achieved his Doctor’s Degree (PhD) in territorial advanced and composite materials. From 2007 until 2008, Marco de la Feld was Senior Expert at Ernst&Young as Financial and Business Administrator. He has been Project Manager and Business Developer at ENCO srl (Naples office) since 2008. He has been running the EU young Entrepreneurship Program in Italy since 2012.

With an engineering and computer science background, Philippe Dewolfs has always worked in the field of conformity assessment. In the road and rail sector at the beginning of his career, then, since the end of the 1990s, in the certification of bioplastics. He currently leads the bioplastics certification department in TÜV AUSTRIA, which acquired this activity from Vinçotte at the end of 2017. TÜV AUSTRIA is a leading certification organisation with more than 5000 active certificates in this field. He is a member of several national and international working and standardisation groups and is regularly consulted to share his experience.

Sandra Domenek is a professor at AgroParisTech and the University of Paris-Saclay, based at the Saclay Research Unit of Food and Bioproducts Engineering in France. Her educational background includes a Master’s Degree in Chemistry and Biotechnology from the Technical University Graz (1999), a Doctorate Degree in Food Sciences and Chemistry from SupAgro Montpellier (2003), and a Habilitation in Material Chemistry from the University Paris-Saclay (2014).

Her research expertise centers on the eco-design of polymer materials for the food and agriculture sector, covering aspects like the physical chemistry of polymers, formulation of polymer materials, aging and degradation studies, and the safety of food contact materials. In addition to an extensive publication record (h-index 28), including 77 international articles, more than 140 conference contributions, and a patent on biodegradable packaging, she actively contributes to teaching and international projects. She coordinated significant national research projects on biodegradable packaging, and serves in the scientific committee of the French network on food packaging (RMT ProPackFood). She exemplifies her dedication to advancing sustainable solutions in polymer materials for food packaging and currently directs the philanthropy chair CoPack, hosted by the foundation of AgroParisTech, with the aim of developing responsible and functional packaging systems.

Elena Domínguez Solera has a University Degree in Chemical Engineering by Universidad Politécnica de Valencia (Spain) with a Master’s Degree in Technology of Polymeric Materials and Composites. Researcher in the Department of Sustainability and Industrial Recovery of AIMPLAS from 2015 to 2019 and from this year working in Agriculture an Aquatic Environment.
She has experience in the field of bioplastics and biocomposites and biodegradation of plastics, the implementation of laboratory tests for the determination of biodegradability indifferent environments (controlled and open), as well as the accreditation and certification of requirements for the biodegradability and compostability of plastic products. Speaker at conferences and technical coordinator of international seminar Biopolymers and Sustainable Composites, Elena is also the author of technical articles for scientific journals and magazines, and a teacher in AIMPLAS training programmes. Since 2015 her role is as researcher and technical coordinator in national and international projects running not only under the Horizon Europe programme but also with other instruments such as ERASMUS+ and LIFE – Programme for Environment. In addition, she is a technical member of the national bioplastic association ASOBIOCOM and the international European Bioplastics Association. Besides, she is a contributing member in several standardisation committees.

Jörg Dörrstein is Managing Director / Director Research & Development at Biofibre GmbH. After completing his Bachelor of Science in Innsbruck in the field of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Jörg Dörrstein moved to the Campus Straubing for Biotechnology and Sustainability (Technical University of Munich) in the field of Renewable Resources (M.Sc.). Building on this, he worked as a research assistant at the Chair for Biogenic Polymers under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Cordt Zollfrank. Entering the industry in 2017 as Director Research & Development at Biofibre GmbH, he additionally took over the operational management of Biofibre at the end of 2021.

Sarah Guerrini has 20 years of experience in the sector of biodegradable and compostable plastics for agricultural applications and their effects and end of life in the environment, in the framework of the circular bioeconomy. Her experience is rooted not just in forming strategy and shaping legislation based on scientific evidence, but also in the practicalities and challenges of implementing new policies. Since 2020, Sarah has provided technical and agronomical support to the Italian Foundation Re Soil. She holds a degree in Agricultural Sciences and a Master in “Management of agro-environmental systems” from the University of Bologna, as well as an industrial PhD in Soil Chemistry focused on the effect of biodegradable mulch films in soil. Author of several articles and scientific publications on bioplastics applications in agriculture, Sarah is also a member of several professional associations: APE Europe, RESOIL Foundation, CIPA  Assofertilizzanti, Association “Chimica Verde” European Bioplastics, Assobioplastiche and Asobiocom. She is also part of standardisation committees.

Maria Gustafsson has been working as project manager at the Swedish Standards Institute for 15 years. In short, her job is helping expert groups (national and international) to find consensus-based solutions that will facilitate international trade and benefit the society as a whole. Her focus is on different aspects of sustainability related to the bioeconomy. She is the manager of several European and global working groups, among them CEN/TC 411/WG 4 Bio-based products – Sustainability criteria, life cycle assessment and related issues. The other working groups are related to sustainability aspects of wood and wood-based products, sustainability criteria for bioenergy and recycling of plastics. She also works on several other topics, among them chain of custody.
Maria has participated in several other initiatives bringing standardization and R&I closer together and received one of the first European “Standards + Innovation” awards for this work in 2019. She is also a member of the board of an ongoing Mistra research programme called STEPS, Sustainable Plastics and Transition Pathways, which is currently on its seventh year.

Nicolas Hark joined the nova-team in 2020 and is a Senior Specialist in the Department ‘Economy and Policy’. He holds degrees in agricultural economics from Bonn University and Humboldt University of Berlin and focuses on policies and economics of the renewable carbon industries. He supports the nova-team and the Renewable Carbon Initiative’s ‘Working Group Policy’ with regulation and policy analyses, economic market analyses and general project management. Nicolas is involved in various industry and EU projects working on the bio-based and renewable carbon economy and their developments.

David Hart has been working in the footwear industry for over 16 years, involved primarily in product development but engaged at all levels of the supply chain. His career has taken him across three continents working with some of the biggest brands and retailers in the world. David has a deep understanding of footwear product, the materials and processes involved as well as firsthand knowledge of the unique characteristics of the footwear supply chain.

Sophie Herrmann is a Partner with Systemiq´s Circular Materials Platform and Managing Director of the German office. Her work included advisory work on Circular Economy (CE) strategy, digital product passports, as well as analytic reports on CE “as a service” business models, CE for plastic packaging in Germany and a global report on planet positive chemicals system. Prior to joining Systemiq, she worked as a Director at Integration Management Consulting, as a Natural Resources Management Specialist at the World Bank and as a management consultant at McKinsey & Company. She holds a MSc in Political Science and Economics and studied at the Free University of Berlin and the Université de Montréal.

Benedikt Hiller has been part of the EISBiR research group at the Institute for Circular Economy of Bio:Polymers at Hof University (IBP) since 2021. In this project, he is working on the processing and use of biogenic byproducts as functional additives for biopolymers. He is doing his PhD on the use of wine byproducts for stabilizing biopolyesters within a cooperative framework supervised by the Plastics Technology Group at Technische Universität Ilmenau. Benedikt Hiller holds a Bachelor’s degree in Materials Engineering from Hof University of Applied Sciences and a Master of Engineering in New Materials, Nano- and Production Technology from Technische Hochschule Nürnberg Georg Simon Ohm. His industrial experience includes several years at REHAU in the chemical engineering and R&D departments with focus on projects in the field of plastic automotive exterior parts and thermoplastic composites.

Davey Jones holds a joint Professorial Chair in Environmental Science between Bangor University (UK) and Murdoch University (Australia). His 30-year research career has largely focused on understanding below-ground processes with specific focus on nutrient dynamics and human pathogen behaviour in water-food-soil-plant-microbial systems. He leads the international GCRF Project on understanding the fate and impact of plastics  in agricultural systems, focussing on the barriers and opportunities for plastic use to promote sustainable development and food security. He also led a national project on understanding the fate and risk associated with microplastics and viruses in biosolid applied to land. They have some of the longest running field trials in the world looking at the effect of microplastics on plant and soil health. Much of his work is policy related and he currently provides advice to UK and Welsh Government on their agriculture, waste and climate change policies. He has published more than 680 journal articles (ISI H-index = 940) which have been cited over 39,000 times.

Bas Krins is Technical Director of Senbis Polymer Innovations BV, located in Emmen, the Netherlands. 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 (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.

Math Lambalk is Business Development Manager, Renewable Chemistries at Avantium and has been with Avantium for over five  years. Math is tasked with commercializing Avantium’s portfolio of groundbreaking chemical technologies to enable a circular economy based on renewable carbon sources. More specifically, Math drives the collaborative exploration of potential regional Ray Technology™ deployment opportunities with like-minded value chain partners and has been responsible for the Ray Technology Life Cycle Assessment at Avantium. Prior to joining Avantium, Math acquired a MSc in Biotechnology from Wageningen University & Research Center.

Silvia Maltagliati is Policy Officer at the European Commission, Directorate General Research & Innovation, working in the unit “Circular Economy and Biobased Systems”. She works on EC strategies and policies supporting research projects in the EU in the field of bio-based industrial sectors, with a special focus on the environmental sustainability challenges of supply chains and value chains in those sectors. She alsocontributes to the R&I work programmes of Horizon Europe Cluster 6 ‘Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment’ and of the Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking. She holds a Master’s degree in Physics and a PhD in Industrial Engineering.

Andreas Mucke (*1966) studied at the University of Wuppertal and is an engineer (Dipl. Ing.) for technical environmental protection. After his graduation he worked for the local energy supplier Wuppertaler Stadtwerke. 1997 he started as a consultant for energy efficiency for their industrial customers. In 2000 he became head of sales department for consumers and SME. From 2011 to 2015 Andreas Mucke was the Managing Director of a public-private neighbourhood development company (WQGmbH-Büro für Quartierentwicklung). In September 2015 he was elected 59 % as Lord Mayor of Wuppertal. As Lord Mayor he was head of the local administration and of the Town Parliament of Wuppertal from October 2015 until November 2020. In December 2020 he became Managing Director of the Circular Economy Accelerator GmbH, which is 100% owned by the voluntarily and non-profit Circular Valley Foundation.

Karin Molenveld is educated as a Chemical Engineer (MsC) at the Technical University of Twente. Karin has been working at Wageningen Food & Biobased Research in the field of sustainable plastics for almost 30 years. As a scientist Karin has helped to develop various biobased and biodegradable products including PLA bead foams, PLA based coffee cups and biodegradable turf netting. At present Karin is program manager Renewable Plastics. The aim of this program is to develop plastics products from renewable raw materials that are easy to recycle, do not accumulate in nature and thus contribute to a new circular plastics economy. Developments and projects cover the entire value chain, starting at sustainable sourcing and conversion of biomass, up to polymer production, polymer processing and analysis, product development and mechanical, chemical, enzymatic and organic recycling. Various project within the program focus on strategy development, sustainability analysis and policy advice and relate to the plastic transition.

With a background as Cum Laude graduated metallurgist from Delft Technical University, Jan Noordegraaf has always been active in innovation and development of new materials and processes. He holds 20+ patents in both metals and plastics technology, both in oil-based and bio-based polymers. He is cofounder of the recycling initiative PolyStyreneLoop. With a working history in the Netherlands, UK and Germany, he has been active in innovation in non-ferrous metals, conformal coatings, EPS-polystyrene polymerisation and biodegradable applications. He was a pioneer in PLA polymerisation in Europe. He is a board member of the Dutch Federation of the Rubber and Plastics Industry (NRK) and holds the portfolio BioBased.

Burkhard Ohs is a long-term development manager at Neste. His work focuses on shaping Neste’s future sustainable and regenerative business solutions for the chemical and plastic industry. He holds a Ph.D. in Engineering and a Master in Economics from RWTH Aachen University. During his academic career, Burkhard also studied at the Technical University of Denmark, Copenhagen, the University of New South Wales, Sydney, and the University of California, Berkeley. After his Ph.D., he joined a leading chemical company within an international management program focusing on production and technology. Within the program and his subsequent position, he worked along the plastic value chain from feedstock supply to monomer production and plastic extrusion.

Dr. Heidi Peltola works as Head of Research and Development at Sulapac Ltd., which accelerates the plastic waste-free future by replacing conventional plastics with sustainable and functional alternatives. During her 4-year journey at Sulapac, she has developed several materials in the current portfolio, and is now responsible of the overall R&D activities and team lead. With a doctoral degree in materials science, she has over 15 years’ experience in applied research, technology, and product development of biomaterials and biocomposites, including Senior Scientist position at VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland.

Wouter Post is a senior researcher at Wageningen University & Research working within the Sustainable Plastics Technology group since 2018. His work focusses on the development of new materials and products from biobased and biodegradable polymers and the development of thermoset polymers with an inherent recyclability. Special interest lies on bridging the gap between concept and application for materials that biodegrade in controlled and open environments. Before starting his position in Wageningen, he studied Chemical Engineering at the University of Twente and in 2017 he obtained his PhD at the faculty of Aerospace Engineering at Delft University of Technology.

Maelenn Ravard, is regulatory and sustainability manager at TotalEeergies Corbion She has a background education in environmental engineering covering waste management, decontamination, LCA and biobased materials. She is currently responsible for ensuring the regulatory compliance of PLA as a biobased, recyclable and compostable plastic used in food contact applications, as well as managing the technical aspects of the product sustainability assessing and conducting scientific studies which are beneficial for communication and legislative purposes. She is also leading the recycling efforts at TotalEnergies Corbion from a business and regulatory side. Her diverse missions allow her to collaborate with multiple stakeholders of the bioplastic sector. Active in trade associations like EUBP, she likes sharing her experience and interacting with experts in the field.

Dr. Mirko Rennert heads the EISBiR research group at the Institute for Circular Economy of Bio:Polymers at Hof University (ibp) and works scientifically on the processing and use of biogenic by-products as functional additives for biopolymers. Since 2015, he has led several research projects involving biopolymers and adhesive surface properties of extrusion films and regularly lectures at Hof University and the University of Brescia. During his industrial career, he has been involved in the development of plastic films at POLIFILM EXTRUSION as head of R&D and project manager.

Erik Ripple recently joined NatureWorks – a global leader that invents and manufacturers high performing biopolymers and applications called Ingeo™️ – as President and CEO. His background in business strategy and chemistry is foundational to the way he approaches identifying the challenges, opportunities, and solutions for a rapidly evolving space. Prior to joining NatureWorks, Erik was Chief Strategy Officer at Nexeon, Ltd., a manufacturer of silicon carbide composites for electric vehicle batteries where he led commercial, engineering and program teams to successful commercial product launches. Over the span of his career, Erik has played a critical role in accelerating innovation and growth pathways for a variety of global corporations with significant impact on investments, go-to-market strategy, and environmental regulation development. His academic background includes a Master’s of Business Administration and a degree in chemistry.

Ashvini Shete is an accomplished professional who currently holds the position of Strategy & Technology Lead, Renewable Chemicals & Materials, at Praj Industries Limited, India. With over two decades of experience in industrial biotechnology, the majority of which has been dedicated to her career at Praj, she has made significant contributions to the company’s innovative technology development.

Ashvini’s role at Praj extends beyond her passion and interests. She has played a pivotal role in developing the strategic direction for Praj’s Renewable Chemicals and Materials portfolio. Her efforts are currently centered on the commercialization of cutting-edge technologies, furthering Praj’s commitment to sustainable solutions. Her track record of achievements and her role as a key figure in Praj’s cellulosic ethanol technology development program illustrate her expertise in the field of industrial biotechnology.

Her academic background includes a Ph.D. in Microbiology from the University of Pune, where her research spanned the fields of Microbiology and Molecular Biology. Ashvini has also collaborated with the National Chemical Laboratory (NCL) in Pune, showcasing her commitment to research excellence. Ashvini’s dedication to innovation and her contributions have been recognized through her Fulbright fellowship and the numerous patents and publications she has to her credit.

Pia Skoczinski,trained as a biologist, has several years of research experience in optimisation of microbial cell factories, enzyme engineering and enzyme-catalysed polymerisation. After a one-year postdoctoral research in Macromolecular and Polymer chemistry, she joined the nova-Institute in 2018 in the Technology and Markets department where she works as Senior Expert for bio-based building blocks and polymers, industrial biotechnology and Carbon Capture and Utilisation (CCU).

Patrick Van Waes holds a Master’s degree in industrial engineering organic chemistry. He is Global Marketing Director at CovationBio|PDO.  He has work for 34 years with various B2B – B2C product and business development assignments and marketing responsibilities internationally, within companies such as AKZO NOBEL, DuPont and Kraton. At Kraton (Tall Oil Fatty Acid Producer) the passion for the shift to sustainable and renewable materials got ignited and continues in the work at CovationBio|PDO. Track and Field is the other passion as a hobby.

Andrea Vittadello is the team leader of the group of Project Managers in Merieux Nutrisciences Science Center and is himself Project Manager for Sustainability in connection with the safety area for packaging. He has been part of this laboratory since 2002 and has been involved almost immediately in biodegradability and compostability studies. He is a member of the European Bioplastics Seedling Advisory Committee, BPI Committee on Standards and Procedures. He is also currently part of UNI, EN, ISO, ASTM working groups from Biodegradability, Recyclability, Food Contact and Convenor of the CEN 194 WG7 for Specific Migrations and EU Stakeholder for evaluation of Food Contact regulation.

Hasso von Pogrell has been Managing Director of European Bioplastics since March 2009. Born in São Paulo, Brazil, in 1964, he spent most of his childhood and adolescence in Portugal and the United States. Upon completion of his education in Germany, and a two-year term of military services, he studied Economics at the University of Cologne where he graduated in 1994. He began his carrier as a lobbyist in 1995, when he joined the Germany Industry Association for Optical, Medical and Mechatronical Technologies, where he showed responsible for public relations and economics. After a two-year stint as General Manager at the Federal Association of the German Medium and Large Retail Enterprises, he returned to the industry sector again. As Head of Department for Foreign Affairs at the Association of the German Construction Industry and Assistant Director of the European International Contractors (EIC), he served the construction industry for seven years from 2000 to 2007, before steering the affairs of the German Sawmill Association as its Managing Director between 2007 and 2009.

Rhodes Yepsen is Executive Director of BPI, North America’s leading authority on compostable packaging.  Yepsen’s expertise is on the circular bioeconomy and systems-based solutions, specifically the synergy in solving for food waste and packaging at the same time – to address climate change, ecosystem impacts, and regenerative agriculture. He served on the Board of USCC, as Mentor for the Google Circular Economy Accelerator, is on the Advisory Council for the US Plastics Pact, and was an editor and writer at BioCycle magazine.

Dr. Zhang Yu, is co-founder & CEO of Zhongke Guosheng Technology. Graduated from the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences (DICP), he has more than 20 years of research and industrialization experience in the fields of energy materials and bio-based materials. He has published more than 20 articles in international journals and applied for more than 40 patents. As a serial entrepreneur, he has been deeply involved in the fields of fuel cells, energy storage batteries and bio-based materials, and has rich experience in market development and business operations.