Symposium on Innovation in the Circularity of Plastic Materials

Call for Papers: Symposium on Innovation in the Circularity of Plastic Materials

Innovation in the circularity of plastic materials is essential due to the growing environmental challenges posed by plastic waste. Traditional linear production models, where plastics are produced, used, and discarded, contribute significantly to pollution, resource depletion, and climate change. The concept of circularity aims to reduce waste, keep materials in use longer, and minimize resource extraction, all while supporting sustainability.

Current plastic recycling rates are low, with many plastics either being downcycled into lower-value products or not recycled at all. Innovations like chemical recycling, which breaks down plastics into their basic monomers for reuse in high-quality applications, or more efficient mechanical recycling methods, can drastically improve the quality and efficiency of recycling processes. In this context, innovation can play a critical role.

Against this background, we are calling for expressions of interest to participate in the Symposium on Innovation in the Circularity of Plastic Materials to be held on 20th May 2025, in Kaunas, Lithuania. The aim of the Symposium is to offer opportunities to share your ideas, to discuss theoretical and practical issues and to connect the leaders in the fields of plastic engineering, science and technology. The symposium aims to bring together experts, researchers, industry leaders, and policymakers to discuss and showcase advancements in the recycling, reuse, and sustainable production of plastic materials. Apart from presentations, displays and demonstrations by companies will be part of the event.

The Symposium is organized in cooperation with the Interreg Baltic Sea Region Programme project BALTIPLAST. The project aims to reduce the generation of single-use plastic products and plastic packaging waste as well as to provide solutions for the use of plastic waste in the context of a circular economy. The main goal of the project is to identify, test and implement concrete solutions for the reduction and management of plastic waste in the countries of the Baltic Sea region. Members of the Baltic University Programme are welcome to attend it. There are no fees, but delegates need to cover their own travel and accommodation.

Please register and submit your proposal (abstract) first. You can access the template to be used here: Symposium on Innovation in the Circularity of Plastic Materials_abstract_template .  The abstract (proposal) will be added to the submission panel in your Symposium account. If your proposal is accepted for presentation, then you may upload your full paper. The selected papers will be published in the book Innovation in the Circularity of Plastic Materials to be published by Springer Nature.

Important dates:

Submission of the abstracts: 20th December 2024

Submission of the full papers; 30th April 2025

Please send your abstracts to Prof. Linas Kliucininkas at: linas.kliucininkas@ktu.lt by 20th December 2024, if possible, earlier.

On behalf of the Symposium organizers,

Prof. Walter Leal, Hamburg University of Applied Sciences, Germany, and Manchester Metropolitan University, United Kingdom

Prof. Linas Kliučininkas, Kaunas University of Technology, Lithuania