Organized by the Circular Valley® Foundation
Circular Valley® Forum 2024
We would like to thank everyone who contributed to the success of the forum with their participation, their contributions and their expertise.
Impressions click here
Download Forum 2024 Broschure (DE)
Friday, November 15th, 2024
09:00 - CET Reception
10:00 - 17:00 CET Conference
Historical Townhall / Historische Stadthalle Wuppertal
Johannisberg 40,
42103 Wuppertal, Germany
Aftermovie
Speakers & Panelists
Agenda
Impressions
Circular Valley Forum 2024: Aftermovie
Aftermovie
Nov 15, 2024, Historische Stadthalle Wuppertal
Speakers and panelists
The Circular Valley® Forum will bring together top-decision makers at board level from a large variety of industries. Besides the interaction in the conference format and over dinner, there will also be opportunities for bilateral talks.
  • Steffi Lemke
    Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection

    Germany
    Photo: BMUV/Klaus Mellenthin
  • Matthias Diependaele
    Minister-President



    Government of Flanders
  • Sarah Ryglewski
    Minister of State for Federal-State Relations and Sustainable Development to the Chancellor

    Federal Chancellery
  • Karl-Josef Laumann
    Minister of Labor NRW


    State of North Rhine-Westphalia
    Photo: Labd NRW / Ralph Sondermann
  • Nathanael Liminski
    Head of the State Chancellery, Minister for Europe

    State of North Rhine-Westphalia
    Photo: Land NRW / Ralph Sondermann
  • Mona Neubaur
    Minister of the Economy and Climate


    State of North Rhine-Westphalia
    Photo: Land NRW / Ralph Sondermann
  • Viktor Haase
    State Secretary in the Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Transport
    State of North Rhine-Westphalia
    Photo: Land NRW / Ralph Sondermann
  • Dr. Florian Kammerer
    Ministerial Councillor of the Division for the National Circular Economy Strategy and Resource Efficiency
    Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection
  • Dr. Max Neufeind
    Head of the Transformation Division at the Federal Chancellery

    Federal Chancellery (Bundeskanzleramt)
  • Henrik Ahlers
    Chairman of the Board

    Ernst & Young Deutschland
  • Markus Bangen
    Chairman of the Executive Board

    Duisburger Hafen AG (duisport)
  • Prof. Dr. Raimund Bleischwitz
    Scientific Director, Professor for Global Sustainable Resources
    University of Bremen
  • Fernando Carro de Prada
    Chairman of the Management Board

    Bayer 04 Leverkusen
  • Bart Brosius
    General Delegate of Flanders in Germany - Counsellor
    Embassy of Belgium
    Representation of Flanders
  • Sir Tony Cragg
    Sculptor

    Photo: Schmidt
  • Karlkristian Dischinger
    CEO


    karldischinger group
  • Prof. Dr. Laura Marie Edinger-Schon
    Sustainable Management and Chief Sustainability Officer (CSO)
    University of Hamburg
  • Eckhard Forst

    Chairman of the Board

    NRW Bank
    Photo: Christian Lord Otto
  • Dr. Carsten Gerhardt
    Founder and Chairman
    Circular Valley Foundation

  • Reiner Hoffmann
    Chairman of the Council
    Council for Sustainable Development
    Copyright: Andreas Weiss
  • Inge Hofkens
    COO
    Aurubis
  • Philipp Junge
    COO, Member of the Executive Board
    Oqema
  • Dr. Susanne Kadner
    Director Circular Republic / Munich
    UnternehmerTUM
  • Guido Kerkhoff
    CEO
    Klöckner
  • Dr. Johannes Kirchhoff
    CEO
    Kirchhoff Group
  • Dr. Lars Kissau
    President Net Zero Accelerator
    BASF
  • Lauren Kjeldsen
    Member of the Executive Board
    Evonik
    Photo: Evonik
  • Stefan Klebert
    CEO


    GEA Group
  • Kevin Knitterscheidt
    Head of news


    Handelsblatt
  • Dr. Susanne Lottermoser
    Head of the Transformation Department - Digitalization, Circular Economy, Climate Adaptation,
    Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection
  • Andreas Muth
    Head of Consulting

    EY Germany
  • Bruno Pelli
    Technical Services Director - Geology, Mining, Processing
    VALE, Rio de Janeiro / Brazil
  • Ralf Putsch
    Managing Director

    Knipex
    Photo: Malte Reiter
  • Thomas Schauf
    Managing Director

    Metropolregion Rheinland
  • HA Schult
    Artist
  • Marcus Söhngen
    COO

    Coroplast
  • Angela Titzrath
    CEO

    Hamburger Hafen and Logistik AG
  • Michael Vassiliadis
    Chairman

    IG BCE- German Mining-Chemical- Energy Union
  • Dr. Dirk Voeste
    Chief Sustainability Officer

    Volkswagen AG
  • Prof. Christine Volkmann
    Holder of the UNESCO Chair of Entrepreneurship
    University of Wuppertal
  • Peter Voss
    Photographer


    Photo: Cintia Barroso-Alexander
  • Prof. Dr. Henning Wilts
    Director of Division Circular Economy

    Wuppertal Institutl
Programme Circular Valley Forum
November 15, 2024
1
Forum 2022
Circular Economy - challenges and opportunities
2
Forum 2023
Cooperation along the value chain
3
Forum 2024
Taking action
Federal Government representatives:
Steffi Lemke, Federal Minister for the Environment, Sarah Ryglewski, Minister of State for Federal-State Relations and Sustainable Development to the Chancellor, Federal Chancellery; Max Neufeind, Head of the Transformation Division at the Federal Chancellery

Representatives of Flanders:
Matthias Diependaele, Prime Minister of Flanders; Bart Brosius, General Delegate of Flanders in Germany - Counsellor

State government representatives:
Mona Neubaur, NRW Minister of Economic Affairs (patron of Circular Valley); Nathanael Liminski, NRW Minister for Europe & Head of the State Chancellery; Karl-Josef Laumann, NRW Minister of Labour; Viktor Haase, NRW State Secretary for the Environment; Silke Krebs, NRW State Secretary for Economic Affairs

Moderation:
Kevin Knitterscheidt, Handelsblatt; Philipp Krohn, FAZ; Marc-Oliver Pahl, Secretary General, German Council for Sustainable Development; Caspar Dohmen, TableMedia
09:00
09:00
RECEPTION
10:00
10:00
OPENING PLENUM

Opening: The Importance of the Circular Economy for the Transformation
Großer Saal
  • Sarah Ryglewski, Minister of State for the Federal Government/Länder and Sustainable Development to the the Federal Chancellery
10:15
10:15
Transformation to the Circular Economy from the Perspective of “Overarching Actors”
Großer Saal
Panel:
  • Sarah Ryglewski, Minister of State Federal Chancellery
  • Rainer Hoffmann, Chairman of the German Council for Sustainable Development
  • Dr. Henrik Ahlers, Spokesman of the Management Board of EY Germany
  • Stefan Klebert, CEO GEA
  • Eckhard Forst, CEO NRW Bank
  • Prof. Raimund Bleischwitz, Director Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research
  • Moderation: Caspar Dohmen, TableMedia
11:00
11:00
Cooperation with Flanders & short presentation of the main projects of Circular Valley
Großer Saal
Panel:
  • Cooperation with Flanders: Bart Brosius, General Delegate of Flanders in Germany
  • Chemical industry in a circular economy
  • Battery recycling
  • Circular construction (D/BE/NL)
  • Circular Car
  • Water
  • Circular Valley Convention: Wolfram Diener, CEO Messe Düsseldorf
11:30
11:30
Metals along the Value Chain: Circularity from Mining to the final product (English)
Großer Saal
Panel:
  • Bruno Pelli, Vale/Rio de Janeiro
  • Inge Hofkens, COO Aurubis
  • Ralf Putsch, CEO Knipex
  • Dirk Voeste, Chief Sustainability Officer Volkswagen
  • Moderation: Kevin Knitterscheidt, Head of News Handelsblatt
12:00
12:00
The possibilities of art in transformation
Großer Saal
Panel:
  • HA Schult, object and action artist
  • Max Neufeind, Head of the Transformation Division at the Federal Chancellery
  • Moderated by Philipp Krohn, FAZ
12:30
12:30
LUNCH
Wandelhalle & Rossini
13:30
13:30
Meistermacher Carro - Success factors from the perspective of a career changer on how Bayer04 became champion
Großer Saal
Panel:
  • Fernando Carro de Prada, Chairman of the Management Board of BAYER 04 Leverkusen - "The power of cooperation" - achieving more together
  • Dirk Opalka, Managing Director Initiativkreis Ruhr
  • Representative of the Circular Impact Alliance (Prof Dr Laura Marie Edinger Schons; University of Hamburg)
  • Thomas Schauf, Managing Director Metropolitan Region Rhineland
  • Susanne Kadner, Circular Republic/Munich
  • Henner Pasch, IHK President Wuppertal
  • Moderation: Prof Christine Volkmann, University of Wuppertal
14:00
14:00
The role of the chemical industry in a circular economy
Großer Saal
Panel:
  • Opening keynote: Karl-Josef Laumann, NRW Minister of Labour
  • Lauren Kjeldsen, President Smart Materials Evonik
  • Marcus Söhngen, COO Coroplast
  • Lars Kissau, President Net Zero Accelerator BASF
  • Sascha Israel, Member of the Board, Bayer Crop Science
  • Guido Kerkhoff, CEO Klöckner
  • Moderation: Marc-Oliver Pahl, Secretary General German Council for Sustainable Development
15:00
15:00
National Circular Economy Strategy (NKWS) - Take action now
Großer Saal
  • Keynote: Steffi Lemke, Federal Minister for the Environment
  • Dr Florian Kammerer, Head of the National Circular Economy Strategy, Resource Efficiency Division, Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection - BMUV
  • Dr Class Oelmann, BDI-Initiative Circular Economy
  • Prof Henning Wilts, Wuppertal Institute
  • Moderation: Carsten Gerhardt, Circular Valley
16:15
16:15
Logistics as a Key Enabler of the Circular Economy
Großer Saal
  • Keynote: Viktor Haase, State Secretary MUNV
  • Keynote: Angela Titzrath, CEO, Hamburger Hafen und Logistik AG
  • Markus Bangen, CEO Duisport
  • Karlkristian Dischinger, CEO Karl Dischinger
  • Philipp Junge, COO OQEMA
  • Moderation: Andreas Muth, EY
17:00
17:00
Demo Day Batch 7 - Circular Economy Accelerator
Mendelssohn Saal
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Programm in deutscher Sprache (Download)
Circular Valley Forum 2024
IMPRESSIONS