Are Circular Plastics Ready for the Mainstream?

More from Plastic. Climate. Future. All episodes →

1. 

   S5 · E4 · 27 Aug 2026 · 37 min

   Building the Energy Infrastructure of Tomorrow

   The energy transition isn’t only about generating renewable energy. It’s also about how we transport and distribute that energy — and the materials that make this infrastructure possible. In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Matthias Pursch from Dow Packaging & Specialty Plastics to explore the often invisible role advanced materials play in the infrastructure around us. We discuss: How material innovation is enabling high-voltage and HVDC cables high-voltage power cables, including HVDC systems, to transport electricity over long distances Why these technologies are increasingly important…

2. 

   S5 · E3 · 25 Aug 2026 · 46 min

   Rethinking How We Innovate Materials

   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…

3. 

   S5 · E2 · 20 Aug 2026 · 38 min

   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…

4. 

   S5 · E1 · 18 Aug 2026 · 12 min

   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…

5. 

   S4 · E8 · 23 Jul 2026 · 48 min

   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…

6. 

   S4 · E6 · 9 Jun 2026 · 55 min

   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. We discuss: 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.…

7. 

   S4 · E5 · 16 Apr 2026 · 37 min

   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…

8. 

   S4 · E4 · 24 Mar 2026 · 43 min

   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…

9. 

   S4 · E3 · 3 Mar 2026 · 41 min

   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. We explore: Why electrification is central to scaling circular systems How digitalization and energy management reshape…

10. 

    S4 · E2 · 19 Feb 2026 · 53 min

    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. We explore: Why polyolefins have long been considered “uncrackable” — and what…