From 11 to 12 March, the Circular Valley Convention 2026 will take place in the former industrial halls at the Areal Böhler in Düsseldorf.

According to the organisers Circular Valley, Messe Düsseldorf and the Fraunhofer Institutes UMSICHT and CCPE, the international meeting place for the circular economy will once again consist of a conference, an exhibition and a networking event in its second edition. Based in Wuppertal, Circular Valley is an initiative that aims to establish the greater Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region as a global centre for the circular economy.
 
According to the announcement, over 200 speakers and more than 100 exhibitors are expected to attend the Circular Valley Convention (CVC) to discuss topics related to the circular economy, new materials, business models and scaling solutions. Under the theme ‘Uniting Industries for a Circular Tomorrow,’ the English-language event format brings together decision-makers from industry, politics, science and start-ups in keynotes, panels and workshops. According to CVC, the focus will be on tangible results such as joint projects, thematic project groups and practical solutions for key industries. According to the organisers, the programme will include value cycles for plastics, circular construction, sustainable packaging and printing solutions, digitalisation & AI, circular logistics and sustainable finance.
 
According to the programme, leading figures from business, science, politics and society will present their visions and projects on a main stage and an ‘Innovation Stage’ for the presentation of innovative ideas and solutions for the circular economy, and experts will offer insights into forward-looking strategies, transformative technologies and global trends in keynote speeches. High-profile speakers from the world of politics include Federal Environment Minister Carsten Schneider, North Rhine-Westphalia Environment Minister Oliver Krischer and North Rhine-Westphalia Economics Minister Mona Neubauer. From the world of science, Professor Dr Michael Braungart from Leuphana University Lüneburg and Professor Dr Manfred Renner from Fraunhofer UMSICHT will be among those taking part. Dr Christine Bunte, Managing Director of the plastics manufacturers' association Plastics Europe Deutschland, Dr Ralf Düssel, Head of Sustainability at Evonik Industries AG, Talke Schaffrannek, Director of Circular Economy at BASF SE, and Andreas Walingen, Group Leader of Circular Economy at Volkswagen AG, are just a few of the renowned experts from the business world who will be speaking on the main stage according to the programme. On the ‘Innovation Stage’, BKV Managing Director Dr Ingo Sartorius will give a presentation on ‘Plastics production beyond fossil raw materials – status quo and perspectives’ on the second day of the event, 12 March, from 11:00 to 11:15 a.m.
 
At the end of the first day of the convention on 11 March 2026, a networking event will take place in the evening in the old forge hall of the Areal Böhler.
 
Further informationen on the programme and tickets: https://cvc-duesseldorf.com/
 
Sources:

• Circular Valley press release (1.3.2026)
• Circular Valley Convention
• Photo: © Jan Turek / Circular Valley