Google | Head of Sustainable Design (presentation in English)

OPENING KEYNOTE >> Katie Morgenroth shares her expertise on processes, projects, and products that drive environmental action.

She leads sustainable design for Google's hardware portfolio. She develops processes, projects and products that promote environmental awareness and works with diverse teams to integrate sustainability from conception to implementation. She sees design as a way of solving problems. Designers today must challenge traditional ways of doing things, consider the full impact of every decision, and rethink systems to turn problems into opportunities.

adidas AG | Senior Manager, Sustainability Direction

>> PANEL DISCUSSION

Drishti is a curious engineer exploring promising technologies to drive innovation and faster growth. She is part of the adidas Global Sustainability team as a Senior Manager to create holistic strategies for sustainability topics on the topics of Materials Innovation and Circularity. Drishti is recognised as an Emerging Leader and industry expert on circular economy strategies and sustainable innovations. In addition, Drishti contributes to industry working groups in developing and executing rising sustainability standards for the industry.

TÜV Rheinland Group | Western Europe Sustainability Business Development Manager (presentation in English)

MASTERCLASS >> Luisa Balaban highlights innovative approaches such as the repairability index for electrical products, physical durability testing and standards and certification activities.

Luisa Balaban has experience in corporate sustainability in the consumer goods, textiles and packaging sectors. In her role as Western Europe Sustainability Lead for TÜV Rheinland Business Stream Products, she has been supporting brands and retailers in their projects since 2023. Previously, she worked as a supply chain and raw materials consultant, focusing on packaging, recycling strategies and recyclability audits.

TÜV Rheinland LGA | Furniture Expert (presentation in English)

In almost 30 years at TÜV Rheinland, Kai-Uwe Schlegel has worked in many different positions and gained deep insights into the furniture industry. Whether as an expert in the testing laboratory, in the certification of furniture to national and international standards, as an auditor on site or in the development and implementation of new services with and for the furniture industry, the graduate in wood and plastics technology always keeps an eye on the latest developments and challenges. As head of the furniture department, it was out of a deep conviction that he began to focus on the sustainability of furniture more than ten years ago. For example, TÜV Rheinland was involved in the development of the European Level Programme, the sustainability label of the European Office Furniture Association (FEMB). In addition, the current Global Head of the Technical Competence Center Furniture is involved as a sustainability expert in various committees, including the standardization committee for ‘Circularity of Furniture’ (DIN and CEN).

MASTERCLASS >> Freitag, Covestro and Heytex Group are working together on an exemplary project: Circular Truck Tarp Project - lorry tarpaulins for eternity. The speakers from the companies involved in this project will show how cooperation can succeed and why it is absolutely essential.

Mark Scheller

Covestro | Segment Manager & Business Development

Mark Scheller holds Bachelor's degrees in Logistics, Technical Management, and Controlling. With 30+ years in thermoplastics production and supply chain management, he has supported TPU (Thermoplastic Polyurethanes) customers at Covestro since 2016. Passionate about TPU’s versatility, he focuses on recyclable and mono-material solutions. Projects like the Circular Tarp align with the sustainability goals of Covestro and his commitment to advancing circular design.

Indeed Innovation, CEO

MASTERCLASS >> Karel Golta shows how design solutions can help conserve resources.

Karel Golta is the CEO and founder of Indeed Innovation, an internationally operating innovation consultancy based in Hamburg, New York, and Shanghai. With over 25 years of experience in design, innovation, and strategic consulting, he helps companies develop sustainable and future-focused products and solutions. As a visionary and expert in circular design, he is passionately committed to driving sustainable transformation in the economy, inspiring others to fuse innovation with social and environmental responsibility.

Circular economist

>> KEYNOTE

Harald Friedl is an internationally renowned circular economist. He is advising the United Nations in several countries and and is working with top companies on their road towards circularity. Mr. Friedl has co-iniatied the global yearly “Circularity Gap Report”, one of the most referenced publications in the field of circular economy. Harald has extensive consulting experience as  CEO of the the do-tank Circle Economy in Amsterdam. And he spearheaded the circular transition in his home country Austria when he served as Circular Economy Accelerator for the Austrian Government in 2022.

"As a circular economist, I firmly believe that circular design is the most undervalued ingredient in our transition to a sustainable economy. By integrating principles of reuse, repair, and recyclability from the outset, circular design revolutionizes how we create products and systems. It's not just about recycling; it's about reimagining the entire lifecycle of goods. This approach minimizes waste, conserves resources, and creates economic opportunities. Yet, despite its potential, circular design remains underutilized. Businesses and policymakers often overlook its transformative power, focusing instead on end-of-life solutions. To truly achieve a circular economy, we must prioritize design thinking that considers the full lifecycle impact from the very beginning."

BDI-Initiative Circular Economy | CEO
 

MASTERCLASS >> Dr Claas Oehlmann looks at the EU Ecodesign Directive as a business opportunity. Product-specific regulations not only implement new standards, but also create circular business models.

Dr Claas Oehlmann is Managing Director of the BDI Circular Economy Initiative, a platform of more than 60 companies, associations and scientific institutions. Together, they are driving the transition to an innovative circular economy. He began his career as a resource policy officer at the Federal Association of the German Waste Management Industry (BDE) in Brussels and has held senior positions at the Federal Ministry for the Environment and the BDI.

Circular-Experience.org | Founder, Designer
 

MASTERCLASS >> In his masterclass, Peter Post focuses on consumers and talks about the need to involve them in design processes at an early stage. He shares his expertise on circular design services.

Peter Post is a UX and service designer with 25 years of experience in leading design agencies and was most recently part of the management team at Scholz & Volkmer. Through his agency Circular-Experience.org, he develops user-friendly services for the circular economy and contributes to designing the EU-wide planned Digital Product Passport. He has been awarded the Federal Ecodesign Award, serves as a board member of the International Design Centre Berlin, is a keynote speaker, an ambassador for the UX Design Awards, and a curator of the see-Conference.

Drees & Sommer | Creative Director Brand Experience
 

MASTERCLASS >> The lecture by Alexander Strub, Creative Director at Drees & Sommer, will focus on how circular design is changing our perception of aesthetics. He will show that circularity does not mean restriction, but inspiration and infinite variety.

For more than 10 years, he has been working on the question of how brands can be experienced in space. As a speaker, he wants to put his approaches and philosophy up for discussion and share his conviction: "In the end, it's all about responsibility, quality of stay and emotions.

LXSY Architekten | Architect BDA & Partner

CLOSING KEYNOTE >> Margit Sichrovsky present innovative architectural solutions for circular building projects.

Margit Sichrovsky studied architecture at the Bauhaus University Weimar and at the TU Berlin. After successfully completing her Master's degree, she worked for several years as a project architect and project manager in planning offices. Together with Kim Le Roux, she founded LXSY in Berlin in 2015. The architects work in the field of circular planning and building and are actively committed to the transformation towards a climate-friendly construction industry.
 
For Margit Sichrovsky, social aspects are always at the forefront, as well as the question of what influence architecture has on the immediate environment and each individual. Above and beyond architectural culture, she is interested in how architecture can promote identification and good neighbourhoods. Margit Sichrovsky is also committed to establishing circular planning and building in architectural practice. Margit Sichrovsky was appointed a member of the BDA Berlin in 2021. Since 2022, she has been part of the ‘Sustainable Planning and Building’ working group of the Berlin Chamber of Architects. Since October 2024, she has held a professorship in the field of ‘Climate-friendly and resource-efficient architecture and design’ at the Stuttgart University of Applied Sciences.

LoopID | Managing Director

MASTERCLASS >> Christian Adler clearly demonstrates how Digital Product Passports will help to make products more circular and circular business models profitable in the future. He also discusses the impact DPPs can have on product design, interaction and marketing.

Christian is a leading expert in Circular Economy, Digital Transformation, and AI. As Co-Founder of LoopID, he drives the transition to a Circular Economy by building its digital infrastructure. LoopID’s AI-powered solutions include digital product passports, recommerce platforms, take-back systems, and the development of profitable circular business models. Prior to founding LoopID, Christian worked over a decade at the Boston Consulting Group, where he build and led BCG’s digital transformation offering including AI.

Christian holds degrees in Computer Science and Technology Management from LMU Munich, the Center for Digital Technology & Management (CDTM), and the University of California, Berkeley, as well as in Circular Economy from Leuphana University.

Vepa | Managing Director Germany

>> PANEL DISCUSSION

Marco Schoneveld is Managing Director Germany of office furniture manufacturer Vepa the furniture factory. The Dutchman worked for a major international bank for many years. There he helped shape the strategic direction of sustainability. It was in this role that he came into contact with Vepa. He has been in charge of Vepa's German business since 2021. The sustainability practised at Vepa and the circular philosophy are important factors for Marco in his commitment to Vepa.

REHAU Window Solutions |  Chief Marketing Officer

MASTERCLASS >> Peter Kotzur talks about the modern circular economy in the PVC window industry. Practised sustainability is becoming an integral part of regulations in Europe. Are we prepared?

Peter Kotzur is Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) of REHAU Window Solutions. He sees green business and AI as drivers for sustainable marketing models. Since 2018, the business administration graduate has been responsible for marketing at the all-in-one partner for integrated window and door solutions. There, he is developing marketing into a driver of lived sustainability based on a seamlessly closed circular economy - both within the organisation and along the value chain from the architect to the fabricator to the end customer.

IHK Region Stuttgart | Expert for Resource Efficiency and Sustainability

>> PANEL DISCUSSION

Dennis Seiler is an expert in resource efficiency and sustainability. He studied Resource Efficiency Management and Life Cycle and Sustainability at Pforzheim University. He worked for 3.5 years in the quality department at the medium-sized company Benseler and supported the energy and environment department. Since 2022, he has been working for the IHK Region Stuttgart as part of the funded KEFF+ project, where he shows companies from the Stuttgart region ways to integrate the circular economy, the use of secondary raw materials a

Steinbeis Beratungszentrum Circular Economy | Founder & Director

Christoph Soukup is a business economist and changemaker for the circular economy. He is the founder and head of the Steinbeis Circular Economy Consulting Centre and materialkreislauf, the think tank for sustainable business, both based in Stuttgart. He has over two decades of experience in the automotive sector, many of which he spent in management positions. His topics range from organisational development and change management to purchasing, cooperation with system partners and supplier management through to the sustainable design of the value creation network. Today, his work focuses on supporting predominantly medium-sized companies in their transition to circular economy practices. He is convinced that circular business models - done right - must be and are not only ecologically but also economically sustainable.

Fraunhofer IZM | Circular Design Lead & Researcher

Max Marwede heads the ‘Circular Design Lab’ at Fraunhofer IZM. He works on a freelance basis to help companies with the transformation to a circular economy. Max Marwede supports sustainable technology development, advises industrial companies on the development of circular product systems and helps product development teams to define and realise environmental goals. His current work includes optimising plastic cycles (system design) and promoting user acceptance of recycled plastics through behavioural design. He studied industrial physics and philosophy (BA) and completed his doctorate on the recycling of critical raw materials in the photovoltaic industry.

Neol | Creative Leader & Catalyst

Jens Jürgen Fiedler is an expert in sustainable digital innovation, agile business design and transformative change. He is a member and representative in Germany of Neol's exclusive circle of 250 global creative leaders based in London. With over two decades of international leadership experience in various sectors, industries and start-ups, he advises and supports globally active SMEs and DAX-listed corporations in increasing their innovative strength and creativity, the speed of digitalisation and transformation. His passion is the networking of digital with circular, sustainable processes (twin transition) in order to co-create a business model and its value chain more sustainable and resilient with digital technologies, platforms and data using prototypical methods.

Freelance Artist, Designer and Educator

>> Traces of Cobalt: Design positions in the context of a broader view of materials

Valena Ammon is a freelance artist, designer and educator dwelling in the fields of ceramics, practice-based research, digital manufacture and material culture. Her works explore the interconnectedness between materials, entities and landscapes. As part of Fabmobil e.V she was involved in bringing digital creative tools to young people in rural Saxony and with the collective druckwerk.xyz she investigates and teaches additive manufacture in the area of ceramics with a special focus on vessels.

Industrial & Strategic Designer

>> Steps to Stay: A digital tool for sustainable transformation in the hotel industry

After completing her Bachelor's degree in Industrial Design, Lara completed her Master's degree in Strategic Product and Innovation Development at the University of Wuppertal by March 2023. After two longer internships at design agencies - including one in Denmark - she joined Squareone in Düsseldorf in summer 2022. Initially as a working student and since May full-time, she has been working on a wide range of projects, from industrial design and UX/UI to strategic tasks.

Wuppertal Institut | Co-Leiter Forschungsbereich Produkt- und Konsumsysteme, nachhaltiges Produzieren
 

Markus Kühlert is Co-Head of the Product and Consumption Systems Research Unit in the Sustainable Production and Consumption Department at the Wuppertal Institute. As an economist, his research focusses on corporate sustainability strategies in global value chains, sustainability assessment, innovation and change management of production and consumption systems as well as transition design. Previously, Mr Kühlert worked as a freelance consultant for the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH (GIZ) on the topics of sustainable management and vocational training in the context of the German government's development cooperation.