Pick up your attendee badge and conference materials.

Peruse the booths in our Exhibit Hall and make connections with your plastics recycling and textile recovery peers.

Coffee, tea and breakfast provided to power attendees through the day’s schedule.

Breakfast will be served outside the session room at 7:45am.

SPEAKERS

• Katie Drews, Co-President and CEO, Eureka Recycling

• Beth Forsberg, Senior Vice President, Chief Sustainability Officer, Goodwill of Central and Northern Arizona

• Andriana Kontovrakis, Director of EPR Solutions, Reverse Logistics Group

• Sarah Robinson Enaharo

MODERATOR

• MaryEllen Etienne, Director, U.S. Green Building Council

This session will cover:

• Women leading organizations, setting strategies and driving circular initiatives in recycling, waste management and sustainable design.

• How women are pioneering new approaches to recycling, sustainable packaging and product life extension in the circular economy.

• Addressing barriers like gender biases and lack of representation, and how women have overcome these challenges to succeed in the sustainability space.

• How gender diversity in leadership leads to better decision-making, innovation and stronger industry partnerships.

• Strategies for mentorship, education and creating opportunities for young women to enter and thrive in sustainability, recycling and circular economy roles.

Enjoy a short break between sessions.

SPEAKERS

• Domenico Fortuna, Investment Banking, DC Advisory

• Ahmad Kawas, Global Business Director - Circular and Renewable Solutions, Dow Chemical Co.

• Dr. Chris Killian, Senior Vice President, Chief Technology and Sustainability Officer, Eastman

• Mariane Maximous, Vice President, Feedstocks & Mechanical Recycling – Circularity & Low Carbon Solutions, LYB

• Kristin Taylor, Director, Closed Loop Partners

MODERATOR

• Kate Davenport, Chief Policy Officer, The Recycling Partnership

This session will cover:

• How top players and investors can provide capital and support to accelerate industry growth and develop and scale new technologies and business models while balancing risks and impact.

• How corporations are integrating circular economy principles into their business models, from recycling to designing for longevity.

• Key investment trends in areas like circular supply chains, waste-to-value technologies and closed-loop systems.

• How investors support the scaling of startups andemerging technologies while balancing risks and impact.

• Aligning financial goals with sustainability goals and measuring success through detailed impact metrics.

• Collaborating and formingcross-sector partnerships with governments, NGOs and startups to bring recycling solutions to scale.

• Managing risk by navigating policy requirements and changes and supply chain disruptions while advocating for regulatory frameworks to support circular economy investments.

SPEAKERS

• Sandeep Bangaru, Vice President, Circular Platform, Eastman Chemical Company

• Ben Dixon, Partner and Head of Materials and Circular Economy, Systemiq

• Eddie Ingle, Chief Executive Officer, Unifi

• Rob Kurtz, Recycling Marketing Specialist, Rumpke

• Lina Gomez Londono, Vice President of Sustainability and Solutions, Debrand

MODERATOR

• Holli Alexander, Strategic Initiatives Manager, Circularity, Eastman

This session will cover:

• Challenges in hard-to-recycle plastics,and the limitations of mechanical recycling for certain plastic types.

• Identifying new technologies and processes to recycle post-consumer and post-industrial textiles, with a focus on scalability and circularity.

• Understanding which plastics and textiles are not suitable for traditional recycling methods.

• How emerging technology can play a pivotal role in treating hard-to-recycle materials.

• The importance of cross-sector partnerships, research and policy innovation to accelerate progress in recycling technologies and establish a circular economy for plastics and textiles.

Enjoy a short break between sessions.

SPEAKERS

• Brent Bell, Vice President of Recycling, WM

• Keefe Harrison, CEO, The Recycling Partnership

MODERATOR

• Myles Cohen, Founder, Circular Ventures, LLC

This session will cover:

• Where We Were: The historical challenges of achieving high recycling rates and the lessons learned from curbside collection programs.

• Where We Are: The current state of residential recycling and trends that raise concerns for the future, including:

  • Spiraling collection costs

  • Lower volumes due to consumer skepticism, lightweighting and rightsizing

  • Contamination

  • Mislabeling and greenwashing by brands

• Where We’re Going: Strategies to boost collection tonnages, improve recycling rates and drive innovation in the industry.

Join industry leaders as we discuss how to expand collection efforts, increase efficiency and achieve meaningful progress in recycling rates across all material streams. This session will serve as your roadmap to understanding the next frontier in sustainable resource management.