— By Plasteurope.com staff — 

Organised by the Nova-Institute (Hürth, Germany; www.nova-institute.eu), the AI Circular Economy Conference 2026 drew 116 participants from 15 countries for a two-day event in Cologne, Germany, and focused on how artificial intelligence can support circular material systems. The conference included 24 presentations and panel discussions spanning industry, research, and start-ups.

Speakers from Covestro, Schneider Electric, ExoMatter, Volkswagen, and RWTH Aachen University, among others, discussed applications such as digital twins, predictive maintenance, process optimisation, machine learning for material discovery and AI-supported sorting – the tools being used across the circular value chain, from production and materials development to recycling and resource management. The discussions at the event centred around AI moving from experimentation towards industrial implementation.

The conference was supported by partners including CLIB, the Renewable Carbon Initiative, Kunststoffland NRW, and the German AI association KI Bundesverband. Nova-Institute said the topic will also feature at its upcoming CCU, Renewable Materials, and Advanced Recycling conferences later in 2026.