Online Expert Conference Bioplastics 2026 – Approaches for Sustainable Product Development on February 24 and 25, 2026
Implementing sustainability in plastic products is currently a challenge faced by many stakeholders. Bioplastics will play an increasingly important role in our circular economy. At the Institute for Circular Economy of Bio:Polymers at Hof University of Applied Sciences, we develop solutions with a strong focus on bioplastics.
With our Bioplastics expert conference, we aim to create a forum in which companies, institutes, research organizations, and other interested parties from the plastics and recycling industries can learn about and exchange views on the latest trends and results from science and practice relating to sustainability and the use of bioplastics.
Become part of our event!
We would be delighted to welcome you as a participant or contributor to our expert conference and look forward to your involvement.
Conference Language
The expert conference will be moderated primarily in German. At the same time, English translations of the moderation will be provided.
The presentations and the language of the lectures may be freely chosen by the speakers. In the conference program, contributions in English and German will be clearly indicated and, where possible, grouped into separate sessions.
To ensure the widest possible reach for a presentation, we recommend delivering lectures in English based on English-language presentation materials.
Conference Topics
Synthesis of Bioplastics
The production of bioplastics forms the foundation for all material-specific properties. Research and development in this area enable the creation of more economical and efficient types of bioplastics, thus driving the industry forward.
Processing of Bioplastics
Production
Transforming bioplastics into a product or polymer blend is a process influenced by a large number of factors. Raw materials, their proportions, processing aids, additives, the design of processing equipment, and processing parameters create complex possibilities for producing widely varying products.
Recycling
The material recycling of bioplastics is theoretically possible to the same extent as with conventional plastics. In practice, however, collection, sorting, and processing pose entirely new challenges due to the specific properties of bioplastics. Equally interesting are approaches to chemical and thermal recycling.
Applications of Bioplastics
Bioplastic applications should ideally leverage all the advantages of the materials while converting potential disadvantages into benefits through clever product design. Currently, most products can only be used in niche applications. Costs versus benefits, as well as consumer acceptance, are often still misaligned. This is where research and development must intervene to enable broader use of bioplastics.
Degradation of Bioplastics
The degradation behavior of many bioplastics is a core consideration when selecting materials for various applications. The degradation process is influenced by numerous factors and chemical reactions. Understanding and being able to control these processes is key to deliberately adjusting and managing the degradation behavior.
Program
Day 1 – 24.02.2026
9:00 – 9:10
Greetings
Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Jürgen Lehmann
Prof. Dr. Michael Nase
9:10 – 10:00
Keynote Lecture
10:00 – 10:10
Presentation of the Conference Concept – Lucas Großmann
10:10 – 11:10
Presentation Pitches – 15 pitches, 2 minutes each
11:10 – 12:00
Keynote Lecture
12:00 – 13:00
Lunch Break – time for personal discussions
13:00 – 13:10
Presentation of Voting Results
13:10 – 15:00
Panel Discussion
13:10 – 13:20
Lecture 1 – Guest 1
13:20 – 13:30
Lecture 2 – Guest 2
13:30 – 13:45
Break-out-Sessions
13:45 – 15:00
Open Discussion
Day 2 – 25.02.2026
8:30 – 9:15
Keynote Lecture
9:15 – 10:00
Top 1 – Scientific Lecture
10:00 – 10:15
Coffee Break
10:15 – 12:15
Session 1 & Session 2 – Scientific Lectures
12:15 – 13:00
Meet & Greet – time for lunch and personal discussions
13:00 – 13:45
Top 2 – Scientific Lecture
13:45 – 15:45
Session 3 & Session 4 – Scientific Lectures
15:45 – 16:00
Award Ceremony
Concept
The presentations at the conference will be introduced to all participants via an innovative and interactive pitch system. Based on these brief introductions and the interactive evaluation of the pitches by the participants, the presentation sessions will be created and the order of the talks within these sessions will be determined.
This approach allows the most in-demand presentations to be optimally scheduled, while giving all participants the opportunity to learn about the content of each talk during the pitch.
Specifically:
To determine the order of the 30-minute presentations, all speakers deliver a two-minute pitch at the beginning of the conference.
After each pitch, all participants cast votes to indicate the level of interest in the respective presentation.
To avoid scheduling talks with overlapping audiences simultaneously, the sequence of presentations is determined based on the voting results.
Presentations with the highest level of interest receive more discussion time and slots outside the main sessions. All other talks proceed in the usual sequence with short discussions, organized into morning and afternoon sessions.
Following the presentations and the poster session, awards will be given for the best presentation and the best poster. Every participant can cast a vote, which is included in the evaluation by the expert jury. The authors of the winning presentation and the poster receive an award and a material prize.
Registration
Registration for the Online Expert Conference Bioplastics
February 24 & 25, 2026
Approaches for Sustainable Product Development
Digital Exchange Between Users and Scientists
The conference will provide a space for informal and relaxed professional exchange with experts from both application and research.
For this purpose, general discussion rounds and breakout sessions will be available. In addition, open whiteboards will be provided during breaks and discussion sessions, offering participants the opportunity for open and subsequently individual exchanges.
An important aspect of the online conference is the ability for participants to invite speakers and other attendees to personal conversations at any time via the chat.
Downloads:
Here you can find downloads made available during the conference.
Sie haben Fragen vorab? Nehmen Sie gerne Kontakt zu uns auf:
Institut für Kreislaufwirtschaft der Bio:Polymere der Hochschule Hof (ibp)
Alfons-Goppel-Platz 1, 95028 Hof
E: ibp@hof-university.de
T: +49 9281 409-4730