Circular Economy of Plastics and the Medical Sector
Dr. Alexander Kronimus
Managing Director
Plastics Europe Germany
PlasticsEurope Deutschland e. V. is the German association of plastics manufacturers. We are a specialist association of the German Chemical Industry Association (Verband der Chemischen Industrie, VCI) and part of the European network PlasticsEurope with representation in Brussels and in the European economic centers and capitals.
The European plastics industry wants to continue to make a significant contribution to prosperity. Our aims are to use innovation to improve quality of life, efficient use of resources and to protect the climate. Plastics are essential for sustainable living and for achieving climate protection goals. Wind turbines, energy-saving houses or e-mobility - with high-performance plastics it is possible to save resources as well as carbon dioxide. Currently, the plastics industry in the EU has more an 1.5 employees accross 55,000 companies.
Our mission:
The plastics industry is undergoing a comprehensive transition towards a circular economy. The circular economy aims to use plastics as efficiently and for as long as possible and to then recover them at the end of their life span. That is why the entire life cycle of a piece of plastic has to be thought through from the very beginning: from raw material extraction to production, processing and use through to recycling.
The transition to a circular economy requires determination, interdisciplinary thinking and innovative ideas. Interaction between the different players in economy and politics as well as a variety of community groups is crucial to achieve this.
How do we want to achieve our goals?
In order to promote this interaction, we provide relevant specialist knowledge and innovative solutions. We want to present and discuss these transparently and incorporate them into the political and social decision-making processes. Our aim is to understand challenges, ideas and criticism and to be available to answer questions from interested parties.
Dr. Alexander Kronimus is the Managing Director of Plastics Europe Germany, the German association of plastics manufacturers. He previously worked as a consultant for energy management at the German Chemical Industry Association (Verband der Chemischen Industrie, VCI) for 10 years. In this role, Dr. Kronimus oversaw studies on the transition of the chemical industry towards greenhous gas neutrality. His focus was on non-fossil raw materials such as biomass, carbon dioxide an recycled plastics. Prior to that, he held an internationally oriented research and project management position at the Dutch science service provider TNO for several years, focussing on geothermal energy and CCS and was a research assistant at the RWTH University in Aachen. Dr. Kronimus studied geology and completed his doctorate in environmental studies at the RWTH University in Aachen.
