Topics addressed at SUM 2026

Preparing for reuse: Cleaning and refurbishing, repair and upgrading, quality control and certification.

Materials sorting and recovery: Source segregation, manual and sensor-based sorting, extraction technologies, etc.

Treatment and recycling technologies: Mechanical, biological, chemical and thermal processes, biorefineries, nature-based solutions such as phytoreduction, insect-based treatments, etc.

Quality control along the recycling chain: Monitoring contaminants, ensuring nontoxic recycling, ensuring recycled product quality, carbon/water/energy footprint, etc.

Mass Balance along the recovery and recycling chain: Efficiency in recycling processes, effective recycling rates, fate of residual waste, etc.

Sinks in Circular Economy: Role, types, design and quality limits for technological and natural sinks, back to earth solutions etc.

Sustainable deposit of residual waste on soil: Need for an updated set of technical regulations, final storage quality standards, new model for sustainable landfilling, temporary storage of valuable materials, requirements for the deposition of residual waste on soil as a final sink, etc.

Enhanced landfill mining: Feasibility, technology appropriateness, Surveying, excavation, sorting, valorisation, regulation, challenges in developing regions, etc.

Role of energy in waste recycling: Phosphorous recovery from sludge, scraped tyres recycling, plastics recycling, closing material loops, etc.

Integration of energy and material cycles: Synergies between energy recovery and material recycling, cascade use of resources, combined heat and power (CHP), industrial symbiosis, biorefineries, and sector coupling (waste-energy-water nexus).

Energy storage, conversion, and reuse: Battery recycling, second-life applications, hydrogen storage, thermal energy storage, and conversion of waste heat to electricity or other energy forms.

Case studies and best practices: Industrial symbiosis parks, smart grids, waste-to-energy plants, renewable integration in circular cities, and innovative regional or local initiatives linking energy and circularity.

Reuse of waste from Energy production: Combustion residues, digestates, end of life PV panels, turbine blades, etc.

Circular and synergic business models: Case studies, circular eco-system and industrial symbiosis, drivers and barriers, waste reduction and prevention, reverse logistics, circular product design, product sharing and stewardship, etc.

Companies/Industries: Redesign production models, sorting and treatment technologies, industrial case studies, transition strategies, R&D collaboration, recruitment and innovation, certification, marketing, etc.

Municipalities /Local Governments: Design cities and regions as circular systems that reduce waste and improve resource efficiency, urban planning, circular water loops, public procurement, community engagement, etc.

Universities/Research Institutions: Leading waste innovation and experimentation in circular systems, food waste reduction, integrating Circular Economy into curricula (engineering, business, design), partnerships with cities and companies to pilot CE solutions, reuse and recycling of lab materials and office equipment, etc.

Others scenarios: Agriculture and food systems, Tourism Service and Logistic sectors, such as mobility sharing, leasing and products as-a-service models, etc.

Sources of potential contaminants along the recovery and recycling chain (Direct emissions): Collection and sorting, recycling and reprocessing, reuse and refurbishment, biological recycling, etc.

Potential release of contaminants from Circular Economy (Indirect emissions): Accumulation in products, consumer exposition, release from downcycled products, mismanagement of residual waste, etc.

Potential environmental impacts: Increase of the global contaminants’ concentration, microplastics, forever chemicals (e.g. PFAS), emerging pollutants and foreign species/weeds, pharmaceuticals in biomass, biocircular diffusion, etc.

Potential health implications: Inhalation or dermal exposure to toxic compounds in recycling facilities or from recycled consumer goods, surveillance and health monitoring, accumulation of contaminants in animals, plants and humans, microbial features and biorisk prevention, ecotoxicological risks, potential health effects, epidemiology, etc.

Balancing benefits and risks/Mitigation and policies approach: Reduction of raw material extraction vs. potential increase in contaminants circulation, improved sorting technologies, chemicals regulations in the production of goods, etc.

Economic and financial aspects: Circular business models, EPR, full cost accounting, incentives, market flexibility, fiscal tools, global trade impacts, sustainable financing taxonomy, government role, reuse/export implications, CO2 costs, emission trade, etc.

Legal aspects: Circular Economy legislation, waste legislation, environmental liability, transboundary waste shipments, eco-design standards, resource ownership, permitting and licensing for waste-related activities, international agreements, regulations governing the classification, handling, and reuse of waste materials, MS compliance with EU-legislation.

Education, communication, and other social aspects: Awareness campaigns, behavioural factors, participatory approaches, curricula, waste & art, human rights related to CRM mining and processing, promoting human sustainable behaviour, public perception, role of media.

Cooperation between environmental sciences and lively arts: Integration with music, theatre, visual arts, for education and awareness, joint performances, etc.

Circular Economy metrics, monitoring and impact assessment: Performance indicators, monitoring of Circular Economy strategies, assessment of socio-economic and environmental impacts, and alignment with the SDGs and UN/OECD frameworks.

Tools and instruments for assessment: MFA, LCA, circularity metrics and indicators, cost-benefit analysis, EIA, carbon accounting, energy balance, etc.

Social and ecological models: Ecotourism, informal recycling, cooperatives, grassroots movements, community-based solutions, social innovation, citizen science, clittering, cleanup campaigns, etc.

Methodological innovations for Waste Management and Circular Economy: New quantitative approaches, new survey techniques, inclusion of AI in models and model development, etc.

Artificial Intelligence and digital solutions: AI, ML, IoT, Big Data, AR, digital passport, scalable AI platforms for real-time waste stream analysis, predictive analytics for optimizing reverse logistics, generative AI for sustainable product design, digital twins for urban mining simulation, data-driven business models in the Circular Economy, etc.

Policy and standards: Key tools (EPR – Extended Producer Responsibility, DRS – Deposit Return System, green claims, etc.) and relevant regulatory frameworks (ESPR – Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation, PPWR – Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation, CSRD – Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive, etc.).

Governance models and multi-level coordination: Integrated governance approaches (local, national, European), synergies across institutional levels, public–private partnerships, and territorial networks supporting the circular transition, etc.

Use and Integration of Recycled and Reused Materials – Promotion and regulations: Utilisation of secondary raw materials in manufacturing, construction, and product design; performance and safety assessment; material certification and standards; market acceptance and consumer perception; hybrid products combining virgin and recycled inputs; innovative applications of upcycled materials; design for second life and modularity; aesthetic and functional valorisation of waste-derived materials.

Circular Economy in developing countries: Appropriate solutions and technologies, capacity building, informal sector, education, inclusive waste governance and grassroots innovations (community-based recycling, recycling cooperatives and networks, waste pickers movements), international financial support, etc.