Sustainability in Product and Production Engineering 2025

Realizing a sustainable, scope 3 emission-free automobile production is inevitably bound to transform the automotive industry fundamentally. While “green”, climate-neutral primary materials certainly are welcomed, they clearly need to be complemented by a massive (re)use of secondary, end-of-life vehicle scrap materials, and upcoming legislation, viz. the 2023 proposal for the European ELV Directive, is likely to demand exactly that. So the challenge – and the chance!- is to think of ELV not as waste, but as a valuable source of raw materials and utilise them accordingly. Which raises a number of questions:

How can automotive OEM and their Tier-1 suppliers get hold of high-quality, rich-in-secondary-materials plastics, steels, light metals, rubber, etc.?
How can end-of-life vehicles efficiently be recycled to yield sorted, quality scrap materials – or even reusable parts?
How should material streams between OEM, Tier-1, material suppliers and recyclers be organised?
Do vehicle or car part qualities have to be compromised when using secondary materials? If yes, what would be tolerable?
How will vehicle architectures or material choices have to adapt to enable efficient recycling?
What concepts are viable for the end-of-vehicle-life recycling of automotive batteries? Or, would battery second life scenarios be preferable?

For the forth time, the Automotive Circle conference Sustainability in Product and Production Engineering, addresses these questions, assembling its international network of OEM, supplier and academic experts in Bad Nauheim/Germany.

In particular, the conference aims to present progress on…

Circular economy concepts and solutions for the most important automotive materials: plastics/composites, steels, light metals, rubber, glass
Efficient sorting, chemical or mechanical recycling and availability of automotive-relevant polymer/plastic scrap materials
Efficient, non-downgrading, end-of-life recycling of steels, aluminium and other relevant metals
Recycling, refurbishment, reuse concepts for automobile parts
Fossil-free primary automotive steels, aluminium, plastic materials: Availabilities and qualities
Smart design-for-dismantling vehicle architecture concepts

Be part of it!

We are looking forward to meeting you in Bad Nauheim (Germany) / online in September 2025!

Don’t miss any updates by following our hashtag: #ACSustainability

Conference Program | PDF

Tuesday | September 30, 2025

7:00 AM	Conference Registration
8:15 AM	Welcome and Conference Introduction	Dr. Dirk Meine, Automotive Circle, DE
Keynote: Material Supply
8:30 AM	Advancing sustainable supply and traceability in the raw materials sector	Dr. Laurence Lamm, EIT RawMaterials, FR
9:15 AM	Advances in aluminium circularity – short presentations followed by joint interactive Q&A session –
	Aluminium alloys for structural castings with higher post-consumer scrap content	Dr. Stig Tjøtta, Hydro Aluminium, NO; Dr. Marcel Pfitzer, Mercedes-Benz Cars AG, DE
	Increasing recycled metal content: the fastest, simplest, and most energy-efficient way to lower the carbon footprint of aluminium automotive body sheets	Olivier Rebuffet, Constellium, FR
	Customer Centric low carbon aluminum FRP product industrialization through Carbon Accounting Methodology —Enabling Aluminum Industry Decarbonization	Alison Lee, Novelis, Inc., US
10:15 AM	Meet the Speakers / Exhibition / Coffee and contacts
Post-consumer steel circularity
11:00 AM	Closing the Loop: Integrating the Scrap Value Chain for Sustainable Steel	David Busstra, Tata Steel Nederland, NL
11:30 AM	Impactful collaboration in the circular economy: Implementing decarbonized steel	Simon Buckingham, Volvo Car Company, SE; Jonas Adolfsson, SSAB, SE
12:00 PM	Recycling strategies – short presentations followed by joint interactive Q&A session –
	A new R-strategy for metallic cycles	Markus Werner, Fraunhofer Institute for Machine Tools and Forming Technology (IWU), DE
	Possible future strategy of automobile production – potential of reusing automotive components	Dr. Frank Riedel, Fraunhofer Institute for Machine Tools and Forming Technology (IWU), DE; Eckart Lippmann, a.i.m. all in metal GmbH, DE
12.45 PM	Lunch Break
Recycling Strategies (continued)
2:00 PM	tba	Benjamin Georgin, Toyota Europe, BE
Keeping Track
2:30 PM	Tracking the carbon footprint of our parts on the road to the Net Zero Car	Inés Rodríguez, Gestamp, ES
3:00 PM	Life cycle engineering-platform for sustainable car body development	Zi Jun Lee, Fraunhofer IST, DE
3:30 PM	Meet the Speakers / Exhibition / Coffee and contacts
Joint session with the Automotive Circle conference “Smart Production”
4:15 PM	Data-driven Circular Economy – Digital Twins as Foundation for the Digital Product Passport	Alexander Christ, :em engineering methods AG, DE
4:45 PM	AI-powered robotics: Driving efficiency and ROI through autonomous inspection	Roger Herbert, Caleb Sylvester, Boston Dynamics, US
5:30 PM	Get-Together: Meet the speakers
7:00 PM	Networking Dinner

Wednesday | October 1, 2025

Keynote: Material Circularity
8:30 AM	Material Cycle Diagrams and definition of terms – an approach of the VDA to a common understanding of sustainable materials along the entire value chain	Janina Nizol, BMW Group; Frank Fischer, AUDI AG; Peter Weidinger, Brose Fahrzeugteile SE & Co. KG; DE
Plastics Circularity: OEM Case Studies
9:00 AM	Challenges in the development of components with end-of-life plastic recyclates	Simon Hoebel, Dr. Karl-Heinz Füller, Mercedes-Benz AG, DE
9:30 AM	Closed-loop Recycling of Automotive Thermoplastic Parts: Insights from Turning End-of-Life Bumpers into New Bumpers	Florence Almeida-Bluntzer, SABIC, FR; Laurent Claude, The Future is Neutral, FR
10:00 AM	Use of Recyclate in painted Radiator Grills for the Audi A3 by implementing a “post-industrial closed loop”-concept	Wolfgang Dorfner, Robert Apfelbeck, Audi AG, DE
10:30 AM	Meet the Speakers / Exhibition /Coffee and contacts
11:15 AM	Plastics Circularity: Supplier Solutions – short presentations followed by joint interactive Q&A session –
	Closing the loop: scalable polyester solutions for circular automotive manufacturing	Laura Gottardo, Autoneum Management AG, CH
	Car-to-Car plastic recycling	Anja Rother, Covestro AG, DE
	Sustainable Elastomer Strategies: Rethinking EPDM for a Circular Automotive Future	Dr. Ali Erkin Kutlu, Standard Profil GmbH, DE
12:15 PM	Lunch Break
EoL De-Joining Concepts
1:30 PM	Circularity for vehicle structures – recycling is just the end	Stefan Caba, Project ZEvRA / EDAG Engineering GmbH, DE
2:00 PM	Debonding and Rebonding using Alge-base hotmelt structural adhesive in sustainability and resource circulation	Nao Terasaki, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Senging Technology Research Institute (STRI), JP
2:30 PM	Debondable adhesive tapes: Innovations fueling the future of EV batteries	Gunnar Melles, tesa SE, DE
Beyond Carbon Neutrality
3:00 PM	A case for biodiversity in automotive development and production	Thilo Pfletschinger, Coalaxy GmbH, DE; Michael Frik, Mercedes-Benz AG, DE
3:30 PM	Closing Remarks	Members of the Advisory Board on their congress summary and future outlook in Car Body Part development and production
3:45 PM	Conclusion & Farewell

Participants

International OEM Advisory Board

Mike Herbig

Audi AG

Dr. Christoph Haberling

Audi AG

Ilya Popov

Ford Werke GmbH

Timo Unger

Hyundai Motor Europe Technical Center GmbH

Yohei Bito

Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.

Jens Thomer

Dr. Ing. h. c. F. Porsche AG

Dr. Isotta Cerri

Toyota Motor Europe

Adina Christine Gerke

Volkswagen AG

Simon Buckingham

Volvo Cars

Dr. Linnea Petersson

Volvo Trucks

The conference adresses

Automotive engineers and experts at OEMs and OES worldwide who are involved in sustainability-related decision making
Representatives of relevant academic and related institutes as well as other experts for sustainable industry solutions

Participating companies

:em engineering methods AG, DE
a.i.m. all in metal GmbH, DE
Aisin Europe, BE
Ak-Pres, TR
Aluminium Deutschland e. V.
Audi AG, DE
Autoneum Management AG, CH
BENTELER Automobiltechnik GmbH
BMW Group, DE
BostonDynamics, US
BR-CONS GmbH
Brose Fahrzeugteile SE & Co. KG, DE
Coalaxy GmbH, DE
Constellium, FR
Cooper Standard Automotive, DE
Covestro AG, DE
DENSO Automotive Deutschland GmbH, DE
DuPont, CH
EDAG Engineering GmbH, DE
EIT RawMaterials, FR
Ford Werke GmbH, DE
Fraunhofer IST, DE
Fraunhofer IWU, DE
Gestamp, ES
g-tekt corporation
Honda Development & Manufacturing America
Hydro Aluminium, NO
Hyundai, DE
Jaguar Land Rover, GB
Kobelco Europe GmbH, DE
Magna Automotive Europe GmbH
Mercedes-Benz AG, DE
National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, JP
Nissan, JP
Novelis, Inc., US
Porsche, DE
PPG Industries, NL
Project ZEvRA / EDAG Engineering GmbH
SABIC, FR
Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics Pampus GmbH, DE
SEAT, ES
SEI Automotive Europe GmbH, DE
SSAB, SE
Standard Profil GmbH, DE
Tata Steel Nederland, NL
tesa SE, DE
The Future is Neutral, FR
Toyota, SE
Toyota Motor Europe, BE
Université Abdelmalek Essaidi
Volvo Cars, SE

Status as of: September 08, 2025

Exhibition & Sponsoring

Take advantage of the high coverage of the Automotive Circle and profit from the sponsoring options before and during the events. Show your competence and services, matching the conference subjects, to the numerous car body engineers of international OEM. Thus, you are strengthening your brand awareness in the automotive industry!

Come on board as an exhibitor or sponsor and benefit from this excellent platform to strongly promote your company’s capabilities as a reliable supplier!

Please contact Frauke Haentsch via frauke.haentsch@vincentz.net for detailed exhibition and sponsoring options.

More Information

Super Early Bird

Participation fee

1.795 €*

*for registrations received by June 29, 2025

Early Bird

Participation fee

1.995 €*

*for registrations received by August 29, 2025

Standard

Participation fee

2.195 €*

REGISTER NOW

*for registrations received after August 29, 2025

Digital Participation

What can you expect from the digital participation?

Follow the live stream of all presentations or on demand* until 2 weeks after the conference
Ask you individual questions during the Q&A session to the speakers during the live stream
Exhibitor forum and the possibility to get in touch with the exhibitors
Messaging and chat functions to get in touch with others
Download of the presentations

*Will be provided after the conference

Acces data to the digital platform will be send out approx. one week before the conference starts.

Technical Plattform

The virtual event of the Automotive Circle is planned and conducted using electronic tools and platforms. The follwoing tools are used:

Cvent Attendee Website (via browser, compatible with the latest versions of Chrome, Firefox, Safari and Microsoft Edge)
Vimeo Player

Each participant is responsible for using these tools. If it is not possible to use them, e.g. due to technical company requirements, this does not entitle the participant to cancel the digital participation free of charge.

Prices, Terms & Conditions

Organizer

Vincentz Network GmbH & Co. KG
Plathnerstrasse 4c
30175 Hannover, Germany

T. +49 511 9910 – 378
F +49 511 9910 – 379
jeanette.timner@vincentz.net

Date & Venue

Conference: September 30 – October 01, 2025

Digital Participation
or
On site Participation @
DOLCE by Wyndham Bad Nauheim
Elvis-Presley-Platz 1
61231 Bad Nauheim, Germany

T +49 6032 303-0
F +49 6032 303-529
info@dolcebadnauheim .com
www.dolcebadnauheim.com

Accommodation is available at the conference hotel.

We kindly ask you to make your own hotel reservation at the conference hotel. Rooms are available from € 159,- to € 179,-, depending on the room category. All rooms include breakfast for a price of € 5,- per person and day. Please refer to: “Automotive Circle”.

The following cancellation conditions apply for all categories:
All reservations can be cancelled free of charge up to 4 weeks before arrival. Up to 2 weeks before arrival 60% of the room rate will be due. From 2 weeks before arrival 80 % will be charged.

Participation Fee

On site or digital participation (choice is all yours):

Trust-Rate	1.795 €*	for registrations received by June 29, 2025
Early-bird	1.995 €*	for registrations received by August 29, 2025
Standard	2.195 €*	for registrations received after August 29, 2025

Students will get 50 % discount on standard prices on presentation of a valid student ID.
A 10% group discount on the rate that is valid at the time of registration is available. This will apply when 5 or more attendees from the same company address register at the same time.
The access data for the digital conference participation will be send out via E-Mail approx. one week prior the conference. The prerequisite for this is that all payments have been recieved in full.

* All prices plus 19 % German VAT. All conferences in Europe are subject to VAT. To reclaim, please contact your local tax office.

Participation fee includes

On site participation: Fees including full conference participation, incl. conference materials and list of delegates, the authority for downloading the presentation on the internet, luncheons, catering, the participation in the evening networking event and on-demand access to the presentation videos for 2 weeks after the conference.

Digital participation: Fees including full digital conference participation, incl. conference materials and list of delegates, the authority for downloading the presentation on the internet and on-demand access to the presentation videos for 2 weeks after the conference.

Registration

Registration is preferably done via the event’s website, alternatively by e-mail or regular mail. The confirmation of participation and invoice will be sent via e-mail. Without this confirmation, there is no claim to participation in the booked event. Registrations will be considered in the order in which they are received, except EuroCarBody. However, the number of participants is limited in all cases.

Technical Plattform for digital participation

This virtual event of the Automotive Circle is planned and conducted using electronic tools and platforms. The following tools are used:

Cvent Attendee Website (via browser, compatible with the latest versions of Chrome, Firefox, Safari and Microsoft Edge)
Vimeo Player

Each participant is responsible for using these tools. If it is not possible to use them, e.g. due to internal company requirements, this does not entitle the participant to cancel the digital participation free of charge.

Conference Language

The conference is held exclusively in English. All documents are predominately composed in the English language.

Cancellations

Fees will be refunded in full if notice of cancellation is received by August 30, 2025. Please understand that event preparation and organization involve financial and human resources. Therefore a fee of 50% of the participation fee will be charged, if the notification of cancellation is received after August 30, 2025. Should notification reach us after September 16, 2025, or in case of non-participation, 100% of the participation fee will be charged. Substitutions of delegates may be made at any time.

Cancellations and changes must be made in writing and will be confirmed by the organizer. Cancellations due to health reasons can be cancelled free of charge at any time with a medical certificate. If a participant is demonstrably unable to attend due to travel restrictions, he/she has the option of converting the attendance participation into a digital participation (if this is offered). Any cost differences will be reimbursed).

The participant undertakes to follow the instructions of the organizer and the venue. Failure to do so may result in exclusion from the event.

The organizer reserves the right to change the program or to cancel the event in the event of special circumstances (important reason). In particular, the organizer is entitled to take such measures in cases of force majeure, due to official orders, in the event of a situation endangering the life, body or health of the participants. In these cases, the organizer shall not be obliged to pay damages and/or reimbursement of expenses to the participants. This applies in particular to any cancellation fees incurred by third parties (e.g. hotel bookings, train or flight tickets).

If the digital event has to be canceld by the organizer due to insufficient number of participants, technical complications or due to illness of one or more speakers, already paid participation fees will be refunded in full. Further claims do not exist.

Invitation Letters

Please contact us if you need invitation letters for visa requirements. We will be happy to assist with this after we have received your registration. There requests are usually handled by us within 2 working days and we typically send the invitation letters out as a PDF file via eMail. If you require an original letter we can send it out by regular mail. Please understand that if you need letters sent via express mail that we have to further the delivery and handling costs to you.

Program Changes

Automotive Circle reserve the right to revise event content and change implementation tools. There is no claim to a specific lecture, workshop or references. Registered trademarks: No guarantee is given that the products, processes and other names mentioned are free of third-party property rights.

Data Protection

As participant of an event, you agree that data such as company, address (zip code, city, country), first name, name and job function of the attendee will be published on the list of participants. The list of participants is available to all participants in digital form. The list of participants could also be used by sponsors and exhibitors for advertising purposes. Objection against publication and circulation of your data may be made at any time until 3 weeks prior to the event and has to be made in writing to the organizer. The address data are processed for customer service and information purposes in compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Company’s name, city and country might be published on the Internet as reference for upcoming Automotive Circle events. Personal data will be forwarded to the local health authority on request.

Pictures, Videos & Recordings

By registering you understand that your participation and attendance at the event may be videotaped, filmed and/or audio recorded. You agree that the recording may be used for any lawful purposes that Vincentz Network, or its designees, in their sole discretion, may determine.

Picture credits

jarnoverdonk/stock.adobe.com; NicoElNino/stock.adobe.com; Hotel Dolce Bad Nauheim; Vincentz Network

Miscellaneous

With your binding registration you agree that film, image, word and sound recordings may be made of you during the event. These recordings may be used without restriction by Vincentz Network or authorized parties in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

Also have a look at our Privacy Policy.

Hanover, December 2024