
Engineering Circularity 2026
On June 9-10, 2026, moving into summer and adopting a new name to express its in-depth-focus on achieving automobile circular economy solutions, Automotive Circle’s conference on “Engineering Circularity” will gather, for the fifth time, its international audience of automotive sustainability experts to discuss advancements in circularity concepts and their industrial application.
In view of the anticipated EU Circular Economy Act, the conference particularly aims to present latest ideas and progress reports in the following areas:
- Achieving circularity of high-volume automotive materials and parts: plastics/composites, steels, light metals, rubber, glass
- Efficient sorting, chemical or mechanical recycling processes of polymer/plastic materials
- Non-downgrading, end-of-life recycling of steels, aluminium
- Enhanced availability of high-quality post-consumer scrap
- Efficient automotive battery recycling
- Recycling of electronics materials, e.g. copper, rare earths, magnets
- Replacing/avoiding Raw Materials of Concern, Substances of Concern
- Narrowing the loop – R-Strategy concepts beyond recycling and their application: Refuse, Rethink, Reduce, Reuse, Repair, Refurbish, Remanufacture, Repurpose, Recover?
- Smart design-for-dismantling vehicle architectures
- Efficient data tracing and tracking across the vehicle life cycle
In that, the conference aims to provide answers to questions such as:
- How will material streams between OEM, Tier-1, material suppliers and recyclers have to be organised?
- How can end-of-life vehicles efficiently be efficiently dismantled to yield sorted, quality scrap materials – or reusable parts?
- How do vehicle architectures and/or material concepts have to be modified to foster circularity?
- To what extent will vehicle or car part properties have to be modified/adapted when using secondary materials?
In 2026 Automotive Circle has decided that Engineering Circularity will be taking place simultaneously with Automotive Interiors. Conducting the two Automotive Circle conferences Automotive Interiors and Engineering Circularity in parallel in 2026 offers a variety of synergies, with the possibility for participants of both conferences to interchange freely between both events, with joint sessions for part of the conference programs, with shared networking, and with a combined exhibition.
Engineering Circularity focuses on concepts and solutions to realise various R-Strategies in the automotive industry – and plastics/composite materials, mostly used in the automotive interior, pose the greatest challenge in this respect. Vice versa, Automotive Interiors presents latest concepts and ideas for future vehicle interior design – and realising designs that also enable material circularity is of growing importance in this area.
Be part of it!
We are looking forward to meeting you in Bad Nauheim (Germany) / online in June 2026!
Don’t miss any updates by following our hashtag: #ACEngineeringCircularity
Call For Speakers
Your Speaking Opportunity
We cordially invite you to send us your proposal for a half-hour technical presentation, reporting about your latest developments and ideas with relevance to the conference topics as outlined above.
As an interested speaker, kindly submit an abstract describing your suggested contribution via our ONLINE SUBMISSION FORM. Based on your input, we will evaluate your suggestion in collaboration with the OEM Advisory Board of the conference. Please note that all presentations have to be submitted and held in English. One speaker per company per presentation will be invited to the full conference.
The conference is supported by an international OEM Advisory Board: Dr. Christoph Haberling, Mike Herbig, Audi; Ilya Popov, Ford; Timo Unger, Hyundai; Yohei Bito; Nissan; Jens Thomer, Porsche; Dr. Isotta Cerri, Toyota; Simon Buckingham, Volvo Cars.
Deadlines
DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS: FEBRUARY 9, 2026
- Notification of acceptance: by March 2026
- Publication of the conference program: March 2026
- Obligatory submission of the presentation documents / slides (pdf-format, to be made available for the conference delegates): May 15, 2026
Conference Agenda
The detailed conference program with be realeased by March 2026
First OEM Presentations Confirmed for Engineering Circularity 2026
We are pleased to announce the first confirmed presentations for Engineering Circularity 2026. These leading OEMs and industry experts will share strategic, technological, and systemic perspectives on circularity in automotive engineering:
Strategic OEM–Supplier Collaboration as an Enabler for Circular and Aesthetic Interior Solutions: Lessons from Renault Emblème
Philippe Vattier, Autoneum, FR, François Farion, Renault Group, FR
Material Intelligence: Designing the Next Generation of Sustainable Technologies
Nathalie Bucher, Kia Europe GmbH, DE
Presentation of first results from the publicly funded three-year Car2Car project, led by BMW and involving renowned companies from the recycling industry and raw material processing as well as academia, developing technologies for an optimized recycling of end-of-life vehicles
Keynote Highlight: Circular economy and adhesive bonding technology – opponents or allies?
Prof. Andreas Groß, Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Technology and Advanced Materials (IFAM), DE
We are excited to announce a brand‑new highlight for this year’s Engineering Circularity conference:
A dedicated networking experience led by Dr. Ion Lazar, founder of peermate.
Dr. Lazar is known for transforming classic event networking into something far more meaningful: personal, memorable, and genuinely valuable for technical experts. Building on his experience at Automotive Circle events, he has designed a session tailored specifically to our audience.
We are delighted to welcome Dr. Ion Lazar and peermate to our program—and to offer our participants this unique opportunity.
as of February 26, 2026
subject to change
Participants
Exhibition & Sponsoring
Become a sponsor or exhibitor
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
Register Now
By submitting this form, the booking is finalized and processed automatically. Invoice amendments or additions after submission, including purchase order numbers, are not possible.
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