We proudly present the speakers of the fourth International conference on a "Circular Economy for Textiles and Plastics"

Dimitri Adons - UHasselt

dimitri adons

Dimitri Adons has worked in the packaging industry since 2004. He graduated as an industrial engineer in packaging technology and started his career in the potato processing industry as a research and development engineer.
Since 2006, he has been a project engineer at the VerpakkingsCentrum of the University of Hasselt, now known as MPR&S (Materials and Packaging Research & Services). Here he has built up expertise in 'Gas Permeability' and 'Transport Simulation & Performance', two of the five focus areas of this research group, along with 'Material Characterisation & Seal Research', 'Conditioning & Accelerated Aging' and 'Packaging Diagnostics & Optimisation'. Over the years, he has further developed his skills and is now responsible for operations. In this role, he manages the laboratory and research activities of the MPR&S team, ensuring that both services and projects are delivered efficiently and successfully, as well as supporting the training and education programme.

Amir Bashirgonbadi - Centexbel

Amir Bashirgonbadis

Amir Bashirgonbadi is a materials engineer with a PhD from Ghent University, obtained in 2024.

He has five years of experience in the plastics compounding and packaging industry. He specialises in plastics characterisation, processing and recycling and currently works as a researcher at Centexbel-VKC.

Thilo Becker – TOMRA Systems ASA

Thilo Becker

Thilo works as Senior Solution Manager at TOMRA Textiles Venture, which was established to enable textile recycling through automated sorting. Thilo holds a Masters Degree in Engineering from Trinity College Dublin (Ireland) and a Doctorate in Engineering from the Institute of Textile Technology at RWTH Aachen University (Germany). Prior to joining TOMRA, Thilo founded an additive manufacturing company and spent some time in the photovoltaic industry. 

Quin Dams - Avery Dennison Performance Tapes Europe

Quin Dams

Business Development Manager Construction / Industrial at Avery Dennison Performance Tapes Europe

Quin is passionate about technical building applications since he designed and built his family home back in 2012. Professionally, he held several positions as Product Manager responsible for the product life cycle of many technical applications related to the building environment, namely in adhesives, lighting, and plastics. He joined Performance Tapes Europe as a Market Manager for tape applications in the construction and industrial markets where he teams up with customers and R&D to achieve tape solutions that improve the installation of buildings and related products and processes.

Francis Denoo - Beaulieu International Group

Francis denoo BIG

Francis Denoo built up extensive experience in the textile industry (upholstery (indoor & outdoor), technical textiles). Throughout his career he has held several international sales and business development positions in the EU, US and China.  As a Global Sales Manager Geotextiles for Beaulieu Technical Textiles, he is passionate about developing eco-systems to meet the complex (sustainability) challenges the industry faces.

Koen De Ruyck - PurFi-Concordia

Koen De Ruyck

Textile Engineer (CTL) & Master in Supply Chain (Vlerick)
 
Working 36Y in the Textile business 

  • Production & Purchase Manager Technical fabrics (8Y)
  • Commercial Director Technical fabrics (12Y)
  • Supply Chain Director EU Mattress Ticking (6Y)
  • General Manager Upholstery & Curtain fabrics (5Y)
  • General Manager PurFi  Re-Juvenation / Recycling (5Y)

Jean-Luc Derycke - Utexbel

Jean-Luc Derycke, Utexbel

Jean-Luc Derycke (Civil Electromechanical Engineer, UGent, 1983 - Civil Textile Engineer, UGent, 1991) has worked since 1989 for Utexbel NV, an integrated textile company based in Ronse and the surrounding area, specialising in the production of yarns and fabrics for protective, technical and fashion applications. As Director of Sustainable Development, he is responsible for the implementation of sustainable aspects in product and process development throughout the company's activities.

David De Smet - Centexbel

david de smet

David De Smet has a Master's degree in chemistry and a PhD in pharmaceutical sciences. He joined Centexbel in 2011 in the research group "Textile functionalisation and surface modification". His current research topics include eco-repellent textiles and bio-based, biodegradable and recyclable materials for textile coating and finishing. He has numerous publications in the field of ecological and bio-based materials and recycling.

María Duque Fernández - Resortecs

María Duque Fernández

María Duque Fernández is Resortecs’ Head of R&D for Disassembly. Holding a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering and a master's degree in Textile Engineering, María is responsible for the technical development of Smart Disassembly™ - our thermal systems for automatic textile product disassembly.  María has extensive experience in polymer spinning and recyclability R&D projects. Before Resortecs, she also worked in the safety and environmental departments of different companies in Spain and The Netherlands.

Marilou Hargoues – Cetia

Marilou Hargoues – Cetia

After graduating in textile engineering from ENSAIT, where she specialised in technical textiles, Marilou Hargoues wanted to focus her career on sustainable development. As part of this, she carried out a research project on the release of microplastics from textiles. Marielou joined CETIA a year and a half ago as a test engineer. In her role, she carries out recyclability studies and works on disassembly and identification equipment to prepare textile, leather and accessory products for recycling. 

Francis-Elias Junker - ANDRITZ Laroche

Francis-Elias Junker

Francis-Elias Junker joined ANDRITZ Laroche in 2007 as Area Sales Manager and has acquired a strong expertise in textile recycling by shredding, bast fibre processes and nonwovens production. He is currently responsible for Turkey and various markets such as Belgium, the Netherlands, Scandinavia (mainly Finland and Sweden), the Baltic States, the UK, Bangladesh, and South America.

Melania Gómez-Martínez - Cadel Recycling Lab

Melania Gómez-Martínez

Melania Gómez-Martínez holds a degree in Chemistry from the University of Alicante and completed her PhD in Organic Chemistry in 2017. Following a postdoctoral research period in Germany, she joined CADEL in 2021 as an R&D+I Project Manager.

She specializes in the management, coordination, and development of sustainable technologies for the production of recycled plastics, as well as the implementation of quality control measures, ensuring their safety in high value-added applications.

Gijs Groen - Solmax

GG solmax

Gijs Groen is an experienced professional in the geosynthetics industry with more than ten years of experience. He holds a degree in Civil Engineering and is currently pursuing a Masters in Sustainability Models at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands.

As Sustainability Manager for EMEA at Solmax, a leading geosynthetics producer, Gijs is dedicated to transforming the industry towards more sustainable practices. He focuses on reducing environmental impact and promoting circular solutions by collaborating with forward-thinking partners, including active participation in CEN working groups.

Clara Lecleire - Techtera

Clara Lecleire

Clara Leclaire is Innovation Project Manager at Techtera, the French innovation cluster for the textile industry. She holds a dual Masters and Engineering degree in Polymer and Materials Science from Strasbourg, France. Prior to joining Techtera, Clara gained extensive experience in Belgium at Dow Chemicals, a major player in the polymer industry, where she focused on innovation and application functions, developing greener alternatives to conventional polymers. She then joined Futerro, a leading producer of polylactic acid (PLA), where she contributed to the development of bioplastics markets and plastic recycling initiatives. Since March 2023, Clara has been using her expertise in materials and recycling at Techtera, supporting companies and research organisations in areas related to bio-based materials, circular economy and composites.

Florence Lootens - Ariadne Innovation

Florence Lootens, Ariadne Innovation

Florence Lootens is the Operations Manager at Ariadne Innovation. Florence holds a Masters degree in Business Economics. She has several years of experience in the fashion & textile sector with a focus on international business development and marketing. From the start, Florence has been responsible for all day-to-day activities within Ariadne, and as a true connector, she is constantly looking for new possible synergies and ways to further inspire & inform the Ellie.Connect ecosystem.

Anna Missong - Niederrhein University of Applied Sciences

anna missong

Anna Missong studied Applied Geosciences at RWTH Aachen University. In 2018, she completed her PhD at the Institute of Bio- and Geosciences (IBG-3) at Forschungszentrum Jülich and the Institute of Environmental Research at RWTH on the topic of “Phosphorus associated to forest soil colloids” and worked as a postdoc in the physical-chemical interactions group at IBG-3. Since 2020, she has been working as a research assistant at the Department of Textile and Clothing Technology at Niederrhein University of Applied Sciences. Her research focuses on topics related to the sustainable textiles production and the impact of the textile industry on the environment. In the current SiWerTex research project, she is working on the recycling of polyester and the recovery of valuable additives such as phosphorus.

Florian Pohlmeyer - Institut für Textiltechnik of RWTH Aachen University

Florian Pohlmeyer

Florian studied Business Administration and Mechanical Engineering at RWTH Aachen University with a strong focus on applying big data and artificial intelligence methods in textile production. Since 2021, he works as Scientific Researcher at Institut für Textiltechnik of RWTH Aachen University in the nonwovens department with a focus on building a data ecosystem for the nonwovens and textile industry. In 2023, he became Head of Digitalisation at Institut für Textiltechnik of RWTH Aachen University, driving our own digital transformation and coordinating research topics and projects.

Tommaso Nieri - Next Technology Tecnotessile

Tommaso Nieri

I’m Tommaso Nieri. I have a bachelor's degree in Biotechnology (Biomolecular curriculum) and a master's degree in Biotechnology for Environmental Management and Sustainable Agriculture, with a thesis on sustainable nanosystems for the delivery of bioactive molecules. I am currently a Chemical Researcher at Next Technology Tecnotessile, my expertise includes the laboratory activity and the use of tools for chemical-physical characterization.

Anse Smeets - VITO

Anse Smeets vito

As a Circular Economy researcher at VITO, Anse has expertise in strategic decision support and quantitative model development for business model innovation, supporting both companies and governments in the circularity transition. Textiles is one of her focus sectors, she co-authored reports for the European Environment Agency on (micro)plastics in textiles and the role of digitisation in a circular fashion system. Within the European research project SCIRT, she is involved in the development of a True Cost Model that determines the true – societal – cost of fashion.

François Strepenne - GDTech

François Strepenne

François obtained his Master in Engineering from the University of Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium, in 2006.  He continued with a doctoral thesis at the same university, which was presented in 2010.  The aim of the thesis was to develop a simple and accurate method for measuring the adhesion of thin films on steel plates, in collaboration with the company ArcelorMittal.  He then carried out a post-doctoral research project for the Belgian Defence on the simulation of low velocity impacts on composite panels.  After a short period as FEA Stress Engineer at John Cockerill Defense, he now works as Senior Stress Engineer at GDTech.  He is responsible for various research projects and works mainly on the modelling of composite structures. 

Francesco Tarantino - Ineos Inovyn

Francesco Tarantino

Business Development Manager PVC Recycling

Francesco Tarantino started his career in PVC recycling in 2002 as a VINYLOOP™ process engineer and then plant manager in Ferrara. His aim was to extrapolate laboratory tests of this innovative PVC recycling technology by dissolution to industrial scale. Today, he brings this experience to his new role as Business Development Manager for the feedstock supply chain and sales of rPVC.  
He combines his passion for nature and environmental protection with his professional commitment to the development of PVC recycling.

Anke B.G.M. ten Berge - Saxion University of Applied Sciences

Anke ten Berge

Anke ten Berge is working as a senior researcher in the research group ‘Sustainable and Functional Textiles’, located at Saxion University of Applied Sciences (The Netherlands). As a project leader and researcher, she is working on a variety of topics including (chemical) recycling of (poly)cotton, the detection of recycled fibres and circular mattresses. In addition, she teaches in the master program Innovative Textile Development. She holds a PhD in Physical and Colloid Chemistry from Utrecht University, obtained in 2014. 

Rémi Tilkin - Centexbel

rémi tilkin

Rémi Tilkin holds a PhD in material engineering. For 4 years now, he is a researcher at Centexbel, in the "Sustainable functional fibers and plastics" group. Rémi conducts research on the development of new sustainable textiles and new technologies for textile sorting and recycling.

Caitlin Vandebuerie - KU Leuven-Brugge

Caitlin Vandebuerie

Caitlin Vandebuerie is pursuing a PhD in Engineering Technology in the Propolis research group under the supervision of Prof. F. Desplentere in Brugges, KU Leuven, after obtaining her Master's degree in Polymer Processing Engineering Technology with distinction.  Her research focuses on the recycling and upgrading of polyethylene (PE) waste fractions contaminated with traces of polypropylene (PP). Caitlin holds a Bachelor of Engineering Technology with a major in Electromechanical Engineering.

During her Masters she took part in an Erasmus exchange programme at TUNI University in Tampere, Finland. Her Master's thesis focused on the rheological characterisation of recycled polypropylene for technical textile applications in collaboration with Beaulieu International Group.

Myriam Vanneste - Centexbel

mv

As R&D Manager Textile Functionalisation & Surface Modification at Centexbel, together with my team of researchers, I define interesting research and innovation opportunities to meet the current and future needs of the industry. Once these opportunities are clearly defined, I guide my R&D team in translating the ideas into project proposals with clear objectives and milestones, and finally into the actual research work, which is carried out in close collaboration with industry, international research partners from different disciplines and our own pilot platform team and laboratory staff.

Our greatest joy is to find novel, sustainable, practical and ready-to-implement solutions.

Guy Verrue - European Floorcoverings Association

Guy Verrue

WORK HISTORY

EUFCA (European Floorcoverings Association) 
Director General
Chairman CEN/TC134

Beaulieu International Group (1997 – 2017)
Director External affairs - Sustainability (2014-2017)
Vice President Asia – CTO  -General Manager  Divisions

ACADEMIC BACKGROUND

M.Sc . Mechanical Engineering - University of Ghent  (1971 – 1976)   
MGM Master General Management (PUB) - Vlerick School Ghent  (1976 – 1977)

Lutz Walter – Textile ETP

Lutz walter

Thanks to 25 years of professional experience, founding and leading Textile ETP – the European Textile Technology Platform, and previously working as a Director Innovation & Skills at EURATEX – the European Textile and Clothing Industry Confederation, Lutz disposes of rich knowledge and an unparalleled network of contacts in the European textile innovation eco-system. 

Lutz has successfully coordinated several large-scale EU collaborative research and innovation projects and organised many European textile innovation events. He is advisory board or programme committee member of leading European textile research conferences and industry fairs.

Lutz holds degrees in Business Administration (Germany), Political Science (France) and an Executive MBA (2018) from Vlerick Business School in Belgium.

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