On 14 and 15 October 2026, the German Environment Agency (UBA) and the International Sustainable Chemistry Collaborative Centre (ISC3) will bring together key stakeholders at “Spotlights 2026: Shaping the Chemical Transition Together” in Dessau-Roßlau, Germany. The conference will focus on the conditions needed for a competitive, innovative and sustainable chemical industry in Germany and Europe – from innovation and investment to new business models and enabling policy and regulatory frameworks.
Experts and decision-makers from industry, government and public administration, academia, finance and civil society are invited to actively contribute their perspectives to the discussion.
Participation is free of charge, but places are limited.
RegisterThe European chemical industry faces a set of interconnected challenges: it needs to remain competitive globally, accelerate the transition of innovations from research and pilot projects to industrial application, and create attractive conditions for investment. At the same time, environmental and health impacts need to be reduced, value chains made more circular and dependence on fossil resources overcome.
Hosted at the German Environment Agency’s headquarters, the conference will provide a space for strategic orientation and cross-sector dialogue. It aims to bring together different perspectives, highlight shared priorities as well as remaining tensions, and identify potential areas for further collaboration.
Planetary boundaries and economic strength are not a contradiction. Strategic, economic and environmental rethinking – driven by innovative companies and supported by smart frameworks – can become a competitive advantage for Germany and Europe. We need to actively shape the transformation of the chemical industry now,
says Prof. Dr Dirk Messner, President of the German Environment Agency.
Sustainable Chemistry is a powerful driver for the innovation needed to advance global transformation. The key is to bring promising solutions into practice and to market more quickly. This requires close collaboration among those who develop, finance, regulate and implement innovation,
adds Dr Thomas Wanner, Managing Director of ISC3.
From vision to implementation
The first day of the conference will set the strategic framework. UBA President Prof. Dr Dirk Messner will open the conference. This will be followed by a discussion featuring, among others, Prof. Dr Ricarda Winkelmann from the Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology, Dr Volker Strauß from UBA, Marco Mensink, Director General of Cefic, and Alexander Bercht from IGBCE on the future of the chemical industry in Germany and Europe and its responsibility within planetary boundaries.
Further sessions will address innovation, investment and new business models, as well as the economic, policy and regulatory frameworks needed to advance circularity, achieve greenhouse gas neutrality and sustainable chemicals management, and bring innovations into industrial application and scale them up. Announced speakers and panellists include representatives of the European Commission, leading chemical companies and industry associations, as well as experts from academia, finance and civil society.
Six breakout groups: participants contribute their expertise
Key focus of the second conference day will be the active involvement of participants. In six breakout groups, they will discuss key areas of the chemical transition – ranging from innovation and future business models, financing the transition, plastics and the circular economy, and safe and sustainable consumer products using electronics as a case study, to the need for regulatory adaptation and the implementation of the European Commission’s Zero Pollution ambition.
Participants are explicitly invited to contribute their expertise, experience and perspectives. The exchange between industry, policymakers, academia, finance and civil society will aim to highlight shared interests and areas of tension and identify potential approaches for action. The outcomes will subsequently be reported back to the plenary and feed into the discussion on priorities and possible next steps.
Conference overview
A starting point for further collaboration
Spotlights 2026 is intended not as an endpoint, but as an impetus for further collaboration towards a sustainable chemical industry in Europe by 2050. Insights from the sessions and breakout groups will help identify areas of common ground, differing positions and particularly relevant fields for action. They will provide a basis for potential follow-up activities and continued exchange with the stakeholders involved.In this way, the conference aims to build shared orientation, sharpen the questions that need to be addressed and identify opportunities for further collaboration on the path towards a competitive, innovative and sustainable European chemical industry.
