The SPE A-NZ Section will host an online keynote webinar examining the challenges and emerging solutions shaping the plastics circular economy on 11 March 2026.
Titled Challenges and Solutions to the Plastics Circular Economy, the session will feature keynote speaker Edward Kosior, CEO of Nextek, who will explore the structural and technical barriers limiting circularity across the plastics value chain – from material development and product design through to recycling systems and market uptake.
According to the event program, Kosior’s keynote presentation will run from 6.40pm to 7.30pm, followed by a moderated question-and-answer session led by Yvonne Mah. Closing remarks will be delivered by Hamed Ghajarnia, president of the SPE A-NZ Section.
The webinar is aimed at professionals working across plastics, manufacturing, packaging, product development and sustainability, with a focus on practical insights that can support the acceleration of circular economy outcomes within organisations and projects.
Kosior brings nearly five decades of experience in the plastics and recycling sector, including 22 years in academia and 26 years working on recycling and sustainable solutions for plastics packaging. He founded Nextek as a science-led consultancy dedicated to reducing polymer waste and lowering the carbon footprint of post-consumer plastics through advanced end-of-life solutions.
His work has been recognised through numerous international awards, including the IOM3 Prince Philip Medal (2019), the Circular Economy Award for COtooCLEAN (2023), the Alliance Prize for Circular Solutions for Plastics Films (USD$3 million, 2023), a World Packaging Award for Excellence for NEXTLOOPP (2022), and multiple Packaging Europe Sustainability Awards. He has also served as a visiting professor at the Wolfson Centre, Brunel University London, since 2012.
The session will open with welcome remarks at 6.30pm, with proceedings scheduled to conclude at 7.50pm. Register here.
