Product Sustainability Summit Europe 2023

Shanda is a journalist who has worked on issues of education, political reform, and the environment. He has an academic background in journalism and environmental policy. Based in Paris, he joined Chemical Watch News & Insight in October 2021 as a reporter for the Europe desk and now heads our business coverage.

After 15 years of engagement in basic pharmacology and physiology as a post-doctoral fellow in the Netherlands and Belgium, Vangelis was intrigued to learn more about the roles the European Commission plays in making sense of knowledge in order to inform policymaking in Europe. To this end, he joined the Joint Research Centre (JRC) in Ispra and worked for 2 years in the EURL ECVAM, supporting activities towards the promotion of New Approach Methodologies in research. Since January 2023, Vangelis is contributing to the implementation of the European research and innovation (R&I) policy that is related to chemicals and advanced materials. His work as a Policy Officer in DG RTD in Brussels is mainly focused on the ‘safe and sustainable by design’ framework.

Giulia has a master’s in chemistry from the University of Edinburgh and a Postgraduate Education in toxicology from the Dutch national programme for postgraduate training. She has worked as a chemist and regulatory affairs professional across different fields including chemicals, food products and pharmaceuticals. As DUCC manger she aims to bring together the voices of all DUCC members towards cooperation and a unified voice.

Annika has a PhD in aquatic ecotoxicology and has worked for BASF since 2018. For the last 2 years, she has been working in the flavor and fragrance sector as regulatory manager, with focus on the chemicals strategy for sustainability. One of her focus topics is the Safe and Sustainable by Design Concept, which focusses on the assessment and innovation of new chemicals.

Emma has extensive experience advising on European Union products law and environmental, social and governance (ESG) matters. She has a strong grasp of EU regulatory issues and works with the world’s top global companies to help clarify their obligations in the EU. She advises on the full product life cycle, including bringing products to market, labelling, packaging, and repair and recycling obligations, as well as how to engage with regulators and consumers. She also advises on EU ESG requirements, including corporate sustainability reporting, due diligence and sustainable finance disclosures.

Anne-Sofie Bäckar has worked with chemical management for 22 years and for the past 17 years as the Executive Director of ChemSec. Under her tenure as Executive Director, ChemSec has grown into a well-respected player in the chemicals world and developed world-class chemicals management tools such as the SIN List and the Marketplace. Before joining ChemSec, she worked for the consumer organisations in the Nordic countries, where she monitored chemical issues from a consumer perspective. As a scientist, she started her career with biotechnology research on diseases. She has been a member of the Executive Committee of IPEN (2008 -2020), a board member of the Centre for Chemical Substitution (2018-2021) and a Member of the Supervisory Board at the Swedish Chemical Inspectorate (2022-today).

Pearl holds an MSc in Environmental Engineering and a post-graduate degree in Experimental Toxicology. She has over 15 years’ experience in chemical regulations and policy; and is a qualified GreenScreen® consultant, with considerable experience in chemical screening, hazard assessment, exposure modelling, and supply chain interactions. Her recent focus is on policy development and supporting clients to go beyond compliance and the interactions between chemical risk-assessment and LCA.

Marina Dorileo leads the content expansion of Enhesa beyond Environmental, Health, and Safety. As the Content Incubation Manager at Enhesa, she has the opportunity to learn something new every day and engage with the most diverse stakeholders, internally and externally. She also ensures that the products developed align with her client’s needs and ultimately help them become more sustainable organizations. Her work significantly impacts multinational companies worldwide, empowering them to operate in a socially responsible and environmentally conscious manner.

Peter Horvath is Global Supply chain Sustainability Manager at Corning. His background as a Biologist with a focus on ecology has directed him towards responsibilities toward our wider surroundings. Since 2011 he has been working on sustainability topics ranging from biodiversity to GRI standard reporting and focusing on supply chain initiatives that include ISCC certifications and supply chain auditing. He has experience in multiple industry sectors ranging from chemical, electronics, and agricultural areas.

Sue Bullock is Head of Chemicals Stewardship and Sustainability at TSG Consulting. With over 30 years’ experience in human health and environmental consultancy, Sue specializes in providing strategic and technical advice to chemical producers, downstream users and product manufacturers around the world. She provides support for global chemical regulation and stewardship across numerous markets, is an expert in risk assessment, and is currently helping organisations on a range of product-focused sustainability initiatives.

Bruno has over 25 years of successful experience in business management, building and driving the international business of chemicals and biomaterials. Since 2016, Bruno has been heading Sustainable Portfolio Management (SPM) within Corporate Sustainable Development at Solvay, now Syensqo. SPM is a key strategic tool to steer decision making towards sustainable solutions to seize value growth opportunities.​

Stephan Scheuer is Head of Business development for Electrical Products of TÜV Rheinland LGA Products GmbH. He holds a university degree in electrical engineering and has many years of global experience in the testing and certification business as Laboratory, Department and Business Unit Manager. In recent years and on an ongoing basis, one of its main tasks is the further development of existing and the development and introduction of new testing and certification procedures with an increasing focus on the circular economy. In this context, the integration of regulatory and sustainability requirements into existing and new product conformity testing and certification portfolios for various product categories, in this case electrical products, plays an increasingly important role.

Dr. Klatt graduated as Ph.D. of Science from University of Goettingen in 1992. From 1992 until 1995 he was working at University of Goettingen as Senior Scientist. In 1995 he joined BASF SE and started in polymer research in the field of engineering plastics and flame retardants for polymers. After an interim research position from 2007 until 2014, Dr. Klatt returned to the field of product safety and took over the product stewardship group of dispersions and resins. He represents BASF in various associations including the European association for dispersions (EPDLA) and the European manufacturer of Acrylate based UV/EB Resins (UVEB). Dr. Klatt was one of the founders of the initiative of CEPI and ECPG to align on an internet-based questionnaire for information transfer along the value chain. He currently is President of the two CEFIC Sector groups EPDLA and UVEB and of ALIPA.

Emily Best is a Programme Manager at ECOS, an international NGO with a network of members and experts advocating for environmentally friendly technical standards, policies and laws. At ECOS, she leads the toxic-free environment programme, covering a wide range of products and policies, including textiles, packaging, plastics, and ecodesign. Emily holds a master’s degree in global environmental politics from American University in Washington, D.C.

Rushabh Chheda is a Business Developer at Circularise and has over 6 years of experience in architecture, business development, and circular economy in the Netherlands, Ghana, and India. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Architecture from KRVIA in Mumbai and an MSc in Architecture from the University of Technology in Delft, Netherlands. Rushabh has previously worked as an architect in Mumbai, as a business developer at an international design firm in Rotterdam, and has also founded a circular economy startup in the Netherlands focusing on the use of locally sourced waste plastic to make interlocking building blocks for affordable self-built housing.

After receiving a PhD in chemistry from Göteborg University in 1992 John Munthe has worked at IVL as a researcher and in various management position and most recently as Vice President, Research. In his current position as Senior Advisor he has the task of developing IVL's research on chemicals and sustainable chemical value chains – which includes identifying research needs in response to the EU Chemical Strategy for Sustainability. Additionally, he is acting Programme director of the national Mistra SafeChem programme and engaged in EU-projects related to chemicals and defining and implementing the concept of Safe and Sustainable by Design (SSbD).

Leigh is Chemical Watch News & Insight's Managing Editor and was previously in charge of our global business coverage. Prior to joining the company, Leigh wrote for the Press Association, ICIS and edie.net, covering a range of environmental and business related topics.

Tijmen has been working at BioBTX for 3 years, where he is responsible for Strategic Innovation & Business Development. At BioBTX his main responsibilities include commercial realization of the BioBTX technology and translating the technology to the outside world and vice versa by involving financial, supply chain, regulations and commercial activities. Tijmen has an Msc. Biosystems Engineering from Wageningen University, the Netherlands.

Lara Dammer, MA Pol Sci, is the Head of Department “Economy & Policy” at nova-Institute. She holds a Master’s degree in Political Science from Bonn University. The focal points of her work are the political framework for the material use of renewable raw materials, CCU and Circular Economy, national and international climate, resource and environmental policy, companies’ sustainability strategies, market analysis as well as standardisation and certification of bio-based and CO2-based products.

Started as researcher at Novozymes’ R&D group in Tokyo. Rie has worked in Regulatory Affairs at Novozymes in Denmark since 1998. Involved in REACH as project leader since ever REACH came into force.

Rajesh completed his Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from UDCT, Mumbai (Currently referred as ICT) a globally acclaimed premier institute for Chemical Engineering and Technology. During his 18 year career he has good experience in Basic research in search new chromophores for Dyes & Pigments and development  activity involving  different variety of Surfactants, catering to diverse industries  like  Coating, Plastics, Ink &  textile industries  to name a few. During his stint in Clariant, Rajesh has worked in Global Research Projects, where he developed a new Red Pigment C.I.Pigment Red 285 which was patented by Clariant.

Julie pioneers innovation at Circ, driving the company toward partnerships with like-minded brands and strengthening Circ's position as it develops a truly circular solution to fashion waste. Before joining Circ in November of 2019, Julie used her talents to help drive innovation at Nike Headquarters in Oregon. Julie has a passion for creating multi-disciplinary science and engineering systems and challenging the status quo with transparency and integrity.

Steven assists companies with their understanding of environmental regulations and how they are enforced. He is an internationally recognized expert, with more than 20 years of experience in EU policy development focusing on sustainability, product, waste and recycling legislation.

Dr. Golnoush Abbasi is a sustainability leader and Senior Scientist at NILU – The Climate and Environment Research Institute, with over a decade of experience driving cross-sector initiatives that advance circular economy solutions. Her work focuses on plastics, electronic waste, and the practical application of Safe and Sustainable by Design (SSbD) principles. Dr. Abbasi has successfully led national and EU-funded projects that integrate scientific modeling, digital infrastructure, and regulatory frameworks (including REACH, RoHS, and SSbD) to enable industry transformation. Her collaborative approach spans government agencies, industrial stakeholders, producer responsibility organizations, recyclers, and academic networks across Europe, effectively bridging science and policy to accelerate systemic, sustainable change.

Fanni studied Chemical Engineering at the Budapest University of Technology and Economics, and at the Eindhoven University of Technology. She obtained her PhD from the Freie Universität Berlin in the field of Organic Chemistry and Catalysis. Fanni worked for five years at TotalEnergies in Belgium in polyolefins product development and later technical service. In 2022 she joined Dow in Belgium, where she works with a variety of silicone-based technologies serving the consumer electronics and automotive markets. Driven by her interest in the sustainability transition concepts in the chemical industry, Fanni joined FEICA’s Electronics Technical Task Force as a Vice Chair in May 2023.

Neil is the Unilever Biotechnology Leader, as well as Homecare R&D Biotechnology and Biosourcing Director. In 26 years at Unilever, Neil has successfully commercialised a range of new ingredients with suppliers in our product portfolio, and was awarded Unilever scientist of the year in 2016/17. In recent years, he has developed new business models and relationships to match and drive the technology readiness of new innovation through to commercial realization. Recent examples include joint development and commercialisation of Rhamnolipid biosurfactants with Evonik, and more recently a new R&D alliance with Arzeda in Protein Engineering and discovery of new Enzyme catalysts.