What if, instead of producing our waste linearly, we made it completely recyclable and converted it back into valuable materials? Plastic has revolutionized our lives, from pacifiers to small cars. But the price: the largest mountain of garbage in human history.

The good news: Chemists are reinventing their discipline. Together with Andreas Sentker, managing editor of Die Zeit, we look at the history of plastics and, above all, the future. His report illuminates challenges, potential, and encouraging innovations. The focus is on our vision of making a multidimensional circular economy possible. Chemical recycling transforms apparent waste into new valuable materials.

Old becomes new. Crisis becomes change.

Thanks to all the thought leaders and enablers who demonstrate every day that innovation is born from teamwork. And sustainability through science.

A heartfelt thank you to: Regina Palkovits, Jürgen Klankermayer, Dr. Kathrin Greiff, Grit Walther, Marcus S. Lehnertz, Rebecca Sebers, Sonja Mürtz, Maximilian Lorberg, René Hanke, Pascal Albrecht, Klara Krämer-Klement from RWTH Aachen University, Theodore Tyrikos-Ergas, Lars Reinhold, Andrea Muehlbauer, and Rebecca Schweier from CTC, Susann Morgner from Congressa, Matthias Kleiner, as well as all members of the Werner Siemens Foundation and everyone involved in catalaix for making this vision possible and contributing to it every day!