EDANA Sustainability & Policy Forum 2025 Unites Industry, EU policymakers
EDANA successfully concluded its Sustainability & Policy Forum 2025 in Brussels last week, bringing together senior leaders from the nonwovens industry, sustainability experts, and European policymakers for two days of strategic dialogue on the future of circularity and industrial competitiveness. Held from 9–10 December at the historic Residence Palace, the forum marked a significant step forward in aligning industry perspectives with Europe’s rapidly evolving regulatory landscape.
Against the backdrop of intensifying environmental legislation across chemicals, product design, waste management, and climate due diligence, the forum was designed to move beyond routine regulatory updates. Instead, it fostered in-depth, cross-sector discussions that enabled participants to reflect collectively on long-term challenges and opportunities facing the nonwovens sector.
A central objective of the forum was to create a space for high-level, forward-looking exchange, free from day-to-day regulatory pressure.
“From EDANA’s side, the primary goal of the Sustainability & Policy Forum is to create a dedicated space where industry, policymakers, experts and stakeholders can step back from day-to-day regulatory pressure and engage in more strategic, forward-looking discussions,” said Murat Dogru, General Manager of EDANA. “The level of participation, the diversity of viewpoints and the quality of exchanges — particularly around regulation, circularity and the evolving policy landscape during our dedicated advocacy workshops — confirmed the relevance of the Forum as a platform for constructive debate and co-development”.
The forum opened with a keynote address by Sandrine Dixson-Declève, Co-Founder & Chair of the Systems Transformation Hub, who explored the theme “Social & Environmental Tipping Points.” Her address challenged participants to confront geopolitical realities and the limitations of current sustainability strategies, calling for a renewed focus on human values within policy and economic systems to address systemic global challenges.
Business leadership under regulatory pressure was a key focus of the programme. Ulrika Kolsrud, President & CEO of Essity, led a session on “Sustainability priorities in the age of simplification and competitiveness,” joined by Murat Dogru. The discussion examined how European industries can sustain ambitious environmental goals while ensuring regulatory frameworks remain proportionate enough to support investment, innovation, and global competitiveness.
Throughout the two days, expert-led sessions addressed critical operational and policy issues shaping the nonwovens sector. Krishna Manda (Lenzing) and Anna Stina Reuter (Sphera) highlighted how sustainability reporting can evolve from a compliance exercise into a driver of resilience and business value. Pia Hildén (Suominen) encouraged companies to leverage the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) as a strategic management tool, while Ralf Weis (Freudenberg Performance Materials) underlined the importance of delivering clear, relevant sustainability data to customers in the durable nonwovens market.
A panel discussion featuring Lutz Walter (Textile ETP), Mireille Kong – Van Rekum (Indorama Ventures), and Christian-Yves Crépet (PETCORE Europe) explored the intersection of textiles and nonwovens. Panelists agreed that Europe’s circularity ambitions cannot be realised in isolation and require shared infrastructure, coordinated investment, and aligned policy frameworks.
The forum also examined emerging technical frontiers. Dominic Byrne (Plastics Europe) and Thorsten Bies (Schlegel und Partner) discussed the future of chemical recycling technologies and policy. In parallel, Tatiana Dias, PhD (DuPont), addressed circularity challenges in the healthcare sector, advocating for legal recognition of mass balance methodologies to unlock progress in medical packaging.
Day one concluded with a networking dinner at the Musée BELvue, providing participants an informal setting to strengthen cross-industry relationships essential for collaboration and advocacy.
The second day shifted attention to policy engagement and implementation. Hugo Maria Schally, former EU official, provided insights into the EU policy-making process, outlining how product legislation is developed within DG ENV and how industry can engage constructively without compromising safety or performance.
A highlight of the programme was the interactive EU Advocacy Workshop, where participants worked in smaller groups to analyse EDANA’s active policy files, including the Waste Framework Directive and the Single-Use Plastics Directive.
One participant commented on the experience:
"The advocacy workshop was an eye-opener. Instead of just listening to updates, we were able to actively debate the implications of the legislation with peers. It clarified exactly where the industry needs to present a united front to be heard in Brussels."
The forum concluded with a visit to the European Commission’s Conference Centre Albert Borschette, where attendees engaged directly with Commission representatives, including Vincenzo Gente (DG Environment) on the Waste Framework Directive and Ewa Malz (DG Environment) on environmental policy simplification.
Reflecting on the visit, another participant noted:
"Walking into the Commission and hearing directly from the people drafting the Green Deal policies was invaluable. It demystified the process and showed us that there is a genuine willingness to listen to technical realities if we present them with credible data."
With new legislative packages expected from the European Commission in the coming year, the EDANA Sustainability & Policy Forum 2025 reaffirmed EDANA’s commitment to supporting its members in anticipating regulatory developments and advancing credible, science-based pathways toward climate action and circularity.