Date/ Time
15 Apr 2021

From Plastic Packaging Waste to Resource

Packaging contributes to more than half of the total plastic waste generated globally. The recovery of plastic packaging remains low in most parts of the world, mainly due to its inherently low residual value, complexities of the packaging materials and contamination in plastic waste stream.

Jointly organised by IPI and Helsinki Business Hub, the Emerging Technology Forum on Plastic Recycling will discuss these challenges and key demand drivers from the regulatory, market and technology perspectives. It will also highlight business opportunities across the plastic value chain and introduce emerging technologies for adoption from Singapore and Finland.


Emerging Technology Forum on Plastic Recycling
15 April 2021
2.00 pm - 3.30 pm (GMT +8) / 9.00 am - 10.30 am (GMT +3)

  • Gain insights on the plastic recycling market and technology trends
  • Learn about Finnish know-how, experience and technologies in plastic waste management
  • Connect with industry players to explore collaboration opportunities in Singapore and Finland
Time Programme

2.00 pm – 2.05 pm (GMT +8) / 
9.00 am – 9.05 am (GMT +3)

Introduction to IPI
Goh Siong Teck, Head, Manufacturing, Infocomm and Built Environment, IPI

2.05 pm – 2.35 pm (GMT +8) / 
9.00 am – 9.35 am (GMT +3)

Market and Technologies on Plastic Recycling
Steven Lee, Innovation Manager, Manufacturing, Infocomm and Built Environment, IPI

2.35 pm – 2.45 pm (GMT +8) / 
9.35 am – 9.45 am (GMT +3)
Carbon Nanotubes Technology
Dr Andrei Veksha, Senior Research Fellow, Residues and Resource Reclamation Centre, Nanyang Technological University

2.45 pm – 2.55 pm (GMT +8) / 
9.45 am – 9.55 am (GMT +3)

Introduction to Helsinki Business Hub and Circular Economy Ecosystem in Finland
Irma Ylikangas, Senior Business Advisor, Helsinki Business Hub

2.55 pm – 3.10 pm (GMT +8) / 
9.55 am – 10.10 am (GMT +3)

Circular Economy Solutions: Plastics Chemical Recycling 
Tuulamari Helaja, Vice President, Energy and Chemistry, VTT

3.10 pm – 3.25 pm (GMT +8) / 
10.10 am – 10.25 am (GMT +3)

Turning Waste Plastics into A Resource - Opportunities in Chemical Recycling
Heikki Färkkilä, Vice President, Chemical Recycling of Plastics, Neste Renewable Polymers and Chemicals

3.25 pm – 3.30 pm (GMT +8) / 
10.25 am – 10.30 am (GMT +3)
Q&A

 

Business Matching Session
11, 19 and 20 May 2021
1.00 pm - 5.00 pm (GMT +8) / 8.00 am - 12.00 pm (GMT +3)

  • Discover opportunities for bilateral co-operation between Finland and Singapore in plastic waste management


Featured Speakers

Goh Siong Teck
Head
Manufacturing, Infocomm
and Built Environment
IPI
Goh Siong Teck works closely with enterprises in the manufacturing sector by connecting them to relevant technologies and intellectual property from Singapore and abroad, supporting the development of new products and processes for business growth.
 
Siong Teck has 18 years of public, private industry experience and last worked at the NUS Industry Liaison Office, driving technology transfer through programmes such as consortiums, accelerators and innovation clusters. Prior to NUS, Siong Teck worked at SPRING Singapore (now Enterprise Singapore) where he provided support in technology grants and seed investment programmes, account managing SMEs and start-ups in the Advanced Manufacturing space. Siong Teck started his engineering career at Singapore Technologies Kinetics, as an Assistant Principal Engineer and Systems Manager for military vehicle subsystems, coupled with a six-year stint as a Senior Engineer at a global HVAC MNC.
 
Siong Teck holds a Bachelor of Engineering (Hons) in Mechanical Engineering from Nanyang Technological University, and a Masters of Science in Systems Design and Management from National University of Singapore. He is also a certified Project Management Professional.

*****


Steven Lee
Innovation Manager
Manufacturing, Infocomm
and Built Environment
IPI

Steven focuses on engaging various stakeholders such as industry, local innovation and enterprise offices, government agencies and trade organisations to catalyse the adoption of technologies. He also works closely with business leaders of local enterprises to address their technology challenges by identifying suitable solutions, intellectual property (IP) and experts through IPI’s global innovation network.

Prior to IPI, Steven was the Assistant Manager in R&D division of Sembcorp Marine Integrated Yard Pte Ltd.  He worked on new products development and facilitates joint industry collaborations in areas of gas and clean technology for seagoing vessels. 

Steven graduated with a Bachelor of Chemical Engineering from University of Technology Malaysia (UTM).

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Dr Andrei Veksha
Senior Research Fellow
Residues and Resource
Reclamation Centre
Nanyang Technological
University

Dr Andrei Veksha graduated with a Ph.D. in Environmental Science from Okayama University (Japan) in 2012. After graduation, he worked as a post-doctoral fellow on waste valorization strategies at the University of Calgary (Canada). Since 2015 he has been working as a senior researcher at Nanyang Technological University, leading the development of thermochemical waste treatment technologies. He works on the application of pyrolysis, gasification and downstream catalytic processes for energy and resource recovery.

Dr Andrei is also an inventor of a technology for thermochemical recycling of plastics. This invention relates to a process that converts waste into high value carbon nanomaterials.

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Irma Ylikangas
Senior Business Advisor
Helsinki Business Hub

Irma has over 20 years of international B2B business experience in all continents. She has been creating international, new business platforms to enable business growth to and from Helsinki Region, Finland. In her work, Irma cooperates and networks with large enterprises, government organizations and investors globally.

The geographical focus of Irma's work is to the U.S., Singapore, Germany and China, and the industry focus is mainly in smart and clean technologies including IAQ, new materials, circular economy, energy efficient and digitalization solutions in smart city/building applications.

*****


Tuulamari Helaja
Vice President
Energy and Chemistry
VTT
 

Tuulamari Helaja graduated with a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Helsinki in 2000. Following a post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Münster in 2000-2001, she joined Borealis Polymers to work on olefin polymerisation catalyst technologies.

In 2006, Tuulamari obtained an eMBA from Aalto University and joined VTT, where she has held various positions. Since 2016, she has been the Vice President for the Energy and Chemistry research area covering thermochemical conversions and chemical process technologies including scale-up, industrial synthesis and catalysis, polymer and plastic processing, metals and materials recovery, and computational chemistry including process concepts and models.

*****


Heikki Färkkilä

Vice President
Chemical Recycling of Plastics
Neste Renewable Polymers and Chemicals

Heikki leads Chemical Recycling of Plastics at Neste Renewable Polymers and Chemicals. The small and entrepreneurial team is on a mission to create a new industry enabling the use of various difficult to recycle waste plastics streams as feedstocks for new, virgin quality plastics and chemicals.

Heikki has broad expertise from refining and business development having served as VP Development for Neste Oil Products business area prior to his current role. Before joining Neste, Heikki made a career in consulting at McKinsey & Co. focusing on business strategy, capital productivity and operative transformations serving clients across Europe, South Africa and Australia. 

He graduated with a Masters degree in Industrial Engineering and Energy Economics from Helsinki University of Technology.