Zdenek Hruska holds an engineering diploma in Plastics Technology from the Prague Institute of Chemical technology and a PhD in Polymer Chemistry from IMC in Prague.

Since joining Solvay in 1991 he held various management positions in Belgium, Germany, and France. In 2013 he moved in Brussels, first at Solvin and later at Inovyn as an Advocacy Manager.

In January 2016 Zdenek joined the European Council of Vinyl Manufacturers (ECVM) as a Public Affairs Senior Manager.

Stefan started his professional career in the chemical and plastic business of Hoechst AG Frankfurt. After assignments in Japan, France and the US he joined Kalle, a producer of rigid films for packaging and technical applications as sales director. After a joint venture between Kalle and Klöckner formed in 1996 he held a number of key senior management positions before taking over as Managing Director of the technical films division of Klöckner Pentaplast, a leading global rigid film business. In 2007 he decided to set up his own consultancy business. Stefan is involved in the European VinylPlus program since 2010.

Gianluca Sarti received a graduate degree in chemistry at University of Bologna and he is coauthor of three papers. He has 22 years of experience in R&D, QMS, EMS, production and formulation of additives for plastics, particularly stabilizers, flame retardants and smoke suppressants for PVC. In the last 7 years, he has focused his activities on the study of flame retardants and smoke suppressants, their performances in vinyl formulations and their impact on the main characteristics of PVC articles. Moreover, part of the research has been dedicated to the study of the smoke acidity and to the mechanism of scavenging of HCl at high temperatures. His employment history is as follows: Titanstuc S.p.A., Faetano, San Marino, 1997 to present, Head of R&D department.

Economist, is specialised in strategy and corporate finance in the energy and environmental industries both at an academic level and at a professional one. Graduated with honors at Bocconi University, he was researcher at Space Bocconi, since its establishment in 1990, in joint venture with Boston Northeastern University. He started teaching “Ecology&Safety in Industrial Enterprises”, the first academic course in Italy about environment management.

Professor of “Technological and market profiles of the environmental services” in the Master in Economy and Management of Public Utility Services at Bocconi University. He teaches or has taught in various academic and master classes, including: “Economy and Management of the Utilities”, “Management of Network Services and Marketing of Services” and “Accountancy and Environmental Evaluation” at the Master in Economy and Management of Environmental Services at Bocconi University.

He is the scientific Director of Irex Monitor, a think tank on the renewable energies industry, he is the Director of WAS – Waste Strategy, research centre on waste management and recycling sector and of Top Utility, observatory on top public utility.

With a wide experience in strategic management, Marangoni has been one of the first in Italy to deal with accountancy and environmental reports, sustainability and cost-benefit analysis, becoming one of the main expert in business and financial issues on environment.

He is specialised in energy industry, utilities, waste management and recycling. He is author of several publications, above all on environment, energy, public utilities and infrastructures.

He is a member of scientific committees or referee of various magazines, including Journal of Investor Relations, Management delle Utilities and Waste Management.

Member of the Renewable Industry Advisory Network of IEA, the International Energy Agency in Paris, member of REN21 of the ONU the International Association for Energy Economics and the Italian Association for Energy Economics and Shared Value Initiative.

Degree in Industrial Chemistry from Pisa University (Italy) in 1997 with thesis on Catalytic polymerization of olefins.

Degree from Scuola Normale Superiore of Pisa in 1997 with studies in Properties and characterization of polyolefins (PE, PP, PE copolymers and EPR/EPDM rubber).

On 2000, PhD post doc from Pisa University with thesis on Polymeric blends and composites

On 2008, MBA from Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna di Pisa for “Management of Innovation”.

His employment history is as follows:

Until 2003 - Contract researcher at the National Council of Research of Italy for studies about halogen-free, flame retardant polymeric materials for cables.

Since 1997 Chemical consultant for European small-medium enterprises involved in the cable production chain (raw material producers, compounders, cable makers), mainly regarding Flame Retardancy.

2011 - Promoter and co-founder of IPOOL Technology Company for Materials Design, spin-off of Institute of Chemical and Physical Processes of Pisa (ITALY).

2017 - Promoter and co-founder of MOPI Technology Company for Circular Economy, R&D and consultancy company in Pisa (ITALY) for materials recycling and bitumen applications.

Marco Piana graduated in Engineering at the Politecnico di Torino, and after attended the Master's degree at Energetics Department of the Politecnico di Torino in energy saving and acoustic sectors.

Now he is the coordinator of PVC Forum Italia - Centro di Informazione sul PVC.  He is a member of the UNI, UNIPLAST, CTI Commissions and CEN, as well as of national committees for thermal insulation, acoustic, fire behavior of materials for civil and industrial purposes.

He takes part in courses and conferences in Italy and Europe; moreover, he writes specialized technical articles and issues for didactic and formative purpose.

He is a designer for innovative components for civil and industrial buildings.

Dr Enrico Boccaleri received his degree in Chemistry cum laude in 1996, and Ph.D. in 2001, both from Torino University. At the end of the same year he became researcher in the field of Inorganic and Materials Chemistry at the Università del Piemonte Orientale—Faculty of Science, in Alessandria, and since April 2016 is Associate Professor at the Department of Science and Technological Innovation in the same Academy. His research interests are focused on the synthesis, characterization and functionalization of inorganic and organic/inorganic hybrid nano-structured materials and their use and application as functional materials and additives. In detail, his studies concern one-dimensional (layered inorganic materials, e.g. layered double hydroxides, or synthetic clays), two-dimensional (e.g. carbon nanotubes, CNTs) and three-dimensional (e.g. polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes, POSS).

During his work, he has worked in collaboration with several institution, research centres and companies interested in basic and applied research and innovation.

In 2009 he founded with other colleagues Nova Res, a company born as a spin-off of UPO University, focused on viable applications of innovative materials at the industrial scale.

He is co-author of more than 60 research papers on international journals and of 6 industrial patents.

His employment history is as follows:

Università del Piemonte Orientale – DiSIT, 2001 to present

Associate professor, teacher and researcher in Material Chemistry and Material Science

Nova Res S.r.l. 2009 to present

Founder and President, responsible for sustainable solutions for innovative materials

Centre for Plastic Materials – Alessandria ITALY – 1996 to 2001

Researcher on basic knowledge and application of nanostructured materials in plastics, technical and academic teaching

Università di Torino – Turin  ITALY 1997-2001 Ph.D. in Chemical Sciences

Erica Lo Buglio received an Honours Degree in Modern Languages and Literatures at the University of Pavia (Italy), and post-university qualifications in Communications (ISFORP, Milan) and Marketing (SDA Bocconi, Milan).

She has nearly 30 years’ experience in communications, with an in-depth experience in the PVC industry, for which she has been working since the mid-nineties. Over the past 18 years, Erica has been involved in strategic consulting and communications regarding Sustainable Development and Green Economy, actively participating in the development of the Partnerships for Sustainable Development of the United Nations Commission for Sustainable Development from 2005 to 2012. She represented the European PVC industry at the Rio+20 Summit, and contributed to the development of the UN SDGs through the Major Group Business&Industry.

Ingrid became the General Manager of Recovinyl in 2017, after being the legal director of EuPC for 12 years. During that period, she worked for several association and European projects as either general manager or legal counsel. Prior to Ingrid’s involvement in the plastics industry, she was a lawyer for 8 years at Brussels Bar, specialising in corporate and criminal law. Ingrid gained her law degree from KU Leuven and has a DEA in criminal sciences at Paris II, Panthéon-Assas University. 

• Development of innovative bio-based composite materials in particular for the building industry, also using by-products and waste from the production of forest and agricultural biomass and natural organic and inorganic  waste.
• Characterization of composite materials and innovative components, with particular reference to mechanical, thermal, chemical-physical characterization, accelerated aging, non-destructive tests and inspections tests