WINe O'Clock Videocast Over a Glass of Wine with Ingemar Bühler

PlastXnow is hosting the second episode of the videocast “WINe O’Clock – The Business After Hour.” Over a glass of full-bodied red wine, Ingemar Bühler and Melanie Ehrhardt discuss the national circular economy as well as the current state of the chemical industry in Germany and Europe. 

Piedmont is located in northwestern Italy, nestled among the majestic foothills of the Alps. Famous for its unique grape varieties, the region is a paradise, especially for wine lovers. 

“I really like wines from Piedmont and Piedmont itself,” says Ingemar Bühler, Head of Government Affairs at Olin. For our “WINe O’Clock” recording, he brings a bottle of Merlot—“an unassuming, mellow red wine, a single-varietal Barbera with great depth.”

But Bühler isn’t just bringing a good bottle of wine—he’s also bringing some fascinating insights from the political scene in Berlin, which he’d like to share with me today. Our topic is the National Circular Economy Strategy (NKWS for short) and the question: Can such a complex framework really be analyzed simply using a catalog of measures on the drawing board?

PlastXnow: Federal Environment Minister Carsten Schneider says, “The circular economy is not just about environmental and resource policy; it is also about regional development, innovation, and industrial policy.” The topic of the circular economy seems to have made its way into the political arena. Is this commitment perhaps coming too late?

Ingemar Bühler: The holistic approach is the right one and it’s important. But yes, it’s coming quite late. In this case, however, better late than never. Germany must make progress in reducing its dependence on raw materials as well as in its approach to recycling, and it must leverage its innovation potential.  Unfortunately, many of the inventions from our country are commercialized elsewhere. This is an ongoing problem that plagues the German economy. 

Another point Schneider raises is the pressure on supply chains. He says it has rarely been as intense as it is these days. Can you confirm this based on your own experience? And to what extent can the circular economy help counteract this?

Our value chains are under massive threat due to the creation of excess capacity, particularly in China. China and several other Asian countries are sitting on large quantities of chemicals produced through the mining of rare earths. These chemicals are being dumped onto the European market with massive subsidies, first driving down prices, then disrupting trade flows, and ultimately destroying entire production capacities. This is a serious problem.

Which areas are particularly affected by this?

I see this particularly in sectors such as the energy and defense industries, where the EU must act independently. The circular economy cannot solve this problem on its own, but it is an important building block for achieving a degree of resource independence. This is because we reprocess raw materials here and because technologies such as CCU, biomass, and even modern fracking methods are enabling us to become producers of raw materials.

But that also requires the right conditions at the local level. In the plastics recycling sector in particular, we’re seeing plants close or entire companies file for bankruptcy. That doesn’t quite add up in my mind. Are policymakers overlooking the foundation—that is, the recyclers—in their deliberations?

The plant closures currently underway are primarily due to extremely high energy prices, the burden of bureaucracy, and a lack of demand. We need to finally be honest with ourselves. In other parts of the world, such as the U.S., energy costs only a fraction of the price, yet it isn’t dirtier—it’s at least just as clean, if not cleaner. 

When it comes to the circular economy, there is also the fact that market incentives for more sustainable products are simply not working at the moment. No supplier is currently receiving a sustainability premium from its customers. The effort involved in circular products and recycling is not being rewarded at all at this time.

Europe—and Germany, too—tends to favor regulation. Schneider says, “Regulation provides guidance and planning certainty.” Especially when it comes to recycled plastics, very few companies would agree with that right now. Or what do you think?

Regulation requires striking the right balance. It must provide security and predictability while at the same time enabling innovation and competition. That’s a fine line to walk. At present, I would agree that hardly any of the recyclers are able to run a profitable business.

There are a few exceptions, though. What do they do differently?

The two or three companies that are succeeding in this area are counting on the regulatory status quo to protect their individual business models. The only direction EU regulation has provided over the past ten years is that companies are increasingly turning away from Europe. This is dramatic. In the case of the circular economy, there is the added factor that market-based instruments are either not yet in place or are currently ineffective.

The National Circulation Strategy includes several measures that we cannot possibly cover in their entirety here. But let’s focus on one point: digitalization. How can it help us achieve these ambitious goals?

Digitalization is a crucial factor. It can help us better understand the complexity of waste streams and organize them more effectively. It can help establish digital trading platforms for trading recycled materials and providing documentation. At the same time, research can succeed in reducing material diversity, simplifying product design while maintaining high performance, and enabling transparency regarding content, life cycle, disposition, and recycling technologies.  

In closing: The environment minister himself says that these projects require staying power. You know the plastics industry well; you know how it works and how it’s faring. Does it have that staying power?

I really hope that happens for the industry. But I’m watching this trend with concern. Many companies, especially small and medium-sized businesses, have long since run out of steam. Those jobs, those facilities, and those ideas won’t be coming back. At the same time, there are companies that are finally seeing a significant increase in orders again and are starting 2026 with confidence.

Thank you very much for the conversation and the wine!
 

Info

The Wine That Followed

The B di Braida glows in the glass with a medium ruby red hue. The fruity notes of juicy, ripe plum reveal themselves subtly on the nose, which is more dominated by dark chocolate, cocoa, and walnut shell. On the palate, the wine gains body and reveals umami tones—earthy, iodine-like notes that envelop the dark fruit. Refreshing acidity gives the B di Braida vibrancy and an elegant finish.

Source: www.weinfreunde.de 

Service

The videocast “WINe O’Clock – The Business After Hour” is a joint production by the media brands of WIN Verlag. You can find all episodes on YouTube.