Now in its third year, the Greenchemicals Polymer Additives Academy is expanding further. In collaboration with the University of Applied Sciences of Southern Switzerland (SUPSI), Krauss Maffei and Composites United (CU), the Academy is getting ready to welcome all the industry professionals for a 360-degree training on additives and polymers.

Flame retardants, plastic additives, bio-based, recycling, construction, photovoltaics. The forthcoming Greenchemicals Polymer Additives Academy will provide a complete view of the world of polymers and additives. Over four days (11/06, 05/09, 29/10, and 18/11), Academy participants will have the opportunity to deepen their professional knowledge thanks to several lectures by academics and industry specialists.

In partnership with the University of Applied Sciences of Southern Switzerland (SUPSI), Krauss Maffei and Composites United (CU), Greenchemicals is getting ready to launch the 2025 edition in grand style.

A free, specialized training
Since the launch of the Polymer Additives Academy two years ago, the goals of Greenchemicals – an Italy-based company specializing in plastics additives and flame retardants – have remained unchanged: providing plastics professionals with a specialized polymer training and ensuring wide accessibility. That’s why the workshops are free, available both online and in person, and discussed in English.

„We work in a constantly evolving field, where research plays a key role in improving polymer-related products and technologies. However, training in this area is still limited, except for conferences and exhibitions, which are -though – very difficult to access or expensive. For this reason, three years ago, we decided to organize the first Polymer Additives Academy, a free training course open to anyone interested, both students and professionals,“ says Micaela Lorenzi, CEO of Greenchemicals.

The 2025 edition will keep these characteristics, with some new features.

An international scope Academy
In addition to the well-established collaboration with Krauss Maffei, this year’s partnerships include Composites United (CU) and the University of Applied Sciences of Southern Switzerland (SUPSI), which will host three out of the four training days at its Lugano and Mendrisio campuses.

This way the participants will have the opportunity to visit the laboratories of the Department of Innovative Technologies and the Department of Environment Constructions and Design, as well as to create new relationships through networking moments.

Thanks to the organization between Italy and Switzerland, these events will have an international appeal, strengthened by the participation of speakers from different business and academic backgrounds.

Four days, four themes
The workshops of the Greenchemicals Polymer Additives Academy are spread over four days, each focusing on different themes, allowing all attendees to discover the trends and news of the industry.

11 June, Lugano (Switzerland): Present and future of polymers.
Following a historical and disciplinary introduction to polymers, an analysis of global changes and trends will lead into the topics of stabilization, compounding, extruders, and recycling of products containing flame retardants.

05 September (online only): Styrenics.
The first part will examine the current polymer market situation from an economic perspective, followed by a general introduction to styrenics, focusing on foams and innovations in plastics recycling. After a break, there will be an in-depth discussion/conference on low halogenates for XPS, EPS, and X-EPS, the challenges and opportunities for styrenics, and industry regulation, including CAM (Minimum Environmental Criteria) updates.

29 October, Mendrisio (Switzerland): Flame retardants and construction.
Starting with fire safety regulations and certification in construction, the event will focus on photovoltaics and flame retardants, including case studies.The afternoon will be dedicated to halogen free flame retardants, fire safety in insulating polyurethanes, and the latest developments in PIR panels.

18 November, Lugano (Switzerland): Sustainable Polymers.
The day will cover a variety of plastics and products, united by the common thread of sustainability. The attendees will have a look at bio-based, recycling, and reuse in extrusion, sustainable polyamide development, odour elimination from recycled materials, and the circular economy related to A-PET will be explored.

The full programme and registration forms are available at greenchemicals.eu/news/events and in the program flyer.