Extending & Improving Mineral Resource Lifespans : Opportunities, Challenges, and Future Perspectives

21 May 2025   Conference

The Circular Wallonia Days is a two-day international event taking place on May 21-22, 2025 in Mons, Wallonia (BE). 

As Wallonia takes over the Presidency of the Greater Region* for 2025-2026, it seizes this opportunity to lead discussions on achieving true mineral circularity with all European regions.

A region at the forefront of innovation and spearheading groundbreaking initiatives in mineral circularity, Wallonia offers a unique opportunity for the European mineral industry to engage in collaborative, innovative projects in the circular minerals value chain.

*this includes the Walloon region and the Wallonia-Brussels Federation (Belgium), the former Lorraine region, now Grand-Est (France), the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and the Länders of Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland (Germany)

 

KEY TOPICS:

  • Advancing Legislation with Circular Techniques in the Mineral Construction Sector
  • Economic Sustainability of the Circular Materials Model
  • Contribution of Circular Minerals to Sustainable Construction: Inspiration from EU Regions
  • Eco-Design of Circular Materials
  • End-of-Waste and the Right Materials in the Right Place
  • Extending the Lifespan of Construction Materials
  • Resistance to Change in Circular Practices

Additional Highlights:

  • Innovation Talks: Presentation of Walloon and EU Projects in Mineral and Material Circularity for Construction
  • Site Visits: Explore innovative projects in action
  • B2B Sessions: Connect with key stakeholders and partners

 

PROGRAMME (stay tuned for regular updates!):

DAY 1

09.00 >09.30 Welcome Coffee

09.30 > 13.00 – Plenary Session 

  • Opening by the Cabinet of Adrien DOLIMONT, Minister-President of the Walloon Government in charge of Budget, Finance, Research, and Animal Welfare
  • Katharina KNAPTON-VIERLIC, Head of Unit Construction and waste, EC: European Integrated Circular Construction Sector
  • (Speaker TBC) Leveraging Available Circular Techniques to Drive Progress in European Legislation
  • (Speaker TBC) Keys to a Profitable and Sustainable Circular Model
  • Jos BROUWERS, Full Professor and Chair of Building Materials at Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e): Contribution of Circularity in Minerals to Sustainable Construction
  • Innovation Talks: pitches of EU projects

13.00 > 14.00 – Networking Lunch 

14.00 > 17.30 – Walloon Circular Valley

  • Jean-Marc ALDRIC, Director Department of Soil and Waste, Public Service of Wallonia: End-of-waste - Context, Limits, and Perspectives of Mineral Circularity in Wallonia
  • Stéphane NEIRYNCK, General Director Centre Pierre et Terre: ‘REMIND Wallonia’ - Contributions to the European Mineral Valley
  • Olivier BONTEMS, Director Energy & Sustainable Solutions Directorate at the Territorial Development Agency (IDETA): MC2 (Mineral Circular Centre) - Walloon reference hub for the decarbonisation of the earth and stone industry, and the circularity of mineral materials
  • Pithes of the Walloon Projects: 
    • Sacha DRUART, Product Innovation and Strategy Manager, Heidelberg Materials: COSMOCEM - Transform Walloon Waste Streams into Reactive Mineral Additives
    • Elise AUBREY, Innovation Lead, Carmeuse: MINERAL LOOP - Capture and Sequestration of Industrial CO₂ Through Mineral Waste Carbonation
    • Johnny ZCHAU, CRO Roosens Béton: CIBER - Circularity of Precast Concrete
  • (Speaker TBC) Eco-Design of Circular Materials
  • (Speaker TBC) Accelerating Circularity from a Sufficiency Perspective (Refuse & Reduce)
  • Wrap-Up: Lionel FOURDRINIER, Coordinator Win4C, Metallurgical Research Center (CRM): Perspectives of the Walloon Strategic Innovation Initiative Win4C

17.30 > 20.00 Networking Dinner

 

DAY 2

09.00 > 09.30 Welcome Coffee

09.30 > 12.30 – Workshops (choose your preferences during registration)

The aim of the workshops is to produce Paper Briefs outlining the main barriers and potential solutions to the key issues related to the circularity of construction materials, per workshop topics

The number of places is limited and allocated on a "first come, first served" basis. We reserve the right to assign you a workshop that is not your priority choice. Thank you for your understanding

 1/ End-of-Waste and Right materials in the Right Place

Animators: Claudia NECULAU, Project Coordinator REMIND Walonia & Alexis DE MEY, Director SODEA SRL, Permanent Member of the Environment Cluster of the Economic and Social Council of Wallonia (CESE)

  • Stéphanie STEVENAERT, Project Manager Wallonie-Entreprendre: Redevelopment of an Industrial Brownfield from the Former ArcelorMittal Steel Facilities
  • Pierre HENNEBERT, Consultant on Industrial Waste Management : Management of Tacit EOW
  • Claudia NECULAU, Project Coordinator REMIND Walonia: Waste2CEM, Minimising the Environmental Impact of Clinker by Incorporating Secondary Mineral Materials (SMM) into the raw mix
  • Stéphane VERSTRAETE, Co-founder of Brownfield Academy: Valorisation of Waste
  • Open public discussion

2/ Extension of the Lifespan of Construction Materials

Animators: Johnny ZCHAU, CRO Roosens Béton & Benoît PRIEUR, Administrator at Transversality and Member of the Administrative Body of GreenWin

  • Michaël GHYOOT, Architect, Rotor: PreUse Interreg Project - Actions, Challenges and Solutions to Enhance Reuse
  • Sonia SARACINO, Project Coordinator CETMA (Centro di Ricerche Europeo di Tecnologie Design e Materiali): Re4.eu (Horizon Europe) - REuse and REcycling of CDW materials and structures in energy efficient pREfabricated elements for building REfurbishment and construction
  • Agnese ATTANASIO, Technical Project Manager, CETMA: i-Clima Built (Horizon 2020) - Developing, Upscaling and Testing Innovations in Building Envelope Materials and Technical Systems

2/ Resistance to Changes in the Face of Circularity

  • Tania NOEL, Environmental Psychology, University of Liège: Psychosocial Barriers and Drivers to the Adoption of Recycled Materials
  • Ian WILLIAMS, Professor in Applied Environmental Science, University of Southampton: Role of Young People in Circular Economy
  • Jean-François NIVART, Faculty of Applied Sciences, Mineral Geo-resources & Geological Imaging, Urban and Environmental Engineering, University of Liège: GR-CIRKLA (Interreg), Circular Business Models: the Development of New Models Adapted to the Implementation of a More Circular, Shared, and Inclusive Economy
  • John WANTE, advisor on environment policy for the Belgian federal minister of Environment, Climate, Sustainable Development and Green Deal, Public Service of Flanders for Waste, Materials, and Soil (OVAM): Strategies to Foster Greater Social Acceptance

12.15 > 13.00 Networking Lunch

13.00 > 18.00 Site Visits (choose your preferences during registration):

        1/ Roosens Béton (Seneffe, 26 km from Mons) - Development of Concrete Construction Materials
        2/ Site Recymex, Tradecowall, (St-Ghislain, 10 km from Mons) - Management of Waste from Deconstruction/Construction Sites

Please note: This event is not livestreamed and is exclusively available to registered in-person participants.

 

PRICING [ contribution to costs ] for 2 days:

> GreenWin & Win4C & SIM Members:

  • € 80.00

 > Non Members : 

  • € 150.00

 

VENUE:

- DAY 1 - Van der Valk Congres & Spa Hotel Mons (Av. Mélina Mercouri 7, 7000 Mons)

- DAY 2 - Palais des Congrès Mons (Av. Mélina Mercouri 9, 7000 Mons)

 

In case of any questions or issues, please contact: yulia.firsova@greenwin.be

If you need a specific order form/reference from your organisation to pay the registration fees, please have this sorted out before filling the registration form here below in.

Register