50 Shades of Minerals: Extending & Improving Mineral Resource Lifespans : Opportunities, Challenges, and Future Perspectives
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
Animator: Nathalie Ricaille, Journalist
09.00 - 09.30 Welcome Coffee
09.30 - 13.00 – Plenary Session
9:30 - 11:30 European and Regional Voices on Circular Construction
9:30 - 9:40 Opening word by Pierre-Yves JEHOLET, Walloon Vice-President, Minister of Economy and Employment
9:40 - 9:50 Opening word by Nicolas MARTIN, Mayor of Mons
9:50 - 10:00 Opening word by David LAMY, CEO Tradecowall, President of GreenWin
10:00 - 10:15 Katharina KNAPTON-VIERLICH, Head of Unit Construction, DG GROW, EC: European Integrated Circular Construction Sector
10:15 - 10:35 Chris VAN DE VOORDE, Circular Economy Expert, Co-Founder of the Circular Value Institute, Flanders, Belgium: Circular Value as a Key Leverage to Achieve European sustainability goals
10:35 - 10:55 Jos BROUWERS, Full Professor and Chair of Building Materials at Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e), The Netherlands: Keys to a Profitable and Sustainable Circular Model
10:55 - 11:15 Olga MARTIN GARCIA, General Director, and Asier ETXEBARRIA ZULUETA, Project Technical Expert, ACLIMA, Basque Environmental Cluster, Spain: The Basque Approach to Circular Economy: Regional Strategies and Industrial Opportunities
11:15 - 11:30 Coffee Break
11:30 - 13:00 - Innovation Talks: pitches of EU projects
11:30 - 11:40 Yury VILLAGRAN, Researcher at VITO (Franders, Belgium): ROTATE (Horizon Europe) - Facilitating the generation of synergies between diverse industrial sectors related to mining and quarrying
11:40 - 11:50 Niels HULSBOSCH, R&D Expert, Unit Structural Works - Concrete Technology, BuildWise, Belgian Innovation Center in the Construction: Horizon 2020 PIONEERS - Recovery of excavated soil and sand for use in the concrete of key side docks at the Port of Antwerp-Bruges
11:50 - 12:00 David MONIC, Territorial development Consultant at IDEA Consult, Brussels: Mobiccon-PRO (Horizon Europe) - Integrated Innovative Circular Solutions to Recover Resources from CDW
12:00 - 12:10 Ivan IGNATOVIĆ, Ph.D., Associate Professor, University of Belgrade, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Serbia: Circ-Boost (Horizon Europe) - Presentation of large-scale pilots to demonstrate novel and integrated solutions for demolition, construction waste processing, management, and valorisation in new products
12:10 - 12:20 Thijs LAMBRECHTS, Doctoral Candidate, Built Environment, Innovative Stractural Design, Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e), The Netherlands: Horizon 2020 ReCreate - Turning the Reuse of Concrete Elements into a Profitable Business
12:20 - 12:30 Alexandre FOLMER, Project Coordinator Greater Green+, Grand Est Développement, regional agency for industrial transformation, France: Greater Green+ - Greater Region ecosystem to accelerate the ecological transition and economic resilience through the development of greener technologies (in French)
12:30 - 13:00 Panel Debates
13.00 - 14.30 – Networking Lunch
14.30 - 18.00 – Walloon Circular Valley
14:30 - 14:55 Jean-Marc ALDRIC, Director of the Directorate Soil and Waste, Public Service of Wallonia: End-of-waste - Context, Limits, and Perspectives of Mineral Circularity in Wallonia (in French)
14:55 - 15:15 Stéphane NEIRYNCK, General Director Centre Pierre et Terre: ‘REMIND WALLONIA’ - Contributions to the European Mineral Valley (in French)
15:15 - 15:35 Loïc DELHUVENNE, Deputy Director 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 (in French)
15:35 - 16:55 Pitches of the Walloon Projects
15:35 - 15:50 Sacha DRUART, Product Innovation and Strategy Manager, Heidelberg Materials: COSMOCEM - Transforming Walloon Waste Streams into Reactive Mineral Additives
15:50 - 16:05 Elise AUBRY, Innovation Lead, Carmeuse: MINERAL LOOP - Capture and Sequestration of Industrial CO₂ Through Mineral Waste Carbonation
16:05 - 16:25 Coffee Break
16:25 - 16:40 Johnny ZSCHAU, CRO Roosens Bétons: CIBER - Circularity of Precast Concrete
16:40 - 16:55 Thomas VAN HOYE, Quality Manager, Eloy, and Audrey VAN DER WIELEN, Researcher at Belgian Road Research Centre (BRRC) : Monocrete - Thick Single-Layer Coating Based on Alternative Binders and Recycled Aggregates
16:55 - 17:20 Steven BECKERS, Circularity Expert Architect, Belgium: Systemic Approach to Circularity in Urban Development: The Needs for Minerals Too!
17:20 - 17:35 Lionel FOURDRINIER, Coordinator Win4C, Metallurgical Research Center (CRM): Perspectives of the Walloon Strategic Innovation Initiative Win4C
17:35 - 17:45 Conclusion by Lionel BONJEAN, General Director, Public Service of Wallonia – Economy, Employment and Research
18.00 - 21.00 Networking Dinner
DAY 2
09.00 - 09.30 Welcome Coffee
09.30 - 12.30 – Workshops (choose your preferences during registration)
* 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
The aim of the workshops is to co-create Paper Briefs outlining the main barriers and potential solutions to the key issues related to the circularity of construction materials, per workshop topics
1/ End-of-Waste and Right materials in the Right Place
Animators: Claudia NECULAU, Project Coordinator REMIND WALLONIA & Alexis DE MEY, Director SODEA SRL, Permanent Member of the Environment Cluster of the Economic and Social Council of Wallonia (CESE)
9:30 - 9:40 Introduction by the animators
9:40 - 9:55 Didier GOHY, Senior Advisor Department of Infrastructure Management and Waste Policy, Public service of Wallonia: End-of-Waste: Building a Reliable Regulatory and Technical Framework – Insights and Challenges for Wallonia (in French)
9:55 - 10:10 Alexis DE MEY, Environmental Expert SODEA : EOW Status: The Case of Recycled Aggregates in Wallonia
10:10 - 10:25 Pieter KEPPENS, Unit Manager, Impartial product control body for construction (COPRO), Belgium: EOW implementation in Flanders
10:25 - 10:40 Kveta KABATNIKOVA, Seconded National Expert, DG GROW, European Commission: Construction Products Regulation (CPR) 2024 and the Right Use of Construction Products
10:40 - 11:10 Panel Debates
11:10 - 11:25 Coffee Break
11:25 - 11:35 Lorena VILADES, Project Manager, ANEFA, National Association of Aggregate Manufacturers, Spain: Horizon Europe SCIMIN-CRM: Characterisation, valorisation, recovery, treatment, and use of mining stocks to convert them into recoverable resources (ONLINE)
11:35 - 11:45 Stéphane VERSTRAETE, Consultant Group De Cloedt: Valorisation of Waste
11:45 - 11:55 Stéphanie STEVENART, Project Manager Wallonie-Entreprendre: Redevelopment of an Industrial Brownfield from the Former ArcelorMittal Steel Facilities
11:55 - 12:05 Claudia NECULAU, Project Coordinator REMIND Wallonia: Waste2CEM, Minimising the Environmental Impact of Clinker by Incorporating Secondary Mineral Materials (SMM) into the raw mix
12:05 - 12:15 Thibault MARIAGE, Director Federation of Construction Waste Recyclers (FEREDECO), Belgium: Applications of recycled aggregates in public construction works (Qualiroutes)
12:15 - 12:25 Robert BAUDINET, Co-Founder and CEO, Matvision, Belgium : AI and Robotics in the Industrial Waste Sorting System
12:25 - 13:00 Panel Debate
2/ Extension of the Lifespan of Construction Materials
Animators: Johnny ZSCHAU, CRO Roosens Bétons & Vincent JAMBLIN, Environmental Consultant, Founder of SEREUS, Belgium
9:30 - 9:40 Introduction by the animators
9:40 - 10:00 Michaël GHYOOT, Architect, Rotor: PreUse Interreg Project - Actions, Challenges and Solutions to Enhance Reuse
10:00 - 10:15 Pierre BOLLEN, Senior researcher, Institute of Mechanics, Materials and Civil Engineering (iMMC), Catholic University of Louvain (UCL): How to integrate circularity principles into a rational material eco-selection methodology?
10:15 - 10:25 Agnese ATTANASIO, Technical Project Manager, CETMA (Centro di Ricerche Europeo di Tecnologie Design e Materiali), Italy: i-Clima Built (Horizon 2020) - Developing, Upscaling and Testing Innovations in Building Envelope Materials and Technical Systems (ONLINE)
10:25 - 10:35 David GARCIA-ESTEVEZ, Senior researcher Energy, Climate and Urban Transition, TECNALIA, Basque Research and Technology Alliance, Spain: Horizon2020 ICEBERG -Circular Economy Based Solutions for EoL Building Materials
10:35 - 10:50 Luc COURARD, Professor, Faculty of Applied Sciences, Urban and Environmental Engineering, University of Liège, Wallonia: Recycled sands: problem or solution?
10:50 - 11:15 Panel debates
11:15 - 11:30 Coffee Break
11:30 - 11:45 Diego CARO, Pavimentos de Tudela, Spain: Paving the Way: Circular Strategies and Active Materials for Sustainable Urban Surfaces
11:45 - 12:00 Shizhe ZHANG, Renewi Mineralz & Water, The Netherlands: Smart Reuse of Secondary Minerals in Sustainable Concrete: Insights from Particle Packing Model
12:00 - 12:15 Sonia SARACINO, Project Coordinator CETMA (Centro di Ricerche Europeo di Tecnologie Design e Materiali), Italy: Re4.eu (Horizon2020) - REuse and REcycling of CDW materials and structures in energy efficient pREfabricated elements for building REfurbishment and construction (ONLINE)
12:15 - 12:30 Santeri PARONEN, Architect at Spolia Design, Finland : Concrete circular economy solutions: from demolition to installation
12:30 - 13:00 Panel Debates
3/ Resistance to Changes in the Face of Circularity
In this session, participants will break into small groups to dive into key topics together. The ideas and lessons gathered will help lay the groundwork for a post-event reportage and contribute to shaping the circular strategies moving forward
Animators: Françoise SCHEEPERS, Senior Strategic Communications Manager, GreenWin, Belgium, & Bernard Mathieu, President Engineers Without Borders, Belgium
9:30 - 9:40 Introduction by the animators
9:40-9:50 - Tania NOEL, Environmental Psychology, University of Liège: Psychosocial Barriers and Drivers to the Adoption of Recycled Materials
9:50 - 10:00 John WANTE, advisor on circular economy policy, Public Service of Flanders for Waste, Materials, and Soil Policy (OVAM), Belgium: Circular Construction: from Niche to Standard Practice
10:00 - 10:10 Ian WILLIAMS, Professor in Applied Environmental Science, University of Southampton: Role of Young People in Circular Economy (ONLINE)
10:10-10:20 Aline VERGAUWEN, Energy & Sustainable Solutions Department, BuildWise, Belgian Innovation Center in the Construction: "Living Lab Circulair Beton" in Flanders: Solutions to Overcome Technical and Non-Technical Barriers to the Adoption of Circular Concrete
10:20-10:30 Jean-François NIVART, Faculty of Applied Sciences, Mineral Geo-resources & Geological Imaging, Urban and Environmental Engineering, University of Liège: UNI-GR CIRKLA (Interreg), Circular Business Models: the Development of New Models Adapted to the Implementation of a More Circular, Shared, and Inclusive Economy
10:40-11:00 Briefing group works
11:00-11:15 Coffee break
11:15-12:30 Group works
12:30 - 13:00 Debriefing of group works
13.00 > 14.30 Networking Lunch
14.30 > 18.00 Site Visits (choose your preferences during registration):
1/ Roosens Bétons (Seneffe, 26 km from Mons) - Development of New Concrete Construction Materials CO2 & Water Neutral
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 & UNI-GR CIRKLA Members:
- € 80.00
> Non Members :
- € 150.00
Note that the payment have to be received before the event, online (credit card only) or via bank transfer (choice next step).
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