The event team led by Prof Ariane Ruff and Prof Folker Flüggen from Nordhausen University of Applied Sciences kicked off the event with a warm welcome. Mario Suckert, President of the State Office for the Environment, Mining and Nature Conservation in the Free State of Thuringia, then opened the event. Suckert emphasised the urgency of the topic of "recycling raw materials" and the need to tackle difficulties in the recycling of composite materials. He called for the rapid introduction of regulations on the use of recycled materials and emphasised: "We are facing huge challenges! We must make scientific offers to politicians to find solutions!"

In his keynote speech, Dr Andreas Patschger from the Thuringian Centre for Mechanical Engineering at TU Ilmenau highlighted the importance of networks in resource management and presented innovative approaches for resource-saving production techniques and separation processes in recycling.

The various presentations and discussion rounds on the first day were divided into two main blocks: Sustainable Construction and Bioresources. Experts from the industry shared their knowledge on topics such as sustainability in geotechnics, recycling of building materials and the circular economy. A guided tour of the Thuringian Innovation Centre for Recyclable Materials (ThIWert) rounded off the first day of the event. The concluding evening event at the traditional Nordhausen distillery gave participants the opportunity to exchange ideas and network.

The second day opened with presentations by Prof Dr Daniel Goldmann from Clausthal University of Technology and M. Sc. Theresa Sattler from the University of Leoben. Prof. Goldmann emphasised the urgency of the transition from recycling regions to circular regions and called for the creation of real-world laboratories for education and development. Theresa Sattler presented the challenges and new developments in the recycling of mineral wool waste and introduced the "BitKoin" project, which deals with the development of a blast furnace slag substitute through thermochemical conversion of mineral wool waste containing residual material combinations.

The rest of the day was thematically divided into two main blocks: Plastics recycling and mechanical engineering. The participants were able to gain exciting insights into the development of closed process chains for upcycling plastic waste, chemical recycling of plastics, additive manufacturing and much more.

The event ended with a summary and an outlook on future developments in the field of resources and sustainability. In summary, Prof. Dr Uta Breuer from Nordhausen University of Applied Sciences said: "It was a marriage between the recyclables dialogue and the secondary raw materials workshop. Conclusion: What we do is important!"

The successful fusion of the secondary raw materials workshop and the recyclables dialogue underlines the importance of this topic for the region and beyond. The "Resource Forum Nordhausen" will continue to provide a valuable platform for the exchange of knowledge and ideas in the field of resource utilisation and sustainability: In 2024, the Nordhausen University of Applied Sciences Resource Forum will take place on 24 and 25 October 2024.