GPSIS 2025-Global Polymer Sustainability & Innovation Summit
The Global Polymer Sustainability & Innovation Summit (GPSIS) 2025 was held from 29–31 October at the Technological University of the Shannon in Athlone, Ireland, bringing together around 100 researchers, industry representatives, and policy leaders to discuss breakthroughs in sustainable polymer science and circular manufacturing. Representing the TwInn4MicroUp project and TUS, Dr. Cüneyt Erdinç Taş, Necdet Özçelik, and Zeliha Ece Özçelik participated with poster and oral presentations.
Dr. Cüneyt Erdinç Taş presented innovative strategies for plastic-waste pretreatment and green recycling, highlighting scalable pathways to accelerate the transition toward a circular materials economy. Necdet Özçelik shared progress on circular recycling routes for PLA and polyester-based plastics, introducing sustainable PET and PBT alternatives for contact-lens manufacturing to support more environmentally responsible polymer processing. PhD candidate Zeliha Ece Özçelik delivered a presentation on sustainable photothermal polymers for smart textiles. Her oral presentation received a recognition award, reflecting the impact and innovation of her work.
The participation of TwInn4MicroUp at this high-level summit marked an important step toward building scientific excellence, promoting sustainability-driven research, and strengthening collaboration across Europe. Attendance at GPSIS 2025 facilitated valuable knowledge exchange, opened new pathways for international partnerships, and elevated the global visibility of ongoing work in sustainable and circular polymer technologies—directly advancing TwInn4MicroUp objectives and enhancing the research capacity of the team.
