March 5, 2026
matterr was invited to the EFRE/JTF in NRW Conference “North Rhine-Westphalia in Transformation”, which brought together representatives from politics, industry and science, as well as local authorities and public administration.
© Leon Fülber
At the halfway point of the 2021-2027 funding period, the conference focused on reflecting on the progress and experiences of ongoing projects, while looking ahead to future developments. In this context, matterr was selected as one of the central showcased projects, highlighting the increasing strategic importance of scaling circular infrastructure in Germany.
The EFRE/JTF programme is a joint EU and state funding initiative, supporting innovative regional projects to advance the green and digital transformation and strengthen North Rhine-Westphalia’s competitiveness.
For matterr, securing the €30 million grant in August 2025 marked a major milestone. Combined with investment from family-owned international fashion group BESTSELLER, it enables the construction of a first small-scale industrial depolymerisation plant and represents a key step from pilot stage to industrial implementation.
© Leon Fülber
At the conference, CEO Melanie Hackler presented practical insights into the funding process:
“With the newly structured ‘Produktives NRW’ framework, our project advanced in a remarkably short time - not only because processes were simplified on paper, but because collaboration was built on clarity, entrepreneurial thinking and trust-based cooperation between the people involved.”
She also contributed in the panel discussion alongside State Secretrary for Economic Affairs of North Rhine-Westphalia Silke Krebs, Uwe Handmann, Ulla Thönnissen and Stefan Szuggat, engaging in an open discussion on what is already working well and where processes can become even more effective.
“Industrial transformation becomes real when funding turns into execution. For capital-intensive technologies, the gap between pilot and industrial scale is where many innovations fail. Well-designed funding frameworks can close that gap” (Melanie Hackler)
The conference underlined the importance of strong collaboration between industry, public institutions and policymakers and the role targeted funding can play in turning innovation into industrial reality.
