Dear friends and colleagues, 

We are pleased to invite you to join the forthcoming Sustainable Waste Management in Materials Science (SWMMS 2026) conference, taking place at Poznań, Poland, from September 21 to 23, 2026.

The issue of waste management is extremely important and actual bearing in mind the current pathway to sustainability and circularity. For this reason, the scientific community is undertaking many activities aimed at developing methods for efficient waste utilization. Scientific research is one of the factors that can bring about significant changes in waste management policy and the establishment of new legal regulations, including European Union directives. It is therefore very reasonable to undertake interdisciplinary and international activities to solve the growing problems associated with the overproduction in multiple sectors. Among the methods of inducing such activities, including establishing research cooperation, building research networks, and exchanging experiences, are scientific conferences, such as SWMMS 2026.

SWMMS will bring together scientists from different areas of materials science focused on the pathway to sustainability. The conference will cover a wide range of topics including:

• comprehensive characterization of waste of different origin using modern research techniques,

• automation of waste collection and sorting processes,

• valorization of industrial by-products and waste materials,

• valorization of agricultural and food-based biomass,

• sustainable solutions in materials science,

• sustainable polymer materials,

• environmentally-friendly engineered wood materials,

• thermal, thermochemical and thermomechanical conversion of wastes,

• reduction of environmental and health impacts of waste-based materials,

• environmental degradation of waste-based materials,

• recycling and upcycling processes.

We look forward to meeting you in Poznań next September.

Aleksander Hejna

Chair of the SWMMS2026 Organizing Committee