OMV Chief Executive Warns Davos Panel That Strict Plastics Rules Could Stifle Emerging Technologies
Alfred Stern told the World Economic Forum that recycling needs financial support to compete with petrochemicals while warning against overly rigid regulations.
Insights:
alfred stern, the Chief Executive of the Austrian 
ATenergy group OMV AG , spoke at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland 
CH, on January 22, 2026. He warned that overly stringent regulatory rules for building a plastics circular economy risk stifling emerging technologies before they achieve commercial viability. alfred sternstated the sector faces an innovators dilemma because new recycling processes must compete with petrochemical supply chains that have been refined over decades.
ATenergy group OMV AG , spoke at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland CH, on January 22, 2026. He warned that overly stringent regulatory rules for building a plastics circular economy risk stifling emerging technologies before they achieve commercial viability. alfred sternstated the sector faces an innovators dilemma because new recycling processes must compete with petrochemical supply chains that have been refined over decades.
