K2022

The most anticipated global event in the plastics and rubber industry has just taken place at the Messe Dusseldorf fairgrounds. K 2022, according to its organizers, “continues to be the most international, complete and innovative trade fair in the plastics and rubber industry”, in addition to expressing their satisfaction with the number of exhibitors and visitors reached.

In K2022, there was an atmosphere of dynamism, and among the participants, they were eager to resume the exchange of ideas in person. The energy crisis situation, the global problems in the supply chain, the restrictions due to the pandemic in China and the absence of professionals from the area of Ukraine and Russia predicted worse results.

Finally, the event, which celebrated its 70th anniversary, brought together 3037 exhibitors (slightly less than 10% compared to the 2019 edition) and visitors from more than 157 countries, specifically 176,000 (only 20% less than the last edition). The K 2022 fair became the perfect meeting point to jointly and dynamically chart the direction of the industry, thanks to its international character. Most of the participants came from outside Germany (70% of whom 2.6% were Spanish) and a large number from outside Europe (around 42%), with visitors from America being highly represented, partly compensating for the lower representation of China.

The week-long event (October 19-26), was held as usual and became the lever that will provide a new impetus to the plastic industry. Meetings, debates and physical brand and product experiences were the driving force behind the recent fair. Above all, considering the moment that the plastic industry is experiencing in the transformation towards a circular economy.

This edition of the K served to present all kinds of news and technological advances that reinforced the central themes of the fair:

• Sustainable development and the circular economy.
• Conservation of resources and protection of the environment
• Digitalization

Therefore, on the part of the exhibitors, whether they were manufacturers of machinery, plastic transformers or producers of polymer raw materials, such as BASF, Lanxess, Covestro or Sabic, they did not avoid issues of recycling and circularity.

Another unavoidable and planned environmental issue was the current difficult economic situation and specifically the crisis caused by supply chain problems and the uncontrolled increase in energy prices affecting Europe today.

Attendees were able to attend the exhibition Plastics Shape the Future, and its debate sessions in Hall 6 brought together more than 50 speakers during the course of the fair. Decision makers from various fields, such as science, business or politics, spoke about the key issues of K in terms of sustainability and digital solutions in multifaceted rounds of debate and presentations of best practices.

Also at the Circular Economy Forum, in the outdoor area between pavilions 10 and 16, where the German engineering federation VDMA and 13 member companies demonstrated the role of technology in the implementation of the circular economy in the plastics industry. Investments in new and consolidated sorting and recycling processes, design for recycling and the development of new sources of raw materials in more sustainably neutral production processes are points of action on the path to a circular economy

At the Science Campus, both exhibitors and visitors received a summary overview of scientific activities and findings in the sector.