The world’s famous Plastics & Rubber Kunststoffe Trade Fair took place in Düsseldorf, Germany from October 16 – 23, 2013. And once again the K Exhibition was a true success. Among the event records one would note, the 218,000 trade visitors, the 3,200 exhibitors and the unbelievable logistic challenges to make sure the Fair would open on time. In only few days prior to the K opening day, around 6,000 trucks moved in and out to make booths ready, with some of them shipping the biggest plastic processing machines the Polymer Industry developed for making bags, molding parts and recycling end-use parts. Taking place every three years, the K Fair is just The-place-to-be when working with plastics and rubbers.
This once every three years frequency also gives time to exhibitors to develop and test their latest products and technologies. We therefore detected many innovations at the K2013, and selected those answering the megatrend for Increased Sustainability. Plastics and Additives are sometimes under the spotlights due to health concerns or environmental issues. The Innovations we report below prove Plastic Additives are more than ever addressing some of these latest concerns in such a way that no other materials will do.