Every three years, and this coming autumn again, the world of plastics meets in Düsseldorf: from 19 to 26 October 2022, the world’s leading trade fair K presents new products and innovations from all sectors of the industry – from production to processing, to mechanical engineering. Once again, the central point of contact for the critical exchange of information, thoughts, and opinions is represented by the Special Show ‘Plastics shape the future’ in hall 6. The focus of the special show under the auspices of Plastics Europe Deutschland (PED), the plastics producers’ association, and Messe Düsseldorf will be on the three ground-breaking hot topics of K 2022: climate protection, circular economy, and digitalization.
Progress starts in Düsseldorf
In entertaining formats, high-level guests from the world of politics, science, and the industry, as well as NGOs will share information about and discuss economic, social, and environmental challenges and solutions around the leading themes of K 2022 – thus connecting the trade fair presentations of the companies with the societal agenda of K.
Ingemar Bühler, managing director of PED, puts it in a nutshell, “These are really exciting times: in this year’s K special show, we make it clear where our industry shifts into the turbo mode in terms of greenhouse gas neutrality and circularity. But we also listen carefully to what critical experts tell us and which solutions be proposed to us.” Bühler continues “It is undisputed that there is still a lot to catch up on the path towards decarbonization in our industry, e.g. in terms of raw material supply or recycling. Here, we want to improve – and the K 2022 fair is the right place to come up with fresh ideas and to drive – together with you – many innovative solutions of tomorrow that are allegedly considered to be still unthinkable today”.
No ducking away – listening!
The centerpiece of ‘Plastics shape the future’ is provided by the theme days with speeches, keynotes, and panel discussions on the three K hot topics climate protection, circular economy, and digitalization. At the start of the trade fair on Wednesday, October 19, 2022, key topics and challenges of the industry will be directly addressed at the K-Forum.
As an example, it will focus on the implementation of the results of the ‘Reshaping Plastics’ report presented by the European think-tank SystemIQ in April 2022. The report outlines several scenarios that are supposed to improve the circularity of plastics and reduce greenhouse gas emissions in Europe. The following theme days also focus on the plastics industry’s concrete paths towards greenhouse gas neutrality, or on plastics as enablers of the clean energy transition. This will make sure that the special exhibition will enrich the extensive and socially highly relevant exhibition offering of K 2022.
K Basics
K was first organized by Messe Düsseldorf in 1952 and is held every three years. The last K in 2019 recorded 3,330 exhibitors from 63 countries on 177,000 sq. meter net exhibition space, and 224,116 trade visitors, 73% of whom came from abroad.