Circular Economy and recyclable materials high on agenda at K-Show

Touted as the world's number one trade fair for plastics and rubber, K-Show is returning to Düsseldorf, Germany, this fall from October 19 to 26. In the previous edition, 2019 K-Show recorded 3,330 exhibitors from 63 countries on 177,000 m² net exhibition space, 73% of whom came from abroad.

Much has changed since 2019, with heightened awareness and a global proactiveness towards achieving goals like net zero pledges, as the current society and economy rely incredibly heavily on plastics, often regarded as a double-edged sword in its convenience and pollutive features on the environment. And so, it is inconceivable not to discuss the need to decarbonize the industry and implement circular economy fundamentals within this context. These efforts are especially crucial when the world is working towards a net zero society and with governments rolling out policies to reduce the usage of single-use plastics.

As a result, K-Show is focusing on greener solutions for the industry through hosting the Circular Economy Forum. The forum, slated to be held in the outdoor area between Halls 10 and 16, showcases solutions for the European market, where participating companies showcase machines to allow visitors to see first-hand how plastic waste is covered into high-quality degranulates, or into highly functional and recyclable plastics through different processing methods.

Much talk is directed toward recycling plastic waste, but other solutions must be undertaken to see those goals. And so, both K-Show and the forum themes will cover three areas: the Circular Economy, Climate Protection, and Digitalisation. Greater implementation of digitalized machinery — equipment that can “talk” to one another through connected networks — is required for optimizing manufacturing processes.

In Taiwan, it's becoming more commonplace for restaurants or convenience stores not to give out single-use plastics like utensils, straws, or bags. As a result, suppliers are looking at upgrading and replacing existing equipment to fulfill these social and environmental obligations. The equipment displayed at Taiwan's biggest plastics and rubber show TaipeiPLAS hosted in late September, reflects this trend, having rolled out machinery focusing on recycling plastic waste or integrated machinery systems that can handle both production and recycling plastic waste through robotic arms swerving over different production lines, keeping equipment area size compact and increasing efficiency.

Looking towards K-Show, Taiwan-based Kung Hsing Plastic Machinery is a supplier that would find itself at home among forward-thinking companies at the Germany-based trade fair. Learn more about this quality Taiwanese supplier in this edition of our industry newsletter.