It’s a fact: while Covid-19 may not have disappeared, a lot of the fear surrounding the virus seems to have gone. The availability of vaccines, the growing immunity due to exposure and perhaps even a certain ‘fear fatigue’ have largely dispelled the pandemic panic of the past few years.
As a result, life is fast getting back to more the way it used to be, and with it comes the travel and events we did without for so long. Surprisingly, or perhaps not, we almost seem to be picking up where we left off.
Just last month, the number one plastics and rubber show in the world – the triennial K fair in Düsseldorf - went off without a hitch, much to the relief of the organisers, who did not know what to expect. True, attendance was down about 21 percent compared to the previous edition in 2019, but still, around 176,000 people attended the fair, the quality of the visitors was good, and business was transacted. In the words of Ulrich Reifenhäuser, chairman of the exhibitor advisory board, ‘we had a very, very intense trade fair.’
In this issue, we look back at what was surely the ‘greenest’ edition of the show ever. From the raw materials producers, research institutes and recyclers to software developers and machinery manufacturers, sustainability, climate protection, circularity, net zero and, in the light of the developments in energy costs, energy efficiency, were the focus in every hall and at almost every stand.
Panel discussions organised by trade association Plastics Europe also zoomed in on these topics within the scope of the groups special ‘Plastics Shape the Future’ programme. One of the sessions, for example, centred on the feasibility of industry’s current 2050 net zero goal and the roadmap to get there in the form of the ‘Reshaping Plastics’ report compiled by Systemiq, but commissioned by Plastics Europe. The study shows that it is possible, but the panel agreed that it was not going to be easy, and that decisions being made in the next three to five years will be critical. Plus, as panellist Professor Kim Regaert of Maastricht University pointed out, many of the technologies being counted on to reach the 2050 goal are still nascent. “We haven’t accounted for failure yet,” she warned. “There is going to be a lot of failure along the way.”
This is our last issue in a year that has brought numerous unexpected changes, challenges – and also chances. If anything, these have served to hammer home the need for the industry to act. But if the recent K fair is anything to go by, that’s just what is starting to happen. Adverse conditions notwithstanding, sustainability goals and innovation are still in place. It’s a good thought to head into the new year with.
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