K.D. Feddersen Group companies combine forces at K 2022

At K 2022, K.D. Feddersen member companies Akro-Plastic GmbH, Bio-Fed, AF-Color and K.D. Feddersen Ueberseegesellschaft mbH will be exhibiting at a joint booth in Hall 6, C52. The companies will this year be presenting a range of products designed to contribute to the reduction of carbon emissions and promote sustainability
“The plastics industry can and must make an important contribution to this. We will present our contribution to the specialised public at K 2022,” said Thilo Stier, Global Sales Director & Innovation Manager at Akro-Plastic.
Aware of the need for change, the companies of the Feddersen Group aim to achieve Scope 1 and Scope 2 carbon neutrality at all German locations by the end of 2025 at the latest.
"In addition, many companies in the Feddersen Group have been certified according to ISCC Plus, and Akro-Plastic GmbH has also been certified according to REDcert²," adds Thilo Stier.
 Last year in November, four companies in the Feddersen Group -  Akro-Plastic GmbH, Af-Color, Bio-Fed and PolyComp GmbH - all earned ISCC Plus certification, as the first in the Group to do so.
Now, with the certification of K.D. Feddersen Holding GmbH, the next batch of companies in the group has also successfully become ISCC Plus certified. These include K.D. Feddersen GmbH & Co. KG, K.D. Feddersen GmbH & Co. KG, Succursale France, K.D. Feddersen CEE GmbH, K.D. Feddersen UK Ltd. and K.D. Feddersen Norden AB -  and the co-certification of K.D. Feddersen Ueberseegesellschaft mbH as well as numerous other non-European companies in the group.
There are various starting points for CO2 reduction in the plastics industry, Stier pointed out.  Material selection is one - opting for materials with biobased or recycled content can help reduce the carbon footprint of a product - but choosing technologies such as foaming, 3D printing and pursuing"Design for End of Life" component design strategies also considerably impacts the sustainability of plastic components.
Akro-Plastic’s range of biobased and biomass-balanced compounds offers solutions in each of these areas.

According to the company, the main advantage of its Next family of bio-sourced materials over many recycled materials is the consistent quality of the products. In addition, bioplastics such as PA 6.9 or PA 5.10 offer better chemical resistance and lower water absorption compared to classic PA 6 or PA 6.6. The company will be displaying an application with its Akrolen Next PP LGF, based on circular "frying-fat" polypropylene derived from cooking oil residues. in the (8569) offers a unique combination of sustainability and technical performance. In a jointly implemented project, the Ziehl-Abegg company has developed a fan wheel based on the new long glass fibre-reinforced Akrolen Next PP-H LGF series to meet sustainability requirements. The base polymer used for the compound has a negative CO2 footprint; as a finished compound, Akrolen Next PP-H LGF 40 2 CI black (8569) has a footprint of 0.5 kg CO2eqv/kg. The product shown at the K fair is a prototype. Further tests are in progress.
The company will also be showing the latest Rockstar Edition of the Husqvarna motocross motorcycle - the Husqvarna FE 350. The bike features sustainable product solutions such as a hybrid brake disc protector based on a bio-based polyamide, manufactured with the innovative Conexus joining technology and a seat base with a bio-circular long glass fibre reinforced PP.

Bio-Fed is highlighting its M·VERA family of biobased products, which includes bioplastics with sustainable organic fillers, such as cellulose, lignin or starch. Its biomass-balanced M·VERA PP compounds, which are certified according to REDcert2 and ISCC Plus, together with the corresponding masterbatches AF-CirColor, AF-CirCarbon and AF-CirComplex offer further options for choosing reduced-carbon solutions.
Biobased solutions are not the only key to reducing the carbon footprint of plastic components; Akro-Plast is also highlighting other options, such as its new PPS portfolio as well as its Precite-E range of glass-reinforced PET. The latter, said Thilo Stier, may not be just a cheaper alternative to PPA or PA 6.6. “
With 1.8 kg CO2eq/kg, our Precite E GF 50 (7300) offers an almost 50% reduced CO2 footprint compared to the equivalent PA 6.6 GF 50,” he said.