The decision at the delegates’ meeting of the German plastics processing industry group Gesamtverband Kunststoffverarbeitende Industrie (GKV; Berlin; www.gkv.de) in Berlin struck like a bombshell. On 22 June 2022, the delegates confirmed a decision by the GKV board to exclude the association TecPart (Frankfurt; www.tecpart.de), which previously had been one of the five supporting associations. The exclusion of the group which represents manufacturers of technical plastics products in Germany took effect as of 23 June 2022.

“A trusting and constructive cooperation with the current TecPart board is no longer possible”, GKV explained the vote. There had been “irreconcilable differences over values and boundaries”, said outgoing President Roland Roth: “At present, we consider this separation to be the only viable way forward and deem it necessary.”, adding: “We cannot allow the engine to stutter just for the cosy feeling of peace”, because it actually has to run at full speed in view of the industry’s transformation and public pressure. Nevertheless, he did not rule out TecPart’s future readmission to the umbrella: “The doors to GKV remain open.”

TecPart’s board led by Chairman Felix Loose and Managing Director Michael Weigelt expressed their “deepest concern” about the separation. “We have not succeeded (...) in communicating that the structure of the umbrella association must be adapted to the current challenges”, Loose said.

Both had previously campaigned for a “united nationwide presence and an efficient structure in the interest of plastics processors, also promoting the circular economy”, but obviously did not find a majority with this. “GKV will remain an association of small industry branch associations with many organisational units of their own”, Loose said.

GKV thus loses 140 of its previously 936 members. In future, the umbrella association will consist of plastics packaging group Industrievereinigung Kunststoffverpackungen (IK; Bad Homburg; www.kunststoffverpackungen.de), pro-K Industrieverband Halbzeuge und Konsumprodukte aus Kunststoff (pro-K; Frankfurt; www.pro-kunststoff.de), composites group AVK (Frankfurt; www.avk-tv.de) and foam and PU group Fachverband Schaumkunststoffe und Polyurethane (FSK; Frankfurt; www.fsk-vsv.de).

GKV currently is without a president. At the assembly of delegates, it was not possible to elect a successor to Roth, who was no longer available for this position after serving two terms.

GKV’s statutes do not provide for a provisional continuation of the office by the former president until the election of a new top representative. As Plasteurope.com learned from participants, the delegates agreed to determine their next president “by writing”.

It is currently unclear who would be interested in running for president at the German plastics processing industry association. The latest internal squabbles likely did not increase the attractiveness of this honorary office in the eyes of some of Roth’s potential successors. Nevertheless, it was said that the new election of the president would take place “promptly”.