Taking place in Düsseldorf / Germany from 16-23 October 2019, the “K” trade fair (www.k-online.com/) for the plastics and rubber industry will revolve around circular economy, resource conservation and digitalisation, in addition to the traditional topics of innovative materials and technology.

“Plastics Shape the Future” is a special show hosted alongside K 2019 that will, among other things, demonstrate the sustainable impact plastics can have on the future. The seven-day event will feature expert discussions, kick-off speeches, presentations, experiments as well as explorations of economic and ecological aspects to deal with issues and provide solutions.

This special show was initiated by the German plastics industry and overseen by PlasticsEurope Deutschland (Frankfurt / Germany; www.plasticseurope.org) and the Messe Düsseldorf (www.messe-duesseldorf.com).

Next year's K will also host a "Science Campus" designed to foster active discourse between research and industry. Both visitors and exhibitors are offered a comprehensive overview of recent developments in science that affect the plastics and rubber industry.

The programmes of both the Science Campus and special show are carefully coordinated to address topics that will dominate the global development of the polymer market in the coming years.

The following key issues were defined by scientists and experts for K 2019.

Digitalisation / Industry 4.0

• Platform economy
• Value-added networks

Plastics for sustainable development

• Water management
• Renewable energies
• Circular economy (alternative raw materials, etc.)

System integration – functionality through material, process and design

• New materials and additives
• Additive manufacturing
• Lightweight engineering
• Mobility (e-mobility)
• Bioplastics

About 3,000 exhibitors and 200,000 visitors from all over the world are projected to attend K 2019 in Düsseldorf. Universities, institutes, associations and funding agencies participating in the trade fair will prepare special exhibits to aid the recruitment of new professionals for the industry.