K 2025, the world’s leading trade fair for plastics and rubber, will open tomorrow, running from October 8 to 15 in Düsseldorf. This central stage for the global plastics and rubber industry will feature 3,257 exhibitors from around the world, showcasing innovative solutions, cutting-edge products, and impressive machinery in live operation.

The fair's motto, “The Power of Plastics! Green – Smart – Responsible”, echoes the industry's values and commitment to act sustainably, smartly and responsibly in producing and handling plastics.

The fair has been fully booked since May 2024, occupying approximately 178,000 square meters of net exhibition space across 18 exhibition halls and outdoor areas.

“In May of last year, the trade fair was completely sold out, demonstrating the strong momentum of the industry,” said Marius Berlemann, Managing Director at Messe Düsseldorf, during the opening press conference. “To put it into perspective, the exhibition space alone is equivalent to filling 25 football fields with exhibitors.”

Left: Marius Berlemann, Managing Director at Messe Düsseldorf.

At K 2025, European exhibitors are particularly well represented, with significant participation from Germany, Italy, Turkey, Austria, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and Spain. Additionally, there is a notable presence of companies from Asia, including China and India, while the USA contributes a substantial group of exhibitors.

K 2025 is also expecting a diverse array of visitors from nearly 170 nations. “We have many buyers coming from all corners of the globe, including Colombia, Saudi Arabia, China, and India,” remarked Marius Berlemann.

Europe maintains advantage, China grows “from zero to hero”

At the press conference, Ulrich Reifenhäuser, Chairman of the K 2025 Exhibitors’ Committee and Board Member of the VDMA Committee for Plastics and Rubber Machinery, provided an overview of the global plastics industry's outlook.

Left: Ulrich Reifenhäuser, Chairman of the K 2025 Exhibitors’ Committee. 

In terms of production and consumption, global plastics production increased from 370 million tons in 2018 to 414 million tons in 2023, indicating substantial growth. In Europe, production and consumption levels remained relatively stable, while the USA experienced a notable increase of 16% in production and 17% in consumption of plastics.

The real dynamic market is China, where plastics production increased by 33% and consumption grew by 35%. “The Chinese market is very active, driven by internal growth and exports. They are eager and busy. It’s clear that government support helps the industry,” shared Ulrich Reifenhäuser.

Regarding the global machine building market, the share of the USA has declined from 18% in 2000 to just 7% in 2024. Europe also saw a decrease, dropping from 48% to 43%. In contrast, China experienced impressive growth, with its market share rising from 4% to 32%.

Ulrich Reifenhäuser praised the Chinese plastics machinery sector for its remarkable transformation, stating it has grown “from zero to hero” in the past 24 years. “It is also important to note that they are particularly strong in the 'bread and butter' markets, which consist of standard technologies,” he added.

However, Ulrich Reifenhäuser emphasized that Europe still maintains an advantage in the export of plastics machinery and high-tech technologies.

“We have lost some of the bread and butter markets to China, but high-tech markets continue to favor European machine building,” he said. “The attractiveness of machinery technologies remains very clear on the European side.”

“Overall, we are living in uncertain times, and the industry is facing uncertain times. Both Europe and China are very much awake and are so eager to see the needs in research and development,” Reifenhäuser concluded. “Despite the problems and uncertainties, the industry is very awake and excited to showcase what it has to offer.”

Adsale Plastics Network's booth (Booth No.: EN1-02). 

Ivy Zhang (Left) and Rachel Cheung, the editors of Adsale Plastics Network at K 2025 in Düsseldorf.