Meeting point Düsseldorf

Dear readers,

at the beginning of October, K 2025, a trade fair for the plastics and rubber industry, will open its doors in Düsseldorf. As a reader of recovery, you may be wondering what a recycling magazine is doing at a plastics trade fair. An ever-increasing proportion of the plastics produced consists of recyclates – plastics that are manufactured using not only petroleum but also recycled plastics. In the early years of recycling, people were happy if plastic was recycled at all, but the focus is now on upcycling. Secondary plastics should have the same high-quality properties as those made from primary raw materials. This is also a decisive contribution to moving ever closer to a circular economy in this area. State-of-the-art sorting machines can precisely separate a mixture of waste plastic back into its individual plastic components, allowing it to be reused for specific applications. This requires highly efficient technology. The sorting machines contain what is essentially a small chemical laboratory that sorts the incoming plastic flakes into different fractions according to their composition in a breathtakingly short time.

By now, hopefully some readers will have caught the bug and are looking forward to the many exhibits at K 2025. To give you a better idea of what to expect, this issue includes a “special K 2025” section starting on page 38. There, companies present in advance what their highlights will be at the trade fair in Düsseldorf and why it is worth visiting their booth.

We hope you enjoy reading this issue of recovery