POWERED BY
Plastics Shape the Future
600 qm circular exhibition and event space at K 2025
October 8-15, K-Trade Fair Düsseldorf (Hall 6, C40)
VISIT OUR
INNOVATION STAGE
Exciting formats will be used to show and discuss how the future can be shaped with plastics.
ENJOY OUR
NETWORKING AREA
The circular economy, digitalization and climate protection are just some of the topics.
SEE OUR
MATERIAL EXHIBITION
With new technologies and materials, the industry is facing up to the global challenges of our time.
Plastics Europe
Program at K 2025
October 8-15, K Trade Fair Düsseldorf (Hall 6, C40)
October 08, „Kick-Off Wednesday“
| Date & Time | Topic |
|---|---|
| Wed, 11:00 – 11:15 (CET) | Welcome and Introduction: to „Plastics Shape the Future“ |
| Wed, 11:15 – 12:15 (CET) | Panel Discussion: Balancing Competitiveness & Sustainability – A Call for bold Leadership Speaker/Host:Craig Arnold, Executive Vice President Polyolefins, Circular Economy Solutions and Base Chemicals (Borealis)Stephanie Kalil, Commercial Vice President Packaging & Specialty Plastics EMEA (Dow) |
| Wed, 13:00 – 14:00 (CET) | Press Conference: Plastics – the fast Facts 2025: Our industry in numbers Speaker/Host: |
| Wed, 15:00 – 16:30 (CET) | Panel-Discussion: Accelerating the Plastics Transition: Innovations & Investments for a Sustainable Future Speaker/Host: (Lyondell Basell) |
| Wed, 16:30 – 16:45 (CET) | From Power to Purpose: What’s next for Circular ThursdaySpeaker/Host:Christine Bunte, Managing Director (Plastics Europe Deutschland) |
October 09, „Circular Thursday“
| Date & Time | Speaker/Host |
|---|---|
| Thu, 10:30 – 10:45 (CET) | Introduction: Get into the loop with Fraunhofer Speaker/Host: |
| Thu, 10:45 – 11:00 (CET) | Keynote: Closing the Loops of Different Material Flows Speaker/Host: |
| Thu, 11:00 – 11:15 (CET) | Keynote: Matching recycling technologies to the task at hand: different waste streams require different approaches Speaker/Host: |
| Thu, 11:15 – 12:00 (CET) | Panel-Discussion: PPWR – Current Status and Lessons Learned Speaker/Host:Ellen Seyda, Sustainability & Circular Economy Manager (Amcor Rigit Packaging Solution) |
| Thu, 12:00 – 12:30 (CET) | Expert Talk: WEEE – What to Expect in Electrical and Electronic Regulation Speaker/Host: |
| Thu, 12:30 – 13:00 (CET) | Expert Talk: Building & Construction Speaker/Host:Rudy Miller, Vice President Vinyl Business (Vynova) |
| Thu, 13:00 – 13:45 (CET) | Panel Discussion: Driving Circularity under the ELV Directive: Inside the Global Impact Coalition’s Automotive Plastics Circularity Pilot Speaker/Host: |
| Thu, 13:45 – 14:30 (CET) | Panel Discussion: Car-to-Car Recycling Speaker/Host: |
| Thu, 14:30 – 14:45 (CET) | Expert Talk: Carpet Design for Circularity Speaker/Host: |
| Thu, 14:45 – 15:05 (CET) | KI Group & Porsche Consulting Forecast, prices and profit: the development of the European recyclate market and its prices until 2030 Speaker/Host: |
| Thu, 15:05 – 15:15 (CET) | Keynote Perspectives of Chemical and Mechanical Recycling Speaker/Host: |
| Thu, 15:15 – 15:25 (CET) | Expert-Talk Recycling à la carte: Melting, Cracking – or Solvent Treatment? Speaker/Host: |
| Thu, 15:25 – 16:45 (CET) | Panel Discussion: Perspectives of Chemical and Mechanical Recycling Speaker/Host: |
October 10, „Climate Friday“
| Date & Time | Topic |
|---|---|
| Fri, 10:30 – 11:00 (CET) | Keynote: How can we accelerate the transition towards plastics circularity Speaker/Host: |
| Fri, 11:00 – 11:30 (CET) | Expert Talk: Pellet Loss and Operation Clean Sweep (OCS). Microplastics – How to prevent Pellet Loss. Speaker/Host:Stephan Ständer, Director of Polymers Operations WEO (LyondellBasell) |
| Fri, 11:30 – 12:15 (CET) | Expert Talk: Additives: Drivers of Performance and Progress Speaker/Host: |
| Fri, 12:15 – 12:30 (CET) | Expert Talk: Product Carbon Footprint of Performance Polymers Speaker/Host: |
| Fri, 12:30 – 12:30 (CET) | Expert Talk: on LCA Speaker/Host: |
| Fri, 13:00 – 13:30 (CET) | Presentation: The importance of environmental impact analysis. How can we adapt to future requirements? Speaker/Host: |
| Fri, 13:30 – 14:00 (CET) | Round Table: Monetizing Circular and Sustainable Products in the Chemical Industry Speaker/Host: |
| Fri, 14:30 – 16:00 (CET) | Keynote and Political Panel Discussion Competitiveness as a driver for transformation towards a circular economy from different perspectives Speaker/Host: |
October 11, „Smart Saturday“
| Date & Time | Topic |
|---|---|
| Sat, 10:30 – 10:45 (CET) | Introduction: AI & Digitalization for a Plastics Circular Economy Speaker/Host: |
| Sat, 10:45 – 11:15 (CET) | Expert Talk: AI-Powered Material Intelligence: Accelerating R&D that Enables Sustainable Innovation Speaker/Host: |
| Sat, 11:15 – 11:45 (CET) | Expert Talk: Plastics.AI Speaker/Host: |
| Sat, 11:45 – 12:15 (CET) | Expert Talk: Autonomous AI Agents Speaker/Host: |
| Sat, 12:15 – 12:45 (CET) | Expert Talk: Foaming Simulation and AI: Paths to Smarter Materials Speaker/Host: |
| Sat, 12:45 – 13:15(CET) | Expert Talk: ML-enhanced DSC – Advancing Identification and Quantification of Recyclate Compositions Speaker/Host: |
| Sat, 13:15 – 13:45 (CET) | Expert Talk: AI threat or opportunity for science-based industry Speaker/Host: |
| Sat, 13:45 – 14:15 (CET) | Expert Talk: Digitalization, modeling and AI: How much of it is needed in the material world? Speaker/Host: |
| Sat, 14:15 – 14:45 (CET) | Introduction: Digitalization as enabler for the circular economy of plastics Speaker/Host: |
| Sat, 14:45 – 15:15 (CET) | Expert Talk: DPP made easy – Digital product passport made easy Speaker/Host: |
| Sat, 15:15 – 15:45 (CET) | Expert Talk: AI for Sustainability Reporting: The role of AI in sustainability reporting Speaker/Host: |
| Sat, 15:45 – 16:30 (CET) | Panel Discussion (GER): “Smart materials need smart systems” Focus: AI in connection with new materials, recycled materials, and bio-compounds Speaker/Host: |
October 12, „Career Sunday“
| Date & Time | Topic |
|---|---|
| Sun, 11:00 – 12:00 (CET) | Panel zum Recruiting: Mangelware Fachkräfte? – Wege aus der Recruiting-Krise Speaker/Host: |
| Sun, 12:00 – 12:30 (CET) | Expert Talk: Recruiting by Gaming Speaker/Host: |
| Sun, 12:30 – 13:00 (CET) | Expert Talk: Recruiting by Diversity Speaker/Host: |
| Sun, 13:00 – 13:30 (CET) | Recruiting Stand-Up: „Bitte nicht einstellen! – Die wildesten Bewerbergeschichten“ Speaker/Host: |
| Sun, 13:30 – 14:00 (CET) | HR-Bullshit BingoSpeaker/Host: |
| Sun, 14:00 – 15:30 (CET) | Science and Poetry Slam on Plastics and Waste loopwards … ohne Plastik geht es nicht Speaker/Host: |
| Sun, 16:00 – 16:15 (CET) | Keynote: Women in Plastics Speaker/Host: |
| Sun, 16:15 – 16:45 (CET) | Expert Talk: Women in Plastics – Best Practices & Success Stories Speaker/Host: |
| Sun, 16:45 – 17:30 (CET) | Panel Dicussion: Women in Plastics Speaker/Host: |
| Sun, 17:30 – open end (CET) | Reception: Women in Plastics Speaker/Host: |
October 13, „Innovation Monday“
| Date & Time | Topic |
|---|---|
| Mon, 10:00 – 10:30 (CET) | Keynote: on Innovation |
| Mon, 10:30 – 10:40 (CET) | Startup Pitch: Arrival and registration, reception of participants and distribution of name tags, coffee Speaker/Host: |
| Mon, 10:40 – 11:40 (CET) | Pitch Session I – „Newcomer„ Presentation of 6 startups (10 minutes each) Speaker/Host: |
| Mon, 11:40 – 12:40 (CET) | Coffee Break: with networking in the Coffee Area Speaker/Host: |
| Mon, 12:40 – 13:40 (CET) | Pitch Session II – „Big Fish“ Presentation of 6 startups (10 minutes each) Speaker/Host: |
| Mon, 13:40 – 14:40 (CET) | Coffee Break: with networking in the Coffee Area Speaker/Host: |
| Mon, 14:00 – 15:00 (CET) | WAK Award Ceremony (GER): Scientific Alliance of Plastics Technology (on the main stage) Speaker/Host: |
| Mon, 15:00 – 16:00 (CET) | Panel Discussion: on Innovation Speaker/Host: |
October 14, „Visionary Tuesday“
| Date & Time | Topic |
|---|---|
| Tue, 10:30 – 11:30 (CET) | Keynote: Cradle to Cradle – an alternative business case? Speaker/Host:Holger Sasse, CEO (NovoTech) |
| Tue, 11:30 – 13:00 (CET) | Panel: Microplastics – Ways out of the crisisSpeaker/Host: |
| Tue, 13:15 – 14:00 (CET) | Expert Talks: Chemical Recycling Speaker/Host: |
| Tue, 14:00 – 14:15 (CET) | Keynote: Mechanical Recycling Speaker/Host: |
| Tue, 14:15 – 15:00 (CET) | Expert Talk: Bioplastics Speaker/Host: |
| Tue, 15:00 – 15:30 (CET) | Expert Talk: TotalEnergy integral approach : Rethink use, Reduce impact, Recycle and develop circularity Speaker/Host: |
| Tue, 15:30 – 16:00 (CET) | Expert Talk: When will CCU go mainstream? Speaker/Host: |
Sponsors and Partners
Plastics Shape the Future is an initiative of the German plastics industry under the leadership
of Plastics Europe Deutschland and Trade Fair Düsseldorf.
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Start-ups: Twelve ideas for the defossilisation of the plastics industry
The startup pitch “Towards Zero” will take place at K 2025 in Düsseldorf on October 13, 2025. The focus is on the defossilization of the plastics industry.
The Plastics Transition: Our Path to a Net Zero Circular Economy
Our vision is to create a sustainable plastics system that continues to meet consumer and societal demands, whilst supporting the transitions of downstream industries.
Women in Plastics – Networking Event
at K 2025
For the first time, K 2025 will feature a dedicated forum by women, for women: Women in Plastics, a platform for inspiration, networking and driving change.
