Sustainable Plastics - September/October 2022 - 4

reflection
KC Crain, CEO
Chris Taylor, vice president and general manager,
Global Polymer Group
editorial
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ith K 2022 looming ahead, the plastics and rubber industry is gearing
up for the highpoint of the sector's calendar: the once-everythree-year,
completely sold out, 8-day marathon trade show in Düsseldorf
in October.
And thanks to that triennial cycle, this year's 70th anniversary of the fair looks
poised to take place virtually untouched by the turbulence of the intervening years.
Nonetheless, things have changed.
There was a pandemic, during which lockdowns and multiple travel restrictions
brought the risks of globalisation forcefully home. The system of established,
wide-reaching production and trade networks that ensured an uninterrupted
flow of goods, raw materials, money and even workers came to a screeching halt.
Shipping bottlenecks played havoc with distribution and supply chains. The risks
of the 'just-in-time' manufacturing model became glaringly obvious. Contingency
plans were in short supply
As a wake-up call, that would have been enough. And, indeed, businesses
around the world have taken a hard look at how to become more resilient in the
face of potential catastrophes. Interest in local production has revived and business
are increasingly also maintaining a local inventory.
However, more was to come. Geopolitical tensions arose, causing countries
to discover the vulnerabilities of dependencies on critical raw materials from -
in some cases - only one or two sources. The importance of resource security
has become starkly evident with the advent of the Russia/Ukraine conflict. That
conflict has caused energy prices to skyrocket and has created huge uncertainty
about the economic recovery.
On top of this is the pressure on businesses to disclose information about their
climate impact and to decarbonise their operations; pressure that has increased
following the agreements of the Glasgow Climate Pact, and that is likely to continue
doing so. Regulations mandating this are being considered.
To put it bluntly, in the years since K previously opened its doors, a lot has
changed. The impact on the plastics industry has been fundamental.
The themes which have been chosen for K 2022 reflect this change. For the
first time, climate protection is one of them, next to digitalisation and the circular
economy. They are themes that resonate with the industry.
The digital transformation received an enormous boost during the pandemic
and that momentum, propelled by the need for more resilient supply chains, eff iciency
and sustainability, continues to grow. Digital technologies, such as artificial
intelligence, blockchain, the internet of things and cloud computing, are paving
the way for the transition to a more resource-eff icient and circular economy.
The increased focus on local-to-local is reducing the volume of components
and products shipped around the world, helping companies take steps to reduce
their carbon footprint.
Importantly, the pandemic taught us something else, as well. Namely, that we
also need physical contact, opportunities to meet with one another in person, face
to face, to walk and to talk. It's why we'll be in Düsseldorf from 19-26 October. We'll
see you there!
Karen Laird
Editor
4
September/October 2022
Karen Laird
klaird@crain.com
David Platt
davidkplatt@aol.com
Amy Steinhauser
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Don Loepp
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Matthew Barber
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Sam Abdallah
sabdallah@crain.com
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Sustainable Plastics - September/October 2022

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