Kickstart: Is Wittmann's Fakuma decision just the start?

Now that we've officially entered summer here in the Northern Hemisphere, a lot of us are asking: What's going to happen in the fall?

Many of those questions are coming from parents and teachers who would love to see students back in actual classrooms. For the plastics industry, the question is centering around trade shows. Especially Fakuma in Friedrichshafen, Germany.

Last week, national and regional leaders in Germany seemed to indicate that they were at least open to the idea of trade shows if the spread of the coronavirus seems to be under control. The website ka-news.de, which covers the Karlsruhe area of Germany, wrote that Nicole Hoffmeister-Kraut, Baden-Württemberg's minister of economic affairs, wants to see a trade show operations with larger events resume.

"We are of the opinion that there is no longer any reason why larger fairs should not be opened, should the occurrence of infection in fall allow this," a spokeswoman for Hoffmeister-Kraut said in a June 18 interview.

That would cover the region including Friedrichshafen, where Fakuma is set for Oct. 13-17, and seem to be a good sign.

Then on June 22, Wittmann Group said that even if the show goes ahead, it will not participate. There is just too much uncertainty about how to set up a trade show booth while still complying to safety measures to stop the spread of COVID-19.

"Since, as is generally known, large gatherings of people in particular are an ideal breeding ground for a renewed outbreak of the COVID-19 virus, the Wittmann Group would rather not expose its associates and visitors to such an incalculable health risk," it wrote on its website.

So now the question may not just be if events will take place, but if they do, who will be there?

The last time Ford Motor Co. updated its iconic F-150 pickup truck, the big story was its switch to aluminum for the body. (And also about embracing plastic light pipes as part of its "new design language," making it easier to spot, even in the dark.)

When the 14th-generation F-150 debuts on June 25, the big story is expected to be the interior, including a massive touchscreen in the center console. Add the housing for that screen along with a rumored "lay-flat" passenger seat for sleeping and you've got more high-profile placements for plastics.

Todd Eckert, Ford's truck group marketing manager, wouldn't discuss details but told Automotive News the interior is coming into higher focus.

"Customers are spending more and more time in their cabs," he said. "They're using them for work and recreation. We've always talked about continuous innovation as an important part of how we go to market. It's part of what we've done."

Single-use bags and flexible packaging have remained in the spotlight throughout virus-related shutdowns.

Many governments suspended their bag bans so store workers don't have to handle reusable bags, including California. But in an order signed by California Gov. Gavin Newsom on June 22, California's bag ban will resume on July 1. Vermont also will launch its statewide bag ban on July 1.

Of course, that means more people have more bags at home they may have problems recycling. (I count myself in that group.) And while a new study from the plastics industry-funded Materials Recovery for the Future points to the ability to find ways to reuse bags, it also notes that creating the recycling stream won't be easy.

As Steve Toloken writes: "The report estimated it would cost at least $300 million to $500 million to upgrade the 100 largest U.S. recycling sites to handle flexible plastic materials, or a minimum of $3 million to $5 million per facility."