Friedrichshafen, Germany — Since the European auto industry is presently in decline, there is a need and desire for suppliers and plastics processors to find new growth opportunities.
That was the prime motivation for the four major themes at Fakuma 2024 for Kunststoff-Institut Lüdenscheid (KIMW), focusing on illumination techniques, bioplastics of the so-called third generation, sustainability in the medical industry and hydrogen technologies.
Sales Manager Marius Fedler said medical devices and their packaging are the fifth-largest source of plastics waste. KIMW addresses this with projects aimed at "eco design" solutions to reduce the number of parts, materials and contamination that obstruct recycling.
The 27 partner companies in this work include, in Germany, the Bad Ems-based distributor Löwenstein Medical SE & Co. KG and the Lübeck-based medical equipment producer Drägerwerk AG & Co. KGaA.
The work is covered under a Sustainability4Health innovation network set to operate from August 2024 to August 2026, with a second phase running to April 2029.
The Poly4Nature innovation network project runs with 36 partner companies until March 2026 and deals with "third-generation" bioplastics using alternative raw materials and natural polymers, such as those based on algae, mushrooms and sunflower seed reinforcement.
KIMW has examples at its booth of transparent seaweed-sourced, algae-based flexible packaging film that can be colored to individual needs and that was developed within Poly4Nature by Schwerte, Germany-based GreenFoilNature GmbH.