The world’s biggest plastics event was back in person this year, and we were thrilled to connect with plastic pros across the world at the 2022 edition of the K Show! So, who was at the event? What were some of the biggest talking points? And what did we learn about the state of plastics in relation to testing for 2023?

Bringing testing in-house

Toby Lane, Product Manager at Industrial Physics, explained that inhouse testing proved a popular theme across many areas of plastics, ‘The majority of customers at our stand were interested in either investigating their own polymer formulations by bringing testing techniques inhouse. These customers were most commonly from recycling companies or research and development laboratories, and the strong trend was that individuals wanted to achieve accurate test results themselves by having in-house testing capabilities that were accessible, easy to use and reliable.’

The growth of plastics diversity

Toby explained something of particular note – that many companies were interested in a more diverse range of testing applications that ever before. ‘This was a great indication that the plastics industry is continuing to grow and expand into new avenues. More companies with novel products and techniques are emerging with the general trend being in favour of sustainable practices, proving that environmentally friendly business models can still be commercially competitive in the existing plastics market.’

Sustainable plastics innovation

This year, we surveyed packaging managers across a wealth of industries to de-bunk myths around plastic and packaging mediums – getting the truth around issues facing packaging manufacturers when dealing with sustainable innovations that impact quality control. You can access our findings – and learn about what was discovered surrounding plastic – by getting our report for free here!