Extrusion International 4-2025

32 Extrusion International 4/2025 Plastics and Circularity – Caught Between Necessity and Potential K 2025 from 8 to 15 October in Düsseldorf has set itself the goal of addressing the central issues of our times. One of its three Hot Topics reads “Shaping the Circular Economy”. Reason enough to shed some light on the current state of affairs in terms of circularity ahead of the world-leading trade fair of the plastics and rubber industry. T he world is experiencing a raw material crisis: more than 100 billion tons of raw materials are con- sumed annually but over 90% of the raw materials used are not recycled. An alarming ratio flagged up by the European Investment Bank (EIB). Rising CO 2 costs, volatile raw material prices and geopolitical insecuri- ties put additional pressure on companies to manage resources more carefully. Circularity is considered the decisive lever for achieving a sustainable future. An analysis by management con- sultancy Material Economics shows that Europe could save 450 million tons of CO 2 equivalents through closed material cycles by 2030 – this corresponds to 8% of the current emissions. In the long term, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation forecasts that up to 45% of emissions could be avoided by a closed-loop circular economy. This transformation also holds enormous economic po- tential: according to estimates by consulting group EY, the use of secondary raw materials reduces energy con- sumption by 20% to 90%, saves large amounts of water and could save European firms up to EUR 465 billion in material costs per year. The International Labour Organ- isation (ILO) also expects seven to eight million new jobs to be created worldwide by the transition to a circular economy by 2030. More and more use cases show that circularity makes not only ecological but also economic sense. For instance, the German Cabka Group annually produces pallets and crates from some 150,000 tons of recycled plastics by their own accounts – proving thereby how waste can be turned into valuable products. The plastics industry plays a pivotal role in this trans- formation. In 2023 413.8 million tons of plastics were K 2025