Press release submitted on behalf of Messe Düsseldorf North America

Innovative minds present pioneering ideas for the plastics and rubber industry.

Following its successful launch at the last K, the Start-up Zone will once again be an integral part of the trade fair in 2025 – this time in the immediate vicinity of the Science Campus. New will be the Start-up Pitch as part of the Special Plastics Shape the Future.

Start-up Zone
With the Start-up Zone, K in Düsseldorf (Germany), the world’s leading trade fair for the plastics and rubber industry, will once again offer young companies a dedicated stage from October 8 – 15, 2025. Start-up companies in particular play a decisive role for the plastics and rubber industry, as they bring innovations and fresh ideas to an industry that is increasingly confronted with challenges such as sustainability, efficiency and digitalization. Especially start-ups are characterized by a great pioneering spirit, a willingness to take risks and a high degree of flexibility.

The Start-up Zone will be located in Hall 7.0 at K 2025 and thus for the first time in the direct vicinity of the Science Campus. In the Science Campus, universities (of applied science) and institutes will present the latest results of their plastics research. The two K Specials complement each other perfectly. The close proximity of the Start-up Zone and Science Campus will make Hall 7.0 a unique science and innovation hub.

Young companies still have the opportunity to register for the Start-up Zone and take advantage of the opportunity to present their developments at the industry’s most relevant trade fair and to make valuable international business contacts. A special participation package has been put together to minimize the hurdles and organizational efforts associated with participating in such a large trade fair.

Participation criteria:
 • The company is less than 10 years old
• It has fewer than 100 employees
• Annual sales do not exceed € 10 million
The registration form can be downloaded at www.k-online.com/Start-up Zone The contact person for the Start-up Zone is Katharina Kolissnyk, [email protected].

Start-up Pitch Towards Zero
In line with the Start-up Zone, the official Special Plastics Shape the Future, organized by Plastics Europe, will also offer newcomers in the industry a dedicated forum at K for the first time – the Startup-Pitch Towards Zero. Here, start-ups whose innovations and technologies, solutions or new business models contribute to a circular economy with plastics, to the decarbonization of the plastics industry or to the reduction of so-called Scope-3 emissions, will have the opportunity to present their pioneering technology projects and network with partners worldwide.

The Startup-Pitch Towards Zero will take place on October 13 during K, as part of the Special Plastics Shape the Future in Hall 6 of the Düsseldorf fairgrounds. The deadline for applications is March 1, 2025: TOWARDS ZERO – Startup Pitch at K 2025.

For further information on visiting or exhibiting at K 2025, contact Messe Düsseldorf North America; Telephone: (312) 781-5180; E-mail: [email protected]; Visit www.k-online.com and www.mdna.com. Follow us on https://www.linkedin.com/company/mdnachicago/.

For hotel and travel information, contact TTI Travel, Inc. at (866) 674-3476; Fax: (212) 674-3477; E-mail: [email protected]; www.ttitravel.net or the hotel booking platform on the K website: https://www.k-online.com/en/Exhibit/Information/Hotel_CityInfos.

About K in Düsseldorf:
The first staging of K was in 1952 by Messe Düsseldorf and is held in a 3-year cycle. The last K in 2022 registered 3,020 exhibitors from 63 countries on over 177,000 square meters of net exhibition space and 177,486 trade visitors, with 71% of the visitors coming from abroad. For more information, visit www.k-online.com.