NEWS


Medical grade PVC


is bio-based TekniPlex Healthcare claims it is the first company to develop medical-grade, bio-based PVC compounds that are ISCC Plus-certified. It says the compounds – including plasticisers – are equivalent to traditional medical-grade PVC in terms of chemical composition, functionality, and regulatory viability. The compounds can


reduce CO2 emissions by up to 90% compared with conventional PVC resins, and around 60% relative to traditional PVC plasti- cisers, says the company. They can be used as a drop-in replacement for a variety of extruded PVC applications including tubing solutions and films used for trays, pouches and bags. “This is a significant step forward in healthcare materials science sustain- ability,” said Meg Henke, global head of product management at TekniPlex Healthcare. � https://tekni-plex.com


Germany expects 15% drop in machine sales


Orders for German plastics and rubber machinery are likely to keep falling until the end of year, says the trade body that represents manufacturers. “The weak demand is


affecting all markets equally – but the European domes- tic market in particular,” said Ulrich Reifenhäuser, chairman of the board of the VDMA’s plastics and rub- ber machinery association. “Major markets such as China and the US are also weakening, though we see glimmers of hope at a lower level in Mexico and India.” From January to August


this year, incoming orders fell by 16%. Because all


organisation’s managing director, said this would mean revising sales fore- casts downwards. “The expected lowest point in terms of incoming orders has not yet been reached,” he said. “We have to be prepared for a 10-15% drop in sales this year.” He said orders could


Kühmann: “We have to be prepared for a 10-15% drop in sales this year”


existing orders have now been processed, this is directly reflected in sales – which fell 7% over the period, he said. Thorsten Kühmann, the


improve towards the end of the year as central banks cut interest rates.


“Due to the lag in


production, it will take until the middle of next year for this to be reflected in sales,” he said – estimating that 2025 sales may fall by as much as 5%. � www.vdma.org


Fakuma visitor numbers decline


The Fakuma plastics exhibition – held in Frie- drichshafen, Germany in October – saw a lower number of visitors this year. PE Schall, which organises


the show, says attendance at the show’s 29th edition fell 7% to around 36,700 visitors


– but the number of exhibi- tors rose 3% to 1,639 compared to 2023. Fakuma is also becoming


increasingly international, with a foreign exhibitor share of 47.5% (up from 44% in 2023). Of the 1,639 exhibitors, 170 came from


China, 142 from Italy, 81 from Switzerland, 77 from Austria and 51 from Turkey. With next year being a K


year, Fakuma takes a break in 2025 – and returns on 12-16 October 2026. � https://www.fakuma- messe.de/en


Microplastics research reports first results


A research project to understand the potential effects of microplastics on human health has completed its first stage.


Plastics Europe, which launched the


five-year Brigid study in 2022, says it found microplastics in 95% of human faecal samples, with an average of 3.3 microplastics per gramme of stool. It said there was no identifiable


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correlation between the consumption of plastic-packaged foods and the number or type of microplastics in a stool sample. However, a new hypoth- esis emerged indicating a potential correlation between the method of food preparation and the presence of microplastics. The most common polymer types were PE, PET, and PP, and the most


PIPE & PROFILE EXTRUSION | Winter 2024


common particle shape was fibre. “The finding that packaged food consumption does not influence the amount of microplastics in stool challenges common assumptions,” said Virginia Janssens, managing director of Plastics Europe. “This potential link highlights the need for further research.” � www.plasticseurope.org


www.pipeandprofile.com


IMAGE: MESSE DÜSSELDORF/TILLMANN


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