K Show 2025 Insights: Innovation, Sustainability and the Future of Engineered Foam Solutions

Exploring the key themes shaping the plastics and foam industry

Our Managing Director, Nick Kewell, recently attended the K Show 2025 in Düsseldorf, the world’s leading trade fair for plastics and rubber. With over 3,000 exhibitors and 175,000 visitors, it remains the definitive global event for exploring new technologies, sustainable manufacturing, and engineered foam solutions for mission-critical applications.

As a long-standing visitor to the show, Nick described this year’s event as “a clear step forward in both innovation and maturity.” It was an opportunity to see how global manufacturers are tackling efficiency, sustainability and the evolving demands of sectors such as defence, aviation and industrial engineering, where reliability and performance are critical.

Global innovation meets practical application

This year’s show highlighted a significant rise in international collaboration and quality-led innovation. Chinese manufacturers, in particular, demonstrated an increased focus on high-performance materials, precise engineering and long-term credibility, a clear shift from mass production to quality differentiation.

Across all 18 exhibition halls, one message stood out: companies are no longer competing on price alone. Instead, they’re investing in identity, technical expertise and efficiency, values that align strongly with Kewell Converters’ own approach to precision-engineered foam solutions.

This evolution mirrors our focus on application-specific foam components designed to perform reliably in demanding environments, from military vehicles to medical equipment and industrial systems.

The sustainability debate: a call for balanced policymaking

Sustainability continues to be a central discussion point, but this year the focus shifted toward efficiency, process improvement and informed regulation.

Nick attended a high-level panel discussion on sustainability where leading experts, many lobbying European governments, raised concerns about recent legislation that has been passed without full engagement from the plastics and foam industries. The discussion highlighted how governments have sometimes taken a short-term view of environmental impact, overlooking the durability and longevity of plastics compared with other materials that may be greener to produce but have far shorter life cycles.

For Kewell Converters, this balanced perspective is essential. Our custom foam solutions are engineered for durability and recyclability, helping customers in defence, aviation, healthcare and industrial sectors extend product lifecycles and reduce waste through longevity.

Partnering for progress

Kewell Converters also took the opportunity to reconnect with long-term supply partners, including Zotefoams, a global leader in performance foam technology. Their latest developments in lightweight, durable materials for aviation and space applications demonstrate how far innovation in this field has come and where it’s heading next.

A commitment to inclusion and craftsmanship

One clear observation from the event was the continued lack of gender balance within the sector, an area the industry must address to secure its future. Kewell Converters believes in building a diverse and skilled team that reflects the precision, integrity and creativity required for modern engineering.

Looking ahead

The K Show once again confirmed why it remains an essential event for the plastics and foam conversion industries. For Kewell Converters, it was a reminder that progress isn’t only about material science, it’s about connection, collaboration and craftsmanship.

As we continue to innovate in high-performance foam conversion, we remain focused on partnering with manufacturers who demand precision, reliability and sustainability in equal measure.

Read more from the blog including Foam, defence and innovation: insights from DSEI and Reflections from 11 Downing Street: the future of British engineering