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The trade magazine for the packaging industry

The history of FKuR began as a research institute. Today, the company continues to conduct research, but also sells its own bioplastics and compounds. On its 20th anniversary, the company looks back on a history in which sustainability has always been at the forefront.

What began with just a few employees and a laboratory extruder at the Willich site has now become an important company in the bioplastics industry. On the company premises covering over 7,000 m² FKuR develops and produces innovative bioplastic compounds. The company's own granulates are complemented by a broad distribution portfolio of bio-based bioplastics and high-quality post-consumer recyclates.

The company now produces and distributes FKuR Group offers its plastics solutions from three worldwide locations. In addition to FKuR Kunststoff GmbH, which supplies the European market from the company's headquarters in Willich/Germany, the US marketing & sales office of FKuR Plastics Corp. (Texas/USA) and the joint venture SKYi FKuR Biopolymers Pvt Ltd, which was founded in 2019 and produces in Pune/India, are also embedded in the Group.

From research to sales

„This year, we are not only celebrating 20 years of FKuR, but also more than 30 years of commitment to the circular economy“, emphasises Managing Director Carmen Michels. The roots of FKuR go back to 1992, when it was founded as a research institute under the name Forschungsinstitut Kunststoff und Recycling (FKuR). Since its beginnings, the company has dedicated itself to Committed to sustainability. It all started with the question of how plastic products could be better recycled. 

When plastics recycling had outgrown its infancy in Germany at the end of the 1990s, FKuR focussed on the development of biodegradable plastics. This step was followed by the renaming of the company as FKuR Kunststoff GmbH with the corporate philosophy ‚Plastics made by Nature!.

„For us, nature was and is the best recycler. That's why, with nature as our guide and our passion for plastics, we have developed a unique range of Bioplastics and recyclable granulates developed“, explains Patrick Zimmermann. Over the course of the company's history, it has added bio-based distribution products to its own compounds, such as the bio-based I'm green polyethylene (Bio-PE) from Braskem S.A., the bio-PET from the Taiwanese Fenc Group and, most recently, the high-quality post-consumer recyclates from Kaskada Ltd.

„We are convinced that the future of plastics must be carbon-neutral: to protect our planet and for a more responsible use of the limited resources we have been given. This is why these strategic collaborations were the next logical step for us in our ‚Plastics care for Future‘ mission.“

Daniel Peltzer, also Managing Director at FKuR

Today, the company is one of the leading suppliers of sustainable plastic granulates. From bio-based and degradable bioplastics to high-quality recyclates, FKuR offers its customers a wide range of products for a variety of applications and processing methods. 

„The central philosophy of the FKuR is a new way of thinking about the future age of plastics, as problem-ridden and successful as it currently presents itself. The The search for sustainable solutions is an important part of our DNA become. We are grateful and proud that we have been able to make an important contribution to the sustainability of the plastics industry over the past 20 years. Our thanks go above all to the people who make up FKuR, our shareholders, who are all active in the company, and our employees, who are highly motivated to work for our success. Our success is equally guaranteed by the partners who accompany us: Customers, suppliers, development and distribution partners,“ says Dr Edmund Dolfen, founder and pioneer of FKuR. 

Source: FKuR

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