Induction ceremony on the eve of K 2025 Plastics Hall of Fame announces latest inductees

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The Plastics Hall of Fame has announced the names of the 18 individuals who will be honoured at the induction ceremony on 7 October 2025 at the Düsseldorf Congress Centre. Find out who they are.

Founded in 1972, the Plastics Hall of Fame now has 253 members from nine countries, including five Nobel Prize winners in chemistry. Induction into the Plastics Hall of Fame is based solely on achievement and is open to those who are dedicated to the advancement of this global industry. Induction honours the outstanding achievements of such individuals and inspires people worldwide to enter the industry. Members represent all aspects of the plastics industry. They are pioneering researchers, scientists, innovators and leaders who have developed materials and products that meet the needs of society and change lives.

Which deserving individuals from the industry are being inducted?

• Helmut Bacher, Helmuth Schulz and Georg Wendelin, founders of Erema, a company specialising in plastics recycling technology.

• Dr Erwin Bürkle, former head of injection moulding technology at Krauss Maffei Technologies.

• Norm Fowler, Xerox, Strategic Initiative Lean Six Sigma, and member of the International Executive Committee of the Society of Plastics Engineers, 1990–2000.

• Yukio Iimura, former Chairman and CEO of Shibaura Machine, who made groundbreaking advances in injection moulding technology.

• Bill Knight, The Dow Chemical, a key figure in recognising and developing Insite polyethylene technology, which has defined Dow’s PE business.

• Dr. Robert Langer, MIT, pioneer of drug delivery and tissue engineering using degradable plastic scaffolds to grow transplantable tissues.

• Matthew Naitove, editor-in-chief of Plastics Technology magazine, who has spent his career reporting on new technologies, trends and business opportunities for plastics processors.

• Dr. Chul B. Caleb Park, a distinguished professor at the University of Toronto and a global leader in academia and industry in the development and application of the latest polymer foam technologies.

• Irene Schwarz, Engel, a leading and influential figure in the company’s history.

• Charles Sewell, CKS Packaging, head of a global manufacturer of extruded/blow-moulded and injection-moulded plastic containers.

• Bill Stavropoulos, The Dow Chemical, former CEO who led a comprehensive restructuring, including the acquisition of Union Carbide, and advanced Dow's polyethylene business.

• Peter Steinbeck, Windmöller & Hölscher, CEO of a 155-year-old company that manufactures flexible packaging machinery.

• William Young, Plastipak, Chairman and CEO of a global leader in the design, manufacture and recycling of rigid plastic containers.

Historical pioneers who passed away more than 25 years ago will also be honoured. These industry luminaries often have no advocates in the selection process, but made important early contributions. This year, they are:

• Dr Otto Röhm and Otto Haas, founders of Röhm and Haas, best known for Plexiglas, which was patented in 1933 as a strong, transparent polymer.

• Hans H. Wanders, Northern Industrial Chemical Company, who patented the first semi-automatic turntable moulding system and was a founding member of SPI and PPA.

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