IKK - Institut für Kunststoff- und Kreislauftechnik

Name

IKK - Institut für Kunststoff- und Kreislauftechnik

Legal name

Institut für Kunststoff- und Kreislauftechnik (IKK) - Leibniz Universität Hannover

Website

https://ikk.uni-hannover.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Garbsen

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Public Research Funding: Funded through publicly funded research projects including BMBF, BMWK, BMEL, BMWE, DBU, FNR, and regional funding (EFRE, REACT-EU). Participates as lead applicant, project partner, or associated partner in collaborative research.
2. Contract Research Services: Contract research partnerships with industry for development of tailored solutions including testing methods, recycling concepts, material formulations. Also service contracts for standard measurements, rheological/mechanical/polymer chemical material tests, plastics processing, and life cycle assessments.
3. University Core Funding: Base funding from Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Universität Hannover as part of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

IKK is a university research institute that provides application-oriented research, contract research, and testing services across the entire plastics lifecycle. Its core offerings include development of recycling processes for thermoplastics and bioplastics, polymer chemical characterization (Plastics Analytics), mechanical/thermal/imaging material testing, and Life Cycle Assessment (Sustainability Assessment). Services are delivered through four departments and supported by technical infrastructure ranging from laboratory to industrial scale, including extrusion and injection molding equipment with inline analytics.

Product overview

IKK (Institut für Kunststoff- und Kreislauftechnik / Institute of Plastics and Circular Economy) is a university research institute at Leibniz University Hannover. It is not a product company but offers research services, testing, and educational programs. The institute operates four main research departments: Plastics Technology and Recycling (development of recycling processes and recyclates using extrusion, injection moulding, and inline analytics), Plastics Analytics (polymer chemical characterization using spectroscopy and chromatography), Material Testing (mechanical, thermal, and imaging analysis), and Sustainability Assessment (Life Cycle Assessment using GaBi software). Additional offerings include the annual IKK-Kolloquium conference series and student thesis supervision. The institute covers the entire lifecycle of plastics from material development through processing, recycling, and sustainability evaluation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Plastics Technology and Recycling Services Development and practical implementation of recycling processes for thermoplastics and formulation of new high-quality recyclates from post-consumer and post-production waste. Includes single and co-rotating twin-screw extruders, blown film extruder, recycling extrusion lines with inline/online analytics, and injection moulding plants. Delivered to industrial partners as contract research.
• Plastics Analytics Services Quantitative and qualitative polymer chemical characterization of plastics and composites using pyrolysis-gas chromatography, FT-IR spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, gel permeation chromatography (GPC), and coupled thermal analysis systems (FT-IR-TGA, hot stage microscope with DSC signal). Delivered to industry and academic partners.
• Material Testing Services Comprehensive destructive and non-destructive characterization of material and component samples including mechanical testing (tensile, compression, bending, impact), thermal analysis (melt viscosity, pVT data), imaging analysis (3D digital microscopy, SEM with EDX), particle/fiber measurement, and environmental weathering testing.
• Sustainability Assessment (Life Cycle Assessment) Services Environmental and socio-economic impact analysis of materials, products, processes and technologies using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) based on DIN EN ISO 14040 and 14044, performed with GaBi software. Includes Design for Recycling/Ecodesign and circularity indicator research.
• IKK-Kolloquium Annual Conference Series Annual conference series on plastics and circular economy topics bringing together industry partners and research institutions. Topics have included sustainable plastics development (2022), automotive plastic strategies (2023), energy-efficient plastics processing (2024), advances in recycling technology (2025), and sector-specific recycling solutions (2026).

Quantifiable outcome

• Material output capacity of 0.5 to 200 kg/h in extrusion and injection molding closing force from 10 t to 650 t enabling industrial process reproduction
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Audi AGcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAudi AG is listed as an industrial partner of the IKK, collaborating on automotive plastics recycling and circular economy solutions. The partnership involves joint research on design for circularity and development of recycling strategies for automotive components.
• Volkswagen GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVolkswagen Group partners with IKK on circular economy research, including design for circularity and recycling business model development for automotive applications.
• Röchling SE & Co. KGcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRöchling is an industrial partner collaborating on technical plastics and recycling strategies, including energy efficiency studies at multiple production sites.
• KraussMaffei Extrusion GmbHcoreTechnology or IntegrationEquipment and technology partnership for recycling extrusion lines, compounders, and processing technologies. Joint presentations at IKK-Kolloquium on energy-efficient compounding.
• VAUDE Sport GmbH & Co. KGcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOutdoor sports brand partnership on bioplastics and recycling in the outdoor industry, including joint research on sustainable product development.
• Thermo Fisher ScientificcoreTechnology or IntegrationTechnology partnership for spectroscopic inline analytics in recycling processes. Collaboration on development of spectroscopic evaluation methods for plastic degradation characterization in extrusion.
• ColVisTec AGcoreTechnology or IntegrationJoint project 'ReSpektIn' developing spectroscopic inline analysis for optimizing recyclate quality in mechanical recycling. ColVisTec provides inline process monitoring technology.
• GRAAmmer AGcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAutomotive supplier partnership on plastics technology, including collaboration on Bio2Foam project for bio-based polyurethane foams.
• Fraunhofer WKIcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic research partnership with Fraunhofer Institute for Wood Research on spectroscopic characterization methods for recycled plastics.
• FORVIAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAutomotive technology group partnership for circular economy solutions in automotive value chains.
• Queensland University of Technology (QUT)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational academic partnership including Bio2Foam project for German-Australian bioeconomy collaboration and life cycle assessment studies for Australian higher education institutions.
• DBFZ (Deutsches Biomasseforschungszentrum)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGerman Biomass Research Centre partnership on bio-based plastics market analysis and sustainability potential evaluation.
• Continental AGminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch collaboration on degradation behavior of tire abrasion in aquatic ecosystems, part of DBU-funded doctoral project.

Scale indicators5 records

Broad incumbents

• SGS: SGS is a global testing, inspection, and certification firm with material and polymer testing offerings. Adjacent to IKK as a broader incumbent with the scale to commoditize industrial materials testing services that compete for similar procurement budgets.
• PlasticsEurope: PlasticsEurope is the European trade association representing plastics manufacturers, influencing sector-wide R&D priorities, standards, and funding allocations. Adjacent to IKK as a sector-wide actor shaping the agenda that drives demand for the institute's services.
• TÜV SÜD: TÜV SÜD is a global testing, inspection, and certification company with materials and polymer testing capabilities across multiple industries. Adjacent to IKK as a broader incumbent that increasingly extends into plastics and sustainability testing services.

Direct peers

• Polymer Competence Center Leoben (PCCL): PCCL is an Austrian research center focused on polymer science, processing, and characterization with strong industry-funded project pipelines. Directly comparable to IKK as a polymer R&D organization operating at the intersection of academic research and industrial contract work.
• Kunststoff-Institut Lüdenscheid: Kunststoff-Institut is a German plastics testing, R&D, and education provider serving SMEs and large industry players. Directly comparable to IKK as an applied plastics research and testing organization competing for similar industrial customers in Germany.
• SKZ - Das Kunststoff-Zentrum: SKZ is a German plastics testing, training, and applied research organization operating across material characterization, processing, and certification. Directly comparable to IKK as a plastics-focused applied research and testing service provider serving DACH plastics industry customers.
• Fraunhofer IVV: Fraunhofer IVV focuses on plastics process engineering, packaging, and recycled material quality. Directly comparable to IKK as a plastics and process engineering research institute with overlapping industrial partnerships in packaging and recycling.
• Institut für Kunststofftechnik (IKT), University of Stuttgart: IKT Stuttgart is a German university institute covering plastics engineering, processing, and lightweight construction research. Directly comparable to IKK in mission, structure, and offerings - both are academic plastics-engineering research institutes with industry contract research and doctoral training.
• Fraunhofer LBF: Fraunhofer LBF conducts applied research on polymer materials, structural durability, and lightweight engineering with significant contract research for industry. Directly comparable to IKK as a major German polymer/materials applied research institute competing for similar industrial customers and public project funding.
• nova-Institut GmbH: nova-Institut is a private research and consulting firm specializing in bio-based and CO2-utilization plastics, circular economy, and sustainability assessment. Directly comparable to IKK in LCA, bioplastics market analysis, and circular-economy consulting services.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ikk-institut-f%C3%BCr-kunststoff-und-kreislauftechnik

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about IKK - Institut für Kunststoff- und Kreislauftechnik