Sustainability and Circularity at NPE2021

Some critics accuse the plastics industry of not wanting to talk about “circularity”—the idea that every product manufactured should have a workable end-of-life solution before it even enters into service.

But here at Plastics Industry Association (PLASTICS)—and with the NPE team particularly—we think circularity is a good thing. Every plastic product should have a place to go that preserves its value, rather than to the landfill or, even worse, into the environment.

At NPE2021: The Plastics Show, this commitment to circularity will be a show-defining feature.

PLASTICS officially kicked off the march to NPE2021: The Plastics Show at K 2019 in October. This marked our traditional start of the countdown to NPE2021, scheduled for May 17 – 21, 2021 in Orlando, Fla. The show is expected to draw more than 55,000 attendees from 20,000+ companies representing more than $100 billion in purchasing power.

Recycling, sustainability and—yes—circularity will be front and center at NPE2021, with so many new additions and expansions on the show floor that it’s sure to be an upgraded version of NPE2015 and NPE2018, the two most sustainability-focused NPEs in the show’s history.

NPE2021 will feature an expanded, dedicated exhibit zone that will spotlight sustainability solutions and feature a full life-cycle educational display, as well as an on-site plastics processing area where attendees can watch the plastic materials produced on the show floor being collected, shredded, reduced, and removed from show site. Complementing all of this: our Re|focus Sustainability & Recycling Summit will again co-locate at NPE, providing thought leadership on sustainable plastics manufacturing.

Stay tuned to the newly redesigned NPE.org for more updates as plans for the most sustainable—most circular—NPE ever kick into high gear in 2020.