Plast 2026 confirmed its position as a key industry event

On 9–12 June 2026, the jubilee 20th edition of Plast 2026, one of Europe’s most important events for the plastics and rubber industry, was held at the Fiera Milano exhibition centre in Rho. This year’s edition confirmed the importance of the trade fair as a place for presenting technologies, exchanging experience and establishing international business contacts. Despite the difficult economic and geopolitical situation that has affected many industrial sectors in recent years, the organisers managed to deliver an event of considerable scale and broad thematic scope.

Scale of the event and international character

Plast 2026 brought together more than 1000 exhibitors from 45 countries, who presented their solutions across more than 40 000 m² of net exhibition space. The exhibition was arranged in six halls, occupying a significant part of the MaTec complex – a project bringing together events dedicated to modern materials and technologies.

Italian companies accounted for 56% of all exhibitors, while 44% came from abroad. This confirmed the international character of the event and its importance for the plastics and rubber industry not only in Italy, but also across the European market. Another significant signal was the presence of around 200 companies that had not participated in either of the two previous editions of the fair. In the context of economic slowdown and investment uncertainty, this result can be seen as a sign of the industry’s confidence in the Plast brand and its potential as a tool supporting business development and commercial contacts.

The number of international business visitors was also significant. Thanks to cooperation with the Italian agency ICE – Italian Trade Agency and industry organisations from around the world, more than 300 invited buyers from 30 countries came to Milan. They included representatives from Albania, Algeria, Saudi Arabia, Argentina, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Chile, Colombia, Croatia, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Israel, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Morocco, Mexico, Nigeria, Peru, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, South Africa, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, Hungary and Vietnam. Particularly numerous delegations came from India and Latin American countries.

Polish delegation in Milan

On 9–11 June, at the invitation of ITA – Italian Trade Agency in Warsaw, Milan was visited by a Polish delegation comprising 11 industry representatives and two media platforms supporting the development of the sector.

The Polish representation covered various areas of the value chain. It included companies specialising in injection moulding and thermoforming, such as SPLAST, Bilplast and KGL S.A.; companies active in the field of chemicals and technical components for the automotive, aerospace and transport sectors – Plastbud, GUMAT, INTAP and ROMA LTD. – as well as representatives of composite technologies, textile engineering and the circular economy: Rymatex, TC3, VIVE Textile Recycling and Sinoma.pl.

The mission enabled direct contacts with Italian companies operating in the plastics, rubber, machinery, components, packaging and circular economy sectors. It was also an opportunity to exchange experience, network and identify new business cooperation opportunities.

For ITA – Italian Trade Agency in Warsaw, inviting selected delegations to the most important Italian trade fairs remains one of the concrete tools for promoting trade. The aim of these activities is not only to increase the visibility of Italian industry, but above all to create conditions for direct talks and practical cooperation between Italian companies and partners from international markets.

Opening ceremony and accompanying events

The official opening of the fair took place on 9 June along the main Corso Italia avenue. The ribbon-cutting ceremony was attended by representatives of local authorities, export support institutions and industry organisations. Invited guests included Rosario Pantaleo, representing Milan City Council; Maurizio Forte from ICE; Francesco Conci – CEO of Fiera Milano; Massimo Margaglione – President of Amaplast; Enrico Aureli – President of Acimall; and Roberto Frassine – President of Assocompositi.

Plast 2026 was held in parallel with Xylexpo and Composites Future, together forming the MaTec – Next Materials and Technologies project. Its aim was to demonstrate the synergies between different sectors of modern industry and the growing importance of materials, processing technologies and composite solutions.

Comprehensive presentation of the industry

One of the greatest strengths of the fair was the opportunity to explore the full value chain of the plastics and rubber industry. In addition to the main exhibition, visitors could attend three satellite events: Rubber, 3D Plast and Plast-Mat.

Rubber focused on the rubber sector – from raw materials and processing technologies to finished industrial applications. Plast-Mat was dedicated to material innovations and new solutions responding to the needs of modern production. Particular attention was drawn to the refreshed formula of 3D Plast, which was developed as an innovation centre under the name 3DPlastLab.

3DPlastLab – laboratory of the future

Unlike traditional exhibition zones, 3DPlastLab was designed as a space for experience, practical implementation presentations and knowledge co-creation. It was a meeting place for representatives of industry, science, design and new technologies.

The concept was developed with the involvement of Simone Maccagan, associated with Gimac and eXgineering, and Pierpaolo Ruttico from the Indexlab digital fabrication laboratory at Politecnico di Milano.

In an area of more than 400 m², participants could see implementations of additive technologies, prototypes and research and development projects. The programme included presentations and debates devoted to topics such as:

• new materials for 3D printing,
• artificial intelligence in production processes,
• computational design,
• distributed ledger technologies,
• sustainable development,
• new industrial models.

The exhibition was divided into four areas: materials, technologies, production systems and design techniques. The most innovative solutions were recognised with special awards.

Conference programme

Over the four days of the fair, conferences, seminars and panel discussions were held with the participation of representatives of public institutions, industry associations, research centres and companies.

The topics of the meetings included:

• the competitiveness of European industry,
• the circular economy,
• plastics recycling,
• regulatory challenges,
• digitalisation of production processes,
• automation,
• sustainable development,
• technological innovation.

The conference programme complemented the exhibition, creating a space for discussion on the most important challenges currently facing the plastics and rubber sector.

Market situation and Amaplast data

An important part of the event was the presentation of economic analyses prepared by the Amaplast research centre. According to the data presented, the Italian sector of manufacturers of machinery, equipment and moulds for plastics and rubber processing ended 2025 with a production decline of around 5%, reaching a value of €4.4 billion. Exports, which account for around three quarters of production, also fell by around 5%, to just over €3.4 billion. At the same time, imports of technology increased by almost 24%, indicating continued domestic demand, partly supported by Industry 4.0 and 5.0 programmes. As a result, the sector’s trade surplus fell from a record €2.65 billion in 2024 to €2.24 billion.

Geopolitical challenges

Experts pointed out that 2025 was marked by numerous uncertainties. Among the key factors affecting the industry, they mentioned:

• the tariff policy of the US administration,
• higher tariffs on steel and aluminium,
• the weakening of the dollar against the euro,
• energy tensions linked to the situation in the Middle East,
• rising prices of gas, oil and raw materials,
• difficulties related to the implementation of the European PPWR regulations on packaging and packaging waste.

Particular concern was caused by the reduced willingness of companies to invest in the European market.

Export destinations

Export data showed a varied situation across individual markets. Sales declines were recorded in Germany and France, traditionally among Italy’s most important trading partners. At the same time, sales increased in Spain, Poland and Romania. The situation in the US market was also assessed positively, with exports of Italian technologies rising by almost 9%. Even greater potential was seen in India, where sales of Italian machinery have more than tripled over the past ten years.

Among product categories, declines were recorded in, among others, extruders, blow moulding machines, flexographic machines and moulds. Injection moulding machines, however, recorded sales growth. The Amaplast survey indicated that 54% of companies affiliated with the organisation ended the year with lower sales. Despite the difficulties, the industry managed to maintain employment, which increased by around 0.5%.

Jubilee exhibition “The Origins of Plast”

To mark the 20th edition, an exhibition dedicated to the history of the fair was prepared. In halls 13 and 15, photographs, posters and archival documents were presented, showing the development of the event since its first edition in 1964. It was recalled that the fair initially operated under the name Salone Europeo delle Materie Plastiche e della Gomma, bringing together around 800 exhibitors and several thousand visitors. In subsequent years, Plast developed dynamically, moving from a four-year to a three-year cycle.

The exhibition also presented the history of plastics development itself – from the popularisation of polyethylene and polypropylene, discovered by Nobel Prize winner Giulio Natta, to the growing importance of the machinery industry.

The exhibition also recalled the figure of Armando Testa, author of Plast’s visual identity from 1969. His iconic 1972 poster was included in the architecture and design collection of New York’s Museum of Modern Art.

The exhibition also showed the development of technology over successive decades: the growing importance of injection moulding machines, the expansion of extrusion technology, the development of blow moulding machines and the increasingly wide use of plastics in automotive and construction applications.

Art & Plastics – where art meets industry

An unusual element of the fair was the Art & Plastics area, which presented plastics as a medium of artistic expression. Among the projects on display were:

• an exhibition by Lady Be, presenting 24 works made from recycled materials and interactive installations using artificial intelligence,
• an exhibition by Pina Inferrera, exploring the relationships between light, matter and perception,
• the project “Polimeri d'arte: Le Tavole d'Arte da mangiare”, combining contemporary art with reflection on the function and transience of materials,
• installations by Tommy Bonicelli, who, through his “ectoplastic aesthetic”, transformed everyday objects into symbols of memory and consumption.

These events showed that plastics can be not only an industrial material, but also a tool for artistic narrative and reflection on contemporary reality.

Summary

Plast 2026 once again confirmed its position as one of the most important events for the plastics and rubber industry in Europe. Despite unfavourable economic and geopolitical conditions, the fair brought together a large group of exhibitors and international visitors, becoming a place for presenting the latest technologies, exchanging knowledge and building business relations.

The rich conference programme, innovative thematic areas, jubilee historical exhibition and initiatives combining industry with art demonstrated the multidimensional character of today’s plastics and rubber industry. Plast 2026 not only summarised the current state of the sector, but also indicated directions for its further development, emphasising the importance of innovation, international cooperation and the ability to adapt to dynamically changing market conditions.