Technological watch

Illustrate and promote the sustainability of a versatile and key material in daily consumption: plastic. This is the motivation for GREENPLAST, a new exhibition and convention responding to the need to describe and share best practices in the plastics industry to benefit the environment. 

From the 3rd to the 6th of May 2022, Fiera Milano will host the entire plastics and rubber industry in Rho-Pero in an event dedicated to innovative solutions to boost environmental sustainability, energy efficiency, options for Reducing-Reusing-Recycling, and progress towards a circular economy. Companies in the industry have been investing in these areas for years, leading the way as dynamic market players. 

GREENPLAST, organized by Promaplast srl, will allow all interested operators – Italian and non-Italian – to evaluate plastics and rubber processing technologies and the new Industry 4.0 paradigm with an emphasis on the Made-in-Italy, which has stood out all over the world for its hi-tech solutions ever since the awakening of an environmental awareness (many years ago and especially in the more developed countries).

The leading Italian and international companies will have the chance to show their innovative solutions for environmental sustainability in the halls of the fairgrounds:

• virgin, low-impact, low-carbon-footprint raw materials, secondary raw materials, biopolymers, additives
• semi-finished and finished products made from innovative, recycled, or biologically sourced materials
• machinery, equipment, and systems that combine low energy consumption with high performance, high-efficiency processing and are able to use innovative, recycled and/or biologically sourced materials
• systems and machinery for the selection, processing, and recycling of plastics and rubber, both in-line and post-consumption
• support and consulting services for plastics and rubber production generally (from injection moulding to extrusion, from blow moulding to thermoforming, etc.) and recovery and recycling
• public corporations, consortia, and organizations active in plastics and rubber recycling.

GREENPLAST will feature an international conference, hosting world renowned speakers who will discuss key issues relating to the trade fair: environmental sustainability and the circular economy, especially as they relate to packaging and plastic products.

The event will be held in parallel with IPACK-IMA, international exhibition for the packaging industry. The concomitance of the two events is anything but casual: the affinity between the packaging and plastics industries is affirmed by the fact that some 50% of all packaging is made using plastics (trays, bottles, film, etc.), and demand by consumers of packaging for environmentally sustainable products is only growing. The simultaneity of IPACK-IMA and GREENPLAST will thus make it possible to combine the presentation of two different yet highly complementary production spheres.

Furthermore, the fairgrounds will also host the concomitant Print4All (dedicated to commercial and industrial printing), Intralogistica Italia (systems for industrial materials handling, warehouse management, materials storage, and picking) and, for the first time in Milan, Pharmintech (processing, and packaging solutions for pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, cosmeceutical). These events embody the logic of an integrated supply chain and are an important component of “The Innovation Alliance”.

The dialogue with and among the plastics industry will gain new impetus in 2023 with the triennial international fair PLAST, which has finally been rescheduled for 5-8 September 2023. Exhibitors have already confirmed 30,000 m2, not wanting to miss the chance to take part in this high-profile event.