Orlando, Fla. — NPE2024, for the first time ever, set aside a dedicated space to attract attention to sustainability efforts in plastics.
The idea behind the area — dubbed the Sustainability Hub — within the massive exhibition at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando May 6-10 was to provide a focus on the topic.
"I think what we wanted to do is recognize that there is a significant shift in our industry with respect to the focus on sustainability," said Patrick Krieger, vice president of sustainability at the Plastics Industry Association, the trade group that puts on NPE every three years.
It has been six years since the last NPE, due to the cancellation of the show in 2021 because of COVID-19, and in that time attitudes have changed within the industry regarding sustainability, Krieger said.
"When we did this last in 2018, sustainability was often an important bonus. And now what we find is that sustainability is so integral to the plastic story that we wanted to make sure that it was recognized. And also on top of that, both leadership at [the association] and at NPE, like the members who facilitate the organization of NPE, all recognize that this is an opportunity. NPE is an opportunity to educate the rest of the industry," he said.
Located in the Tangerine Ballroom, at the far end of the West Hall, this is how NPE organizers described the hub:
"This interactive showcase tangibly illustrates the plastics circular economy and allows attendees to follow the environmental journey of plastics and the steps the industry is taking to reduce plastic waste and improve its sustainable footprint. The space will feature recycled materials, sustainable and advanced manufacturing, circularity processes, prevention and recovery efforts, and more."
Plastics have been under a growing storm of criticism in recent years regarding sustainability, with critics questioning the material's role in society.
The Sustainability Hub seeks to advance the industry's perspective to attendees.
"We talk to our members on these topics quite often throughout the years, but nowhere else will we have the opportunity to share important messages in education with the 50,000 to 60,000 people who show up. So that's one of the reasons why we decided to do this," Krieger said.
"I would love for people to experience the hub and use it as a great framework to improve their understanding of sustainability," he said. "I would just encourage people to be able to spend a little time there.
"There's just so many different things that are happening in it. And so while NPE is great and everything is there, it is very challenging for discovery. The sustainability hub is a really great way to kind of create a framework for people to learn about these topics, and then it helps provide context for them as they experience the rest of the show," Krieger said during the trade show.
Even after years of use, the word sustainability can be nebulous.
"Sustainability is an incredibly complex issue with our industry. Sustainable, like the word 'love,' poets have been trying to define it for centuries and we still don't have a single definition. Same thing with sustainability," he said.
IADYS SAS is one company exhibiting in the Sustainability Hub, showing off its Jellyfishbot floating water skimmer designed to pick up plastic and other debris.
Sales Director Cyril Castello said it was important for his Roquefort-la-Bédoule, France-based company to commit to exhibiting in the Sustainability Hub as a member of the trade group. The hub, he said, is a way to concentrate interest in the subject and attract attendees.
"It's very important to be in this hub because this is the place where somebody wants solutions," Castello said at his booth on the first day of the show. "This is a good place to be.
"I think the first day was good. I had some good contacts with people who are interested," Castello said.