“Plastpol” (www.plastpol.com), the leading plastics and rubber processing trade fair for Central and Eastern Europe, will take place in Kielce / Poland from 19-22 May 2020. Organiser Targi Kielce (Kielce; www.targikielce.pl) expects over 900 exhibitors to attend, over half of these from abroad. “Such a large representation of global industry shapes the trade show’s international character,” says Targi Kielce’s president Andrzej Mochoń. In addition to representatives from European countries such as Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany, Italy, Portugal and Switzerland, companies from China, India, Iran, Oman, Russia, South Korea or Taiwan will also be showcasing their products, machinery and services at Plastpol.

Topics range from mould manufacturing over industrial design and packaging to recycling and bioplastics. The event includes conferences and seminars, such as the two-day “Plastech” seminar or the “Packaging for recycling. Circular economy in practice” conference hosted by the Waste Management and Recycling Cluster (WMRC, Kielce; www.klasterodpadowy.com) and the Polish Recycling Academy. A new addition to Plastpol is the “BioPlastic Zone”, which will also host a forum with European Bioplastics (EUPB, Berlin / Germany; www.european-bioplastics.org) managing director Hasso von Pogrell as a guest speaker.

On 18 May 2020, a day before Plastpol kicks off, PlasticsEurope Polska and the Polish Union of Plastic Converters (Warsaw; www.pzpts.pl) will hold a conference focused on current issues facing the Polish and European plastics processing industry. Topics include single-use plastics (SUP) regulations, the public image of plastics, Brexit and the implementation of PlasticsEurope’s (Brussels / Belgium; www.plasticseurope.org) “Plastics 2030” voluntary commitment.

In 2019, production of plastics and finished products in Poland increased, driven mainly by growth in packaging, construction and automotive. 2020 is expected to be more difficult – prospects are particularly dim in the automotive supplier industry. Domestic consumption of plastics converters in Poland was at 3.6m t in 2018, making the country the sixth largest polymer consumer in Europe – see Plasteurope.com of 20.12.2019. It remains to be seen whether or by how much the coronavirus epidemic will negatively affect the plastics industries in Poland and Europe.