PLAST 2026: the countdown has started
Despite the complex international geopolitical and economic backdrop, ongoing trade tensions and instability across global markets, Plast 2026 – now in its twentieth edition – is heading into its opening with a positive performance. The leading European trade fair of the year for the plastics and rubber industry, Plast welcomes 1,000 exhibitors, 32% of whom come from abroad, including around 200 first-time participants.
This is a significant result in a challenging market environment, in which key sectors such as automotive are navigating a phase of transformation and adaptation to current global dynamics.
The ability to attract new exhibitors in such a context confirms Plast’s resilience and international appeal, underlining the sector’s growing confidence in the Milan-based event, which continues to establish itself as a benchmark platform for showcasing innovation and developing business partnerships. As for visitors, the organisers are aiming to significantly increase international attendance, with representatives from Italy’s main export markets expected to take part through buyer delegations organised in cooperation with the Italian Trade Agency (ICE).
Rounding out the picture are a series of strategic agreements with leading trade associations, both within the sector and representing target markets. Scheduled to take place from 9 to 12 June at Fiera Milano, Plast 2026 forms part of MaTec, an trade fair project that brings together three manufacturing fairs: Plast (technologies for plastics and rubber), Xylexpo (the biennial world exhibition for wood and furniture technologies, organised by Acimall), and Composites Future (an expo-conference dedicated to composite materials, in collaboration with Assocompositi). The aim is to bring together cross-sector expertise and complementary supply chains, fostering an integrated vision of industry.
An international outlook: journalists from all over the world at the press tour
As readers can see alongside, Plast once again confirms itself as a benchmark event for the plastics and rubber industries. And this is not only a matter of numbers – more than 200 new companies are ready to showcase their technologies at the trade fair – but also of quality. A first glimpse was offered to a group of international journalists during a press tour organised by Promaplast last February. Forty colleagues from technical magazines around the world took part, representing countries such as India, China, Mexico and the United States, just to name a few.
During the tour, journalists visited three leading companies in the sector: Bandera, based in Busto Arsizio (Varese); Moretto, in Massanzago (Padua); and BMB, headquartered in Brescia. These were valuable meetings that allowed the press to preview the innovations the companies will present at the show and, at the same time, to gain a deeper understanding of the vision that guides their strategic direction.
A wide range of topics was addressed during the press tour meetings. The plastics industry is currently going through a challenging phase, due to an increasingly complex international context. In its 2025 preliminary outlook, the Amaplast Study Centre reported a 6% decline in exports (January–September), only partially offset by the positive performance of the domestic market. Turning back to the three companies involved – all exhibitors at the upcoming Plast show – Bandera focused on new technologies developed to strengthen its position in the lamination and extrusion market; Moretto highlighted low-energy consumption dehumidification systems and new solutions for grinding operations; while BMB presented new injection moulding systems designed to ensure greater production continuity.
Finally, it is worth underlining the flawless organisation of the initiative, which also offered participants the opportunity to visit Padua’s Palazzo della Ragione and the Scrovegni Chapel. A immersion into the genius of Giotto – the perfect way to… close the circle.
