The first Plastics Recycling Show Europe (PRS) exhibition held in Amsterdam, The Netherlands on 29-30 March was successful, attracting visitors, exhibitors and speakers from across Europe and beyond, according to organisers.
Crain Communications and Plastics News Europe supported by Plastics Recyclers Europe (PRE) organised the two-day event, which featured over 80 exhibiting companies.
Additionally, more than 40 conference speakers gave presentations at the conference which had a total footfall close to 1,400 over two days.
Exhibitors and visitors attending the show were a good representation of the whole value chain of the plastics industry including among others: recyclers, machine producers, raw material producers, converters, waste management companies and brand owners.
According to organisers, PRS will return in 2018.
“With such an engagement and support the European plastics recycling industry has a true foundation on which it can build and thrive. The presence of the representatives of the whole plastics value chain and other industries demonstrates that only by acting together can we move to a circular economy for plastics,” said Ton Emans, president of PRE said after the event.
Gerben-Jan Gerbrandy, MEP and committee member for the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety opened the event at the RAI Amsterdam, where he urged the European Commission to take plastics recycling seriously in its Plastics Strategy report due to be published later this year. He also took the opportunity to call for action to increase the reuse and recycling of plastics.
“We can show the world that it makes economic sense to recycle plastics, that it has a huge environmental benefit, but first of all it has huge economic benefits,” Gerbrandy said at PRS, before adding about the show itself: “has been very, very successful.”
“This show is the centrepiece of all that is good about our industry. It brings together all of the players to discuss how we can best promote our industry and take it forward,” Mike Baxter, external affairs director for exhibitor bpi.recycled products said.