The crowds of attendees and the clamor of working equipment that filled the giant exhibit halls at NPE2015 told the story better than numbers, but the statistics make it official: NPE2015 was the largest show in NPE history.

SPI: The Plastics Industry Trade Association, founder and producer of NPE: The International Plastics Showcase, said NPE2015 attracted 2,029 exhibitors which filled more than 1,128,200 net square feet (104,813 m²) of exhibit space—exceeding the previous records of 2,009 exhibitors and 1,041,000 net square feet (96,712 m²) set in 2000. The triennial show took place March 23-27, 2015, in Orlando, Florida, USA.

SPI President and CEO William R. Carteaux acclaimed NPE2015 as the most successful NPE by many measures. “What made NPE2015 a milestone in the 69-year history of NPE was not only its size and international diversity, but also the richness of its offerings to attendees,” he said.

“The hundreds of machines operating on the show floor, the customer service centers provided by material suppliers, the pavilions and programs on current issues and emerging technologies, the extensive agenda of co-located conferences—this wealth of content surpassed our previous shows and now provides a guideline for making future NPEs even more attractive to participants. The plastics industry should be truly proud of its show.”

In addition, registered attendance increased 19% to 65,810. Registrants were from 23,396 unique companies—22% more than the 19,198 companies at NPE2012—representing a substantial increase in buying potential. 

International participation also set new records as nearly 44% of exhibiting companies and 26% of registrants were from outside the USA. Nearly 5,000 registrants were from Latin America alone.

Exhibitors from 37 nations were on site, and among the largest participating were China, Taiwan, Canada, Italy, Germany, India, Turkey, France, Switzerland, and South Korea. These figures don’t include many companies that are based in other countries but exhibited through their U.S. subsidiaries.

Walking the Walk

Meanwhile, in another area of note, 82 exhibitors participated in the program to recycle processing scrap generated on the show floor, which is twice the participation from NPE2012.

Commercial Plastics Recycling (CPR), the official recycling company for NPE2015, collected, sorted, and recycled 191 tons of processing scrap, a 62% increase over NPE2012 and 235% more than at NPE2009. As the show has grown and the amount of scrap has increased, the recycling program has increased its capacity, ensuring plastics scrap is being managed properly.

“We reached out to exhibitors well in advance of NPE2015 to find out their needs and get a clear idea of how we should prepare,” said Paul Benvenuti of CPR. “Another big help was having our containers and trucks on site during setup, since machines were being operated and generating scrap well before the start of the show.”

Altogether, NPE2015 generated 518 tons of waste at the Orange County Convention Center, including both processing scrap and post-consumer waste. Of the total, 452 tons, or 87%, was recycled. CPR reclaimed the processing scrap at its recycling facility in Tampa, Florida, and, through a contract carrier, the convention center arranged for recycling of post-consumer waste. All of this was driven by NPE’s Recycling Committee, composed of representatives from companies exhibiting at NPE2015 and SPI’s director of operations Lori Campbell.

“SPI and the plastics industry’s commitment to reduce, reuse, or recycle was a significant focus of the show, and we believe our recycling efforts were a realization of that commitment,” Carteaux said. “As the leading trade event in plastics, we needed to model the appropriate behavior, and thanks to the efforts of our recycling program partners, we were able to do just that.”

These successful efforts at NPE2015 led to an industry call for SPI to launch a new annual event to help brand owners, processors, and the plastics supply chain take its environmental goals from aspirational to operational. The new event, re|Focus Summit and Expo, will provide education and solutions on plastics reduction, reuse, and recycling, as well as sustainable practices in plastics design and manufacturing. The re|Focus event will be held April 25-27, 2016, in Orlando.

The American Red Cross

And one last bit of news from NPE2015: SPI and its members collected and donated more than $7,000 to the American Red Cross for the fight against Ebola. 

“Nothing is more rewarding than working with an organization that’s on the front lines when a disaster strikes a community or a family,” Carteaux said. “We were honored that the Red Cross joined us at NPE2015, and we hope to strengthen our relationship with the international organization going forward. SPI staff and members are particularly grateful to the NPE attendees and staff who so generously donated to this worthy cause.”

SPI and the Flexible Vinyl Alliance (FVA) hosted the representatives from the Mid-Florida Region of the American Red Cross in a booth that highlighted products made from plastic (specifically vinyl (PVC)) used to treat Ebola patients. Red Cross representatives used the opportunity to explain their roles and efforts in helping stop the spread of Ebola in Africa and elsewhere.

Staff and management from SPI, the Vinyl Institute, the FVA, and the Resilient Floor Covering Institute, among others, donated to the Red Cross.

“We are not only extremely grateful for the generous donation by the SPI, visitors and the plastics industry, but are also most pleased to learn how this industry and its products are used throughout the medical products industry,” said Sylvia Bova, community development officer of the American Red Cross, Mid-Florida Region. “It was a notable learning experience for everyone who stopped by the booth to donate and learn about our Ebola-related activities.”