🎟️ Shola Richards to Headline National Plastics Conference
🗣️ Call for Speakers: Share Your Expertise at NPE2027
⚙️ Injection Molding Innovation Summit
🌐 Member Network Spotlight: Positives of Plastic
📅 Mark Your Calendar
🏆 PLASTICS Named a 2026 Top Workplace
The Plastics Industry Association (PLASTICS) has been recognized as a 2026 Top Workplace by WTOP News based on confidential employee feedback collected through an independent survey.
The recognition reflects PLASTICS' commitment to fostering a workplace culture that empowers employees to grow, contribute, and advance the association's mission.
🎟️ Shola Richards to Headline National Plastics Conference
We are pleased to announce that Shola Richards will serve as the Keynote Speaker for the National Plastics Conference.
Shola Richards is a recognized workplace culture expert and author dedicated to helping teams navigate change, build collective resilience, and execute strategies under
pressure. His message aligns directly with our commitment to moving beyond simple dialogue and transforming intention into direction.
By attending Shola’s keynote address, you and your team will gain a clear-eyed framework to:
Strengthen leadership agility across all career stages within your workforce.
Foster a resilient culture that confidently executes solutions to operational challenges.
Align individual roles with your broader organizational goals and industry-wide progress.
True leadership means preparing your business for what's next. Register today to join us for this impactful presentation and the comprehensive, industry-driven agenda that follows.
🗣️ Call for Speakers: Share Your Expertise at NPE2027
NPE2027: The Plastics Show® is accepting speaker proposals for its education program. Industry leaders, innovators, and subject matter experts are invited to share insights shaping the future of plastics.
Seeking proposals for:
Show Floor Stage Presentations – 30-minute sessions with practical insights
The Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE) will host the Injection Molding Innovation Summit on October 22, 2026, at the Corporate College Conference Center near Cleveland, Ohio.
Designed for professionals seeking practical ideas they can implement quickly, the Summit will bring together molders, material suppliers, technology providers, OEMs, engineers, and technical leaders to explore innovations, best practices, and real-world solutions in injection molding.
Sessions will explore how manufacturers are applying emerging technologies and strategies across injection molding, including AI, equipment and tooling, materials, sustainability, workforce development, national security, and economic and market trends. The event also offers opportunities to connect with engineers, technical leaders, decision-makers, and innovators from across the injection molding value chain.
Keynote speaker: Lynzie Nebel, incoming 2026 SPE President and Upstream Hardware Engineer at Cytiva. Nebel has nearly 20 years of experience in custom injection molding and serves on SPE's Board of Directors Executive Committee. She also co-hosts the award-winning PlastChicks podcast
👉 To learn more and register, click here.PLASTICS members can register at the SPE member rate with code IMIS-PLASTICS.
🌐 Member Network Spotlight: Positives of Plastic
Want more tools to help tell the plastics industry's story? Follow Positives of Plastic for shareable content, industry facts, and resources that highlight the essential role plastics play in our economy, communities, and everyday lives.
Positives of Plastic resources designed to help industry advocates communicate with confidence.
👉 Follow Positives of Plastic on social media and explore the resource hub to access materials you can share with your colleagues, customers, and communities.
📆 Mark Your Calendar
📅 Plastic Sustainability Executive Forum| July 14–15, 2026 | Toronto, Canada | Summer Forum: Addressing a Growing Concern of Microplastics & Material Stewardship. To request your invitation to attend, click here.
🎤 NPE2027 Call for Speakers | Proposals due August 14, 2026 | NPE2027 is now accepting speaker proposals for its education program. Industry leaders, innovators, and subject matter experts are invited to share insights and expertise with a global audience at NPE2027, taking place May 3–7, 2027, in Orlando, Florida. To submit a proposal or learn more, click here.
📅 National Plastics Conference| Sept. 14–17, 2026 | Houston, TX |The exclusive event built by industry, for industry returns. Register now for Early Bird Pricing.
📅 OCS CON2026| Oct. 14–16, 2026 | Houston, TX | Hosted by the Society of Plastics Engineers, the event will explore practical applications of AI, sustainability, materials, tooling, and other innovations shaping the future of injection molding. PLASTICS members can register at the SPE member rate using code IMIS-PLASTICS. Click here to register.
📅 Injection Molding Innovation Summit| Oct. 22, 2026 | Cleveland, OH | Hosted by Operation Clean Sweep, OCS CON brings the full plastic value chain together in efforts towards eliminating the loss of plastic to the environment. Early Bird Registration now open.
📅 Plastic Sustainability Executive Forum| Nov. 11–12, 2026 | Atlanta, GA | Fall Forum: Backing the Vision: Investment, Infrastructure, and the Economics of Advanced Recycling. To request your invitation to attend, click here.
📅 Vinyl Week 2026 | Dec. 8–11, 2026 | Charlotte, NC | This one-of-a-kind gathering brings together the Vinyl Compounders Conference and the Vinyl Sustainability Summit for four days of leadership, networking, and forward-looking insights.
📅 NPE2027 – The Plastics Show | May 3–7, 2027 | Orlando, FL | The largest plastics trade show in the Americas, bringing together 51,000+ professionals from 130+ countries to explore innovations in automation, sustainability, and advanced materials. Featuring 2,200+ exhibitors and on-site ANTEC® technical sessions. Registration opens September 2026. Learn more.
