Mr. Mario Maggiani (left) at the opening of PLAST 2026 in Milan, last June

July, 31, 2026 - From June 9 to 12, Plast 2026 was held in Milan (Italy). According to the organizers, the exhibition at Fiera Milano had approximately 35,000 attendees – with a significant share of foreign visitors equal to 25%, coming from 110 countries – and over 1,000 exhibiting companies, 44% of which were international. The entire event spanned an exhibition area of 40,000 square meters.

During Plast 2026, Mr. Mario Maggiani, General Manager of Amaplast - the Italian Plastics and Rubber Processing Machinery and Moulds Manufacturers Association -, gave an interview to BrazilianPlastics.com and talked on his impressions about the event, the current situation of the plastics industry and prospects for the future.

- Brazilianplastics.com - What is your view of Plast 2026 ? How was the feedback of exhibitors ?

- Mr. Mario Maggiani - PLAST 2026 concluded on a decidedly positive note, especially considering the exceptionally challenging international economic and geopolitical environment. The feedback received from exhibitors was overwhelmingly positive. While visitor numbers were down by around 5% compared with the previous edition, the overall quality of attendance exceeded expectations. The professionals who visited the exhibition were highly qualified, with genuine purchasing authority and decision-making responsibilities within their companies. This proved far more valuable to exhibitors than simply achieving higher attendance figures.

- Brazilianplastics.com - Have you also had feedback from the International Buyers program which took place with support from ICE/ITA?

- Mr. Mario Maggiani - The international buyer delegations organised by ICE Agenzia, the Italian Trade Agency (ITA/ICE), in cooperation with Amaplast, also generated extremely positive feedback from both exhibitors and visitors.

Exhibitors appreciated the opportunity to meet potential customers from markets that would otherwise be very difficult to reach independently. Several companies told us that the programme enabled them to establish contacts with buyers from countries where they would have had little or no commercial access, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa.

The buyers themselves were equally satisfied. Together with K, Plast is widely recognised as one of Europe's leading trade fairs for plastics and rubber processing technologies, making it an essential event for companies wishing to keep pace with technological innovation across the industry.

The ITA and Amaplast delegations included buyers from virtually every continent, with particularly strong representation from South America, North Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa, Asia and the Middle East-regions where the plastics industry continues to record some of the world's strongest growth rates.

In total, around 380 international buyers were invited by ITA and Amaplast, and almost all of them attended the exhibition. This represents a remarkable achievement and the highest number of officially hosted international buyers ever welcomed to Plast.

- Brazilianplastics.com - Is Promaplast planning new developments for Green Plast 2028 and Plast 2029 ? Are the dates of Plast 2029 already defined ?

- Mr. Mario Maggiani - As for the next edition of Plast, we have not yet officially announced the dates, in line with our usual practice, as we are still finalising the international exhibition calendar and awaiting confirmation of space availability at Fiera Milano. One thing is already certain: the next Plast will take place in 2029 and will, in all likelihood, be held in May.

Naturally, we hope that the next edition will be held in a more favourable economic and geopolitical environment. Precisely because of the current challenges, however, I believe the success achieved by Plast 2026 deserves even greater recognition.

Looking ahead, 2028 will see the return of GreenPlast, once again co-located with Ipack-Ima, the leading exhibition for processing and packaging technologies, Intraologistica the trade fair dedicated to automated systems for intralogistics, and Xylexpo, as was successfully demonstrated this year. Joining them will also be Composite Future, the new conference and exhibition jointly organised by Plast and Xylexpo and dedicated to composite materials. Although still a niche market, composites represent one of the industry's most promising growth areas. Italy holds a genuine leadership position in this field, not only in Europe but also worldwide.

- Brazilianplastics.com - How do you see the current business environment for plastics in light of the global turmoil resulting from the war in the Middle East and high raw material and energy prices ?

- Mr. Mario Maggiani - During this interview we have repeatedly referred to the current economic and political landscape. There is no doubt that 2026 is proving to be a particularly difficult year both for plastics processors and for manufacturers of plastics and rubber machinery.

Contrary to our expectations, 2024 closed with a modest but encouraging 1.2% increase in turnover. By contrast, 2025 ended with a decline of just under 5%.
Looking ahead, it is becoming increasingly difficult to predict a meaningful recovery in either production or revenues during 2026. In my view, this will essentially be a transitional year.

Personally, I expect turnover to decline by a few percentage points. Although order intake remained relatively stable during the first months of the year, since late spring – and even more noticeably during the summer – we have experienced a clear slowdown in incoming orders, which will inevitably affect overall business performance throughout 2026.

The prevailing climate of uncertainty is certainly not helping. Only a limited number of markets continue to show significant growth, while most others are either slowing down or adopting a cautious wait-and-see approach.

The conflict involving Iran, Israel and the United States has also had, and continues to have, a significant impact on raw material prices, particularly polymers. In some cases, prices have doubled or even tripled. Furthermore, the ongoing tensions surrounding the Strait of Hormuz offer little reason for optimism regarding price trends in the coming months.

- Brazilianplastics.com - Do you think recycling will gain further momentum as a result of current high virgin resin prices ?

- Mr. Mario Maggiani - These developments have also affected the market for recycled raw materials. Until recently, recycled plastics had effectively become uncompetitive because their prices had risen well above those of virgin polymers.
Today, however, the sharp increase in virgin polymer prices has restored the competitiveness of recycled materials. The challenge is that it remains extremely difficult to predict how long this situation will last and how the relationship between virgin and recycled materials will evolve over the medium term.

- Brazilianplastics.com - Will Amaplast bring Italian manufacturers to Plástico Brasil 2027? What are Amaplast's expectations about this fair ?

- Mr. Mario Maggiani - Turning to Brazil, despite the decline in exports recorded last year, it remains one of the most strategic markets for Italian machinery manufacturers. It is by far the largest market in South America and ranks third across the Americas after the United States and Mexico. For this reason, I fully expect Italian companies once again to participate in large numbers at Plástico Brasil 2027.

In addition to the official Italian pavilion organised by Amaplast in cooperation with the Italian Trade Agency, many Italian manufacturers already operate through local subsidiaries in Brazil. Although they officially exhibit as Brazilian companies, they are, in every practical sense, Italian businesses.

For all these reasons, I remain optimistic both about Plástico Brasil 2027 and, more broadly, about the long-term prospects for Italian companies operating in the Brazilian market.