The global composites community reunited at JEC WORLD 2022 on May 3rd to 5th for three busy, rewarding days of innovation, networking and knowledge sharing. Overall, the Paris edition of the event welcomed over 32,000 professional visits, in person and online, from more than 115 countries and featured 1,201 exhibitors along with 26 pavilions.

JEC World 2022 reaffirms its position as the leading event for the global composites industry. While fewer Asian participants were able to join the show this year due to travel complexities, the attendance of a high level of decision makers from 117 countries and all key players along the value chain resulted in a dynamic environment for networking and business. As a consequence, companies were keen to confirm their presence next year; by the time the show closed its doors, 50 per cent of JEC World 2023 exhibition space had already been booked, the show organisers said in a media release.

With more than 500 product launches during this year’s show, JEC World remains the preferred venue to introduce new products to the global market. The JEC Composites Innovation Awards celebrated 10 collaborative projects, reflecting the dynamism and the resilience of the industry, and two Innovation Planets displayed 80 impressive applications. Celebrating its five-year anniversary, the JEC Composites Startup Booster competition is now firmly established as the best place to discover startups in the advanced composites sector.

JEC World’s conference programme shone a light on this year’s theme and most impactful topic: Composites for a Sustainable World. Sustainability continues to rise as a key growth driver for the composites industry, enabling diverse application sectors to achieve ambitious sustainability goals, from energy and transportation, to building and infrastructure, and so many more.

Three Country on Stage presentations showcased the structure and strengths of the composites industries of South Korea, the Netherlands and the United States. The programme featured keynote presentations and business cases which demonstrate the countries’ composites expertise in hydrogen, in sustainable excellence, and innovation in building and mobility, respectively.

Ministers, ambassadors and official representatives from 16 countries also visited the show as part of dedicated official delegation tours from the United States, Turkey, Hungary, Taiwan, Portugal, Croatia, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, North Macedonia, Germany, Slovakia, Luxembourg, Belgium, Sweden and Spain. Thus, JEC World was the opportunity for government representatives to meet the leading composites actors of their respective regions or markets and show their support. Official inaugurations also took place on the Dutch, American and British pavilions, the release added.

With the partners events, World Pultrusion Conference organised by EPTA, from May 5-6, and the SAMPE Europe 2022 Summit on May 2, Paris was once again the capital of the composites and advanced materials world for one week.