SPE: Inspiring Plastics Professionals

06/04/2026

In March, the SPE Foundation reached a significant milestone in its mission to provide Positive Plastics Education™ by hosting a high-impact STEM event for the Girl Scouts of San Jacinto Council. Serving more than 80 Girl Scouts in the greater Houston area, the event focused on the science of polymers, the circular economy, and the diverse career opportunities within the plastics and packaging industries. https://www.4spe.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageID=10195

06/03/2026

SPE offers opportunities to lead and drive change in the plastics industry, boosting your career, influence, and satisfaction. Leadership opens doors to networking, collaboration, and personal growth while making an impact. https://4spe.org/becomealeader/

06/02/2026

Small additive, big impact. Learn how crystal nucleating agents can dramatically influence polypropylene crystallization, processing behavior, and end-use performance. Using real-world examples, this course explores the effects on cycle time, stiffness, shrinkage, warpage, and cost—providing practical insights you can apply immediately to product design and manufacturing.

84 countries and 22,500+ members strong. SPE helps plastics professionals by strengthening their skills through networking, events, training, and knowledge sharing.

06/01/2026

A symbolic passing of the torch for SPE Polymers. Outgoing Editor-in-Chief Guo-Hua Hu and incoming Editor-in-Chief Dr. Suprakash Sinha Ray at the 2026 E-MRS Spring Meeting, celebrating a successful symposium and a seamless leadership transition while advancing the global reach and impact of SPE’s publishing portfolio.

05/27/2026

Submission deadline this Friday! The Thermoplastic Materials and Foams Challenge invites video submissions from high school, undergraduate and graduate students around the world to propose creative solutions.

This year’s theme, Thermoplastic Materials and Foams as One, challenges teams to demonstrate how they can utilize this combination for an application that details:

Polymer selection in foamed and unfoamed states

Processing : single stage or multistage

Performance predictions to meet the application needs

End of life recommendations for reuse or degradation

The Thermoplastic Materials and Foams Challenge invites video submissions from high school, undergraduate and graduate students around the world to propose creative solutions.

05/26/2026

Discover the future of plastics additives, pigments, dyes, and masterbatches at this must-attend biannual conference bringing together the entire industry value chain from across Europe. Explore the latest product innovations, sustainability trends, functional colors, recycling solutions, and OEM expectations while connecting with technical experts, suppliers, converters, compounders, and decision-makers in a friendly, highly interactive networking environment. https://www.4spe.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=9725

05/22/2026

Strengthen Team Skills With SPE Workshop Packs! SPE's Center for Polymer Education offers Workshop Packs, providing a cost-effective way to send multiple team members to a workshop with one simple payment. Perfect for companies investing in professional development. Help your team's knowledge-building while demonstrating a commitment to staying ahead in the plastics industry. https://www.4spe.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageID=9518

05/20/2026

SPE is seeking speakers to present at Chemical Safety in Plastics: PFAS & Beyond, taking place October 20–21, 2026, in Baltimore, MD. We invite proposals from professionals with strong expertise and hands on experience related to chemical safety in the plastics industry, with a focus on PFAS and other emerging substances of concern such as silicones and siloxanes, benzotriazole UV stabilizers, and organophosphate flame retardants. https://www.4spe.org/pfas26cfp/

05/19/2026

NPE2027 to include ANTEC conference - Plastics News

The Antec conference will be held in conjunction with NPE2027 next year.

05/18/2026

New Editor to join Vinyl & Additive Technology! Starting June 1, Alexander Morgan, Ph.D., will join SPE's journal, Vinyl & Additive Technology, as new editor. Dr. Morgan is Group Leader, Distinguished Research Scientist, Advanced Materials Chemistry Group, Structural Materials & Engineering Division, University of Dayton Research Institute, Dayton, OH. He has 30+ years of experience in the area of fire safety science including materials flammability, material thermal degradation & decomposition, polymeric material flame retardancy, fire science, fire testing, and fire safety engineering. Learn more about Vinyl & Additive Technology:

Click on the title to browse this journal