Composites, essential materials for sustainability and circular economy

JEC World 2024 closed its doors after three vibrant days of intense business activity, expertise and knowledge sharing, highlighting the contribution of the composites industry to a more sustainable world as well as its growth potential. The 2024 edition was the biggest JEC World ever, attracting more than 43,500 professional visits from more than 100 countries and 1.300 exhibitors, and featuring seminars, workshops, live demos, and insights from hundreds of industry visionaries.

During the first JEC Summit Building & Infrastructure on 4 March, as well as during the three days of the show, public authorities, industry leaders and visionaries contributed to make JEC World the composites industry “Think Tank”, where sustainability and circular economy principles were raised by all participants. From representatives of Neom’s “land of the future” to the European Commission policy officer who presented “The EU Green Deal 2050”, from the aeronautics industry’s decarbonisation roadmap presented by Airbus and Safran, to the International Olympic Committee’s call for partners to help the sports industry achieve its sustainable objectives, and the final highlight “View From the Top”, where Peter Huntsman, CEO of Huntsman Corporation, shared his vision on composites industry strategy. At JEC World, the converging efforts of all stakeholders, heading towards a sustainable future, created a global statement and a source of inspiration. Three Country on Stage conferences gave attendees the opportunity to get to know the characteristics, trends and strategies of the composites’ ecosystems in Italy, Belgium, and France. Many other countries also participated in the event: Foreign Ministers, French Ministerial Delegates, Ambassadors and official representatives from 16 countries visited the show as part of official delegation tours. Among them: Austria, Canada, Czech Republic, Germany, India, Japan, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain, Taiwan, Türkiye, and the United States.

In 2024, JEC World showcased its position as the leading event for the global composites industry, with the renewed presence of all the continents seen in the pre-Covid times. The whole value chain gathered in Paris for this “festival of composites”: a source of inspiration for all professionals who wish to tackle sustainability challenges and develop lighter, smarter and more durable composite solutions. Gathering as many global companies as SMEs under one roof, the event also presented a selection of start-upsresulting, in a lively environment for networking and business opportunities. Powered by a dedicated business meetings platform developed and optimised for the composites industry, the JEC Business Meetings Program enabled more than 8,000 face-to-face meetings during the three days - an increase of 13% over 2023, demonstrating the dynamism of the industry.

With more than 600 product launches during this year’s show, JEC World remains the best place to introduce new developments to the global market. The JEC Composites Innovation Awards recognized 11 collaborative achievements, reflecting the industry’s dedication to providing new solutions for all application sectors of composites. For its 7th edition, the JEC Composites Startup Booster competition, now firmly established as the leading competition forstartups in the advanced materials sector, rewarded 3 companies from France, Denmark and the USA for their impressive market potential. The new Live Demo zone was particularly visible on the show floor and well attended over the three days. This new feature, highlighting automated and robotized processes, including large-scale additive manufacturing technologies, together with more than 100 machines available on exhibitors’ booths, made the JEC World experience unique.

JEC World was an unmissable event to discover inspiration, celebrate the dynamism of the industry, and shape a sustainable future! With confidence, 54% of the exhibition space has already been booked for the next edition that will take place from 4 to 6 March 2025. Exhibitors and attendees have expressed very positive feedback about the quality of the exhibition and the success, once again, of this pinnacle event of the industry.