The global composites industry is dynamic and looks at the future

JEC World 2023 closed its doors after three vibrant days, from 25 to 27 April in Paris, of intense business activities, expertise and knowledge sharing, highlighting the innovation power of the composites industry as well as its contribution to a more sustainable world. The event welcomed more than 40,200 professional visits from more than 106 countries, attending conferences, product and technology displays from 1,200 exhibitors. 26 national and regional pavilions set the stage for the leading countries and regions in the field of composites manufacturing. In 2023, JEC World is back to its full strength and reaffirms its position as the leading event for the global composites industry. As the only international event gathering the whole value chain of composites, JEC World also brings together a selection of start-ups - among more than 150 scouted every year by the JEC team - resulting in a vivid environment for networking and business opportunities.

With more than 600 product launches and announcements during this year’s show, JEC World remains the place to be to introduce new products to the global market. Celebrating their 25th anniversary, the JEC Composites Innovation Awards recognized 11 collaborative achievements, reflecting the industry’s dedication to providing new solutions for all application sectors of composites. Finally, for its 6th edition, the JEC Composites Startup Booster competition, now firmly established as the best competition for startups in the advanced materials sector, rewarded 3 projects showing impressive market potential.

JEC World is not only the trade show of the composites industry but over the last decades it has become a unique festival of composites, where visitors from beyond this industry and from various application sectors can be inspired and discover what composites can offer them. The must-visit JEC Innovation Planets have presented some of the most innovative and spectacular vehicles, vessels, design and industrial objects made of composites in the recent months. Many exhibitors have added to parts and components to this showcase, from flying cars, to eVTOLs and high-end sports cars. Dedicated villages within the exhibition provided the opportunity to showcase key industry trends such as the Natural Fibers Village, mirroring the strong interest in bio-based raw materials, or the 3D Printing Village, highlighting the momentum of various additive manufacturing technologies.

JEC World’s conference program, once again, shone a light on the topic that has been driving the industry for some years now: sustainability. Covering all aspects of sustainability within the composites value chain, the conference program underlined the essential role of composites in reducing CO2 emissions and energy consumption by lightweighting, but also in ensuring long lasting performance and durability, thanks to the unique properties of composites. In parallel to the conference program, the exhibits and solutions presented by the exhibitors have shown the strong commitment of the whole composites industry to sustainability.

The next edition will take place still in Paris from 5 to 7 March 2024, with, according to the organizer, 58% of the exhibition space has already been booked