On 20 and 21 May 2026, the Plasturgie & Environnement conference was held in Douai, at IMT Nord Europe. Organised by the French Society of Plastics Engineers (SFIP) and IMT Nord Europe, the event brought together industrial, academic, institutional and technical stakeholders to discuss the key challenges of sustainable plastics processing and eco-responsible composites.
This new edition covered a wide range of topics at the heart of the sector’s environmental transition: European regulatory developments, circularity perspectives, the development of bio-based, low-carbon and biodegradable materials, mechanical and chemical recycling, eco-design, plastic pollution, microplastics, life cycle assessment, textiles, composites and the recovery of plastic materials.
In this context, Kady SAKO, a PhD student at IMT Nord Europe in Douai and involved in the Interreg RE-ASSIGN project, presented the project during the Young Talents: PhD Students, 2-Minute Pitches & Posters session. This session, dedicated to young researchers, highlighted work focusing on materials, recycling and the environmental challenges associated with the plastics industry of tomorrow.
The project’s participation in this conference provided an opportunity to recall its objectives, strengthen its visibility among stakeholders in the plastics sector and discuss industrial needs related to the recovery of plastic streams. The issue of sampling was particularly discussed around the cross-border RE-ASSIGN poster.
We would like to thank the organisers, SFIP and IMT Nord Europe, as well as all speakers and participants, for the quality of the discussions and their commitment to a more sustainable plastics industry.
Companies or stakeholders with post-consumer or pre-consumer plastic streams to recover, or wishing to discuss issues related to recycling, characterisation and the integration of recycled materials, are invited to contact the RE-ASSIGN project team to identify possible collaborations.