On 16–18 September in Budapest, the seventh edition of the Central European Plastics Meeting (CEPM 2025) took place, one of the key events for the plastics industry in Central Europe. The format combined a trade fair, a conference and pre-arranged B2B meetings, facilitating the link between knowledge exchange and concrete commercial discussions. 450 participants from the region took part. The organizers prepared networking areas and meeting booths, and short, 30-minute sessions made it possible to quickly verify cooperation opportunities, discuss market needs and review new technologies. Over three days, nearly 1,500 one-to-one B2B meetings were held at 18 meeting tables and at more than 30 meeting booths. In parallel, an extensive conference program focused on the state of the European plastics market, the impact of regulations on production and exports, innovations in plastics engineering and packaging, and issues of sustainability and waste management. During the event, the Recycling Industry Declaration was announced, highlighting the industry's commitments to the circular economy and recycling. CEPM 2025 confirmed that combining substantive content with effective networking increases the business potential of meetings.
B2B meetings
Pre-arranged B2B meetings were the core of the event, held at 18 discussion tables in networking areas and at more than 30 meeting booths. Over three days, nearly 1,500 one-to-one meetings were conducted. The 30-minute format supported concrete arrangements regarding cooperation, technologies and market needs.
Conference program
In parallel with the business meetings, a three-day conference program was held devoted to the plastics market situation in Europe and globally. Topics included:
- competitiveness of the European chemical industry,
- regulations and their impact on production and exports,
- innovations in plastics engineering and packaging,
- waste management and sustainability,
- collaboration between academia and industry.
During the event, the Recycling Industry Declaration was issued, underscoring the industry's commitments to the circular economy and recycling.
Summary and outlook
The seventh edition of CEPM showed that effective business meetings can go hand in hand with a substantive program. Participants established new contacts, exchanged experience and identified directions for potential projects. It was announced that the next edition of CEPM will be held in Novi Sad, Serbia.
A photo report from the event and an interview with the organizer are also available.
