Women in Plastics Italy (WIPS-It) has completed its first year of activity with the 2025 Annual Meeting held on 28 November at the Hotel Acquaviva del Garda in Desenzano del Garda. The event brought together members, companies, professionals and institutional representatives to review the association's first twelve months, discuss its development and present upcoming initiatives for 2026. The strong attendance, including both women and men from different segments of the rubber and plastics industry, underscored the association's inclusive approach and its stated aim of fostering a more equitable, open and collaborative culture across the sector.
Established in October 2024, Women in Plastics Italy focuses on promoting female talent and on supporting an inclusive and sustainable culture within the plastics value chain. In its first year the association has grown to 160 members. Its activities include training courses, networking initiatives, cooperation with the academic world and communication campaigns designed to promote an informed and responsible image of plastics and their role in society. The 2025 Annual Meeting was structured to reflect these areas of activity, with a programme that combined institutional interventions, thematic panels and direct dialogue between industry and academia.
Annual Meeting programme and key themes
The 2025 Annual Meeting featured a full agenda of presentations and discussions. In the opening sessions, the association presented an overview of its growth trajectory during the first year and highlighted selected initiatives carried out since its founding. These included examples of training and networking actions, as well as collaborations aimed at improving understanding of plastics, their applications and their contribution to society when managed responsibly along the entire life cycle.
The programme also provided a preview of activities planned for 2026. According to the outline presented during the meeting, the coming year will include workshops, training sessions and opportunities for personal and professional development targeted at members and stakeholders. These initiatives are intended to consolidate the association's role as a platform for skills enhancement, exchange of experiences and development of inclusive practices in companies operating in the rubber and plastics sectors.
Institutional contribution and focus on gender gap
An institutional address by Hon. Martina Semenzato, President of the Parliamentary Committee of Inquiry on Feminicide, provided a central contribution to the morning session. Her intervention focused on gender equality and social responsibility, with particular emphasis on the role of work and economic independence for women. She underlined these factors as essential tools to counter all forms of violence, connecting broader social issues with the working context of the plastics industry.
The morning continued with an in-depth discussion dedicated to the gender gap and to awareness as a lever for change. Within this framework, participants examined the conditions that still limit equal opportunities, as well as possible actions by companies and organisations to promote more inclusive career paths. The debate linked the reduction of the gender gap to broader objectives of sustainability and corporate responsibility, themes that WIPS-It places at the core of its mission.
Afternoon sessions: professional relocation and equality pathways
In the afternoon, attention turned to the development of the new WIPS-It website, with a specific focus on professional relocation. The work in progress on the digital platform was presented as a tool intended to support members in career transitions and to facilitate the meeting between professional skills and the needs of companies in the plastics sector. The topic of professional relocation was framed as part of a broader approach to supporting employability and mobility for women and men working in the industry.
An additional panel addressed practical pathways toward equality, presenting concrete experiences from the business world. These contributions illustrated how companies are approaching issues such as inclusion, equal opportunities and the enhancement of diverse professional profiles. In a subsequent session, the focus shifted to dialogue with young people and representatives of the academic world. This segment of the programme opened perspectives for new training and collaborative projects, with the objective of building closer connections between education, research and industrial practice in the plastics field.
The day concluded with a moment of synthesis, during which the main messages and outcomes of the meeting were summarised, followed by closing remarks and farewells. Alongside the formal sessions, the organisers placed strong emphasis on networking opportunities. Lunch served as a symbolic occasion to celebrate the association's first anniversary, while informal exchanges throughout the day were highlighted as essential for creating new relationships, sharing experiences and strengthening the professional network built around WIPS-It.
Membership growth and international interest
Reflecting on the first year, President Miriam Olivi commented on the association's development and on the response from the plastics community. She stated: "We are proud of what we have built: in just one year, we have grown to a community of 160 professionals, a result that demonstrates the urgency and value of our mission. Even more significant is seeing that the Italian model is inspiring similar initiatives abroad. This confirms that we are on the right track". Her remarks linked the internal consolidation of WIPS-It with emerging interest in comparable initiatives in other countries, suggesting that the Italian experience may serve as a reference for international efforts to promote inclusion in the plastics industry.
The association's growth in membership and activities is presented by its leadership as evidence of a demand within the sector for structured spaces where issues of gender, inclusion and sustainability can be addressed systematically. At the same time, WIPS-It positions itself as a platform through which companies and professionals can contribute to improving the public perception of plastics by highlighting responsible practices and the material's role in modern economies.
2026 membership now open
During the meeting, WIPS-It officially opened registration for 2026. Membership is available to individuals and organisations. Both women and men can join, as well as companies, associations and other legal entities, either as supporting members or as associate members. All categories of members are invited to contribute to the association's mission in line with its founding principles.
According to WIPS-It, members commit to promoting a culture of sustainability aimed at fostering a positive image of plastic, emphasising its essential nature and value when produced, used and managed responsibly. At the same time, the association underlines the importance of creating inclusive and respectful working environments that guarantee equal opportunities for all. In this perspective, the association links sector-specific objectives with broader social goals, integrating professional development, diversity and sustainability within a single framework of action.
