Polymers for Lightweight Applications

Polymers for Lightweight Applications unites regulators, brand owners, converters, OEMs, and sustainability leaders to examine the full landscape of modern lightweighting. Participants will explore the regulatory forces reshaping material choices, assess new recyclable and biodegradable options, discover proven processing and design innovations from converters and OEMs, and see how lightweighting delivers measurable sustainability and circular-economy benefits across industries.

Session Topics

1. Regulatory Pressures & Market Shifts
Why materials such as EPS, PU, XPS, PVC foams, phenolics, and others are under growing scrutiny—and what industries need as replacements.

2. Next-Generation Foam & Lightweight Materials
Exploring recyclable foams and other emerging lightweight technologies as scalable, sustainable alternatives.

3. Recyclable vs. Biodegradable: Choosing the Right Path
Understanding the practical trade-offs between durable, recyclable polymers and biodegradable options in different applications.

4. Industrialized Lightweighting: OEM & Converter Solutions in Action
Converters and OEMs present proven, market-ready processing and design innovations that reduce weight without sacrificing performance. This session highlights disruptive technologies that are already commercialized—advanced foam molding, thin-wall injection, hybrid polymer structures, and other production-scale methods—showing real business results in automotive, construction, and reusable packaging.

5. Lightweighting as a Sustainability Enabler
How lighter polymers reduce emissions, improve efficiency, and create circular value across industries, with case studies and cross-industry perspectives.