2026 SPE International Polyolefins Conference
Call for Papers – Society of Plastics Engineers International Polyolefins Conference 2026
The SPE South Texas Section in collaboration with the SPE Polymer Modifiers and Additives Division, the Thermoplastic Materials and Foams Division, the Engineering Properties and Structures Division, the Building and Infrastructure Division, the Applied Rheology Division, and the Flexible Packaging Division are organizing sessions in the following emerging areas of interest:
- Impact of modeling, machine learning, and artificial intelligence on process optimization and product design
- Novel Waste Collection, Sorting, and Pre-Processing Technologies
- Advanced Mechanical, Chemical and Solvation Recycling
- Alternative and Biological Feedstocks for Polyolefins
- Polyolefins in building and infrastructure (including recycled plastics and PE pipe)
- Polyolefins in extreme applications – aerospace, defense, energy
- Medical or healthcare applications of polyolefins
- Flexible and rigid packaging advances
- Regulatory drivers (includes circularity, International Plastics Treaty)
- Safer materials – applications and challenges (includes microplastics)
- Design for circularity and use of LCA’s
Traditional topics of focus for our sector continue to be of interest:
- Advances in the polyolefins process, catalyst, and application technologies
- Advances in polyolefin polymerization processes
- Modeling and experimental advances in applied rheology
- Catalysts and catalysis (includes to enable recycling)
- New processor- and converter-driven technologies and applications
- Polyolefin elastomers, composites, and foams
- Polyolefin additives and modifiers (includes enabling recycling/recycled content)
- Advanced polyolefin characterization
- Automotive applications- impact modifiers, EVs, and lightweighting
- Advances in polyolefin extrusion
Speakers should submit abstracts via the event portal, beginning by entering an email address and then choosing “NEXT”. All accepted speakers will be notified in November, at which point they will be asked to prepare and share a PowerPoint slide deck, or .pdf, of the presentation ahead of the conference in February. Speakers should plan for a talk that lasts 30 minutes, including time for Q&A
All speakers receive free registration for the conference.
The 2026 International Polyolefins Conference will be an in-person event with virtual access to recorded presentations and slides made available on demand. We are excited to continue the legacy of impactful keynote speakers while expanding the number of speakers in our technical program. This year we are planning to include 24 sessions and over 130 speakers from Monday noon (February 23) to lunchtime on Thursday (February 26). With over 900 attendees at last year’s conference, the technical program will allow for engagement on a broad range of topics reaching professionals in every corner of the Polyolefins industry.
- November 3, 2025: Abstract submission deadline
- November 21, 2025: Speakers notified of submission status (accepted or rejected)
- Feb 6, 2026: Deadline for finalized presentation submission