Page 46 - Plastics News January 2026
P. 46
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
PLASTICS ASSOCIATION, SPE FORMALLY
MOVE AHEAD ON MERGER
“Today marks a significant milestone and an im-
portant step forward for the entire plastics in-
dustry,” said Matt Seaholm, president and CEO
of the Plastics Industry Association. “By formally
aligning…we are combining deep technical ex-
pertise with strong industry leadership to better
he merger agreement between plastics
trade organizations the Plastics Industry serve our members and strengthen the plastics
TAssociation and the Society of Plastics value chain. This decision is the result of months
Engineers (SPE), has now been finalized. of collaboration and underscores our shared
commitment to innovation, workforce develop-
In a Jan. 1 statement, the two associations said ment, and ensuring plastics continue to deliver
that they have formally moved ahead with plans meaningful solutions.”
for the merger.
SPE’s former CEO, Patrick Farrey, will become
“In recent weeks, both executive committees executive vice president of SPE and chief inte-
voted to approve the final agreement, formally gration officer within the plastics association.
endorsing a recommendation developed by a
joint task group charged with evaluating a uni- “For SPE members, this marks a new chapter of
fied future for the two organizations,” the state- opportunity,” Farley said. “Our technical exper-
ment said. tise and professional development programs will
now reach a broader audience, strengthened by
The plan brings SPE employees onto the staff the resources, advocacy, and global platform
of the Plastics Industry Association, creates a [the Plastics Industry Association] provides. We
collaborative governance framework, and es- are ‘Better Together’ and are well-equipped to
tablishes a timeline for the next six months to continue supporting plastics professionals while
put in place a long-term structure that achieves advancing the industry as a whole.”
the groups’ shared goals. “2026 will be a period
of integration as these two storied associations The statement said that, consistent with the
align, work closely together, and maximize value original agreement the two groups reached in
for their members,” the statement said. September, that SPE will become a division of
the plastics association, governed by an execu-
As outlined in the original October announce- tive committee modelled after SPE’s current
ment, the Danbury, Conn.-based SPE will be- leadership structure.
come of a division of the Washington-based
Plastics Industry Association, with SPE employ- SPE members will retain their membership sta-
ees joining the staff of the association. tus and benefits within the new division.
Source - https://www.canplastics.com/
46 PLASTICS NEWS January 2026
