The 60th anniversary of JEC World is fast approaching, making this edition a must-attend event more than ever for professionals keen to explore the latest advancements and trends in composites.
JEC’s head of events programs, Benjamin Debusschère, sees this milestone anniversary as a reflection of the development of composite materials and their remarkable expansion over that period.
This also inspired this year’s theme, ‘Pushing the Limits.’ “This is exactly what our industry is doing every day to replace traditional materials with composites that are more efficient,” Debusschère said.
On our side, we are eagerly anticipating the inaugural Investor Day, and we are also looking forward to seeing live pitches from the Startup Booster finalists we helped select. We caught up with Benjamin to share more about what you can expect from this special edition.
Editor’s note: This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
How will the event celebrate its milestone 60th anniversary? What new highlights can attendees expect in 2025?
Promoting innovation is always one of JEC World’s main objectives. In 2025, we will highlight Innovation Awards winners throughout the show, within the Innovation Planets dedicated to “mobility” and “industry, and at the entrance with a retrospective of the composites used in the design and architecture sectors.
In addition, we have extended the Live Demo Zone, and thanks to participating exhibitors, we’ll have another spectacular showcase of manufacturing technologies. We also look to the future with the JEC Composites Startup Booster which recognizes innovation with the greatest potential market impact.
For the first time in 2025, we have created a “Village” dedicated to Research and Innovation projects, led by consortiums of companies, universities and research centres that will have the opportunity to present their projects on the Open Stage. For the first time, this Open Stage will also host Sampe Technical sessions with technical presentations and the new Young Engineers challenge organized by Sampe Global.
A record number of attendees is expected this year. What do you think is driving this growth?
One factor is the record number of exhibitors, which will drive a record number of attendees to the show. Industry giants such as 3M, Daher, Hexcel, Mitsubishi, Owens Corning, Syensqo, Teijin Carbon, and Toray have confirmed their presence, and 99 new exhibitors, including Biesterfeld, Reichenbacher, and Kawasaki Heavy Industries, are notably joining the global showcase for the first time, proving the industry’s dynamism.
This goes with the growing demand for lighter and more efficient materials from various application sectors, such as Aeronautics, automotive, marine or sporting goods, to name a few.
The theme for 2025 is “Pushing the Limits.” What inspired this choice, and how does it reflect the latest trends and challenges in the composites industry?
This choice is linked to 60 years of growth of our industry, and its capacity to push boundaries over the years to match industrial challenges: lightness, better durability, low maintenance and higher resistance.
The latest trends are linked to these challenges: Recyclability and circularity; Automation and advanced manufacturing; and Materials mix, all reflecting a common search for improving environmental impact.
Innovation plays a key role in the composites industry. How does JEC World support entrepreneurship and foster startups?
The Composites Industry is always innovating, which is why Innovation is one of JEC’s three pillars. Startups always bring new innovations and help the industry move forward. Therefore to support entrepreneurship and foster startups, JEC launched the Startup Booster competition in 2017. In less than ten years, it has become a reference for entrepreneurs and startups in the Composites Industry.
Could you share more details about Investor Day? What opportunities does it provide for startups and investors?
The JEC Investor Day is a new initiative we are launching this year. We will welcome 20 influential investors in the deep tech and cleantech industries for an exclusive day on March 5th. It gives these investors an opportunity to discover JEC World and the Composites Industry, and meet with the 50+ startups attending this edition.
Conversely, startups always need to raise funds to bring their innovative solutions to the market, and therefore, JEC wants to help this young generation by providing them with exclusive networking opportunities with investors.
Are there any standout success stories among former Startup Booster winners that you’d like to highlight?
My favorite success story of Startup Booster is when Mercedes-Benz, one of Startup Booster’s sponsors, met with one of the finalists, UBQ Materials, a cleantech startup from Israel, during JEC World.
UBQ Materials develops a pioneering solution that converts mixed household waste (organic and hard-to-recycle materials) into a cost-competitive composite material that removes greenhouse gas emissions, reduces the need for conventional plastics and minimizes the extraction of natural resources.
Following their meeting, Mercedes-Benz started a proof-of-concept with UBQ Materials, and today some of the materials manufactured by UBQ are incorporated into Mercedes-Benz vehicles.
The Live Demonstration Area was introduced at JEC World 2024. What led to the decision to bring it back for 2025?
The Live Demo Area was a great success when we introduced it last year, so it was natural and obvious to bring it back for 2025 — and make it even bigger.
This year, it will showcase a total of 26 live demos, including processes such as Out of Autoclave, Vacuum Membranes, Closed Mold Silicon Bag, Large Scale Additive Manufacturing and Vacuum Infusion.
JEC World 2025 aims to be “a responsible event serving a responsible industry.” How do you plan to achieve this goal?
Since 2019, JEC World has been committed to reducing its environmental impact and adopting ‘state-of-the-art materials and techniques to make JEC World one of the leading exhibitions for sustainability in France. Constant progress has been made thanks to our exhibitors’ and suppliers’ involvement. Here are some of our sustainability commitments:
Recyclable carpet: The carpets used in the aisles, welcome areas and animations, and also on equipped booths, are specially designed to be recycled. With a latex-free design and production that does not require water, its manufacturing consumes 85% less energy than traditional carpet. This carpet (Rewind type) will be 100% recycled after the show.
100% recycled cotton: The cotton used to cover the equipped booth partitions, the welcome areas and animations is also 100% recycled at the end of the show.
Sustainable signage: We recycle 100% of the signs on the equipped booths, and 90% of our signage is made of cardboard instead of non-woven textiles, to encourage recycling.
Responsible print media: All our materials (JEC Composites Magazine, Buyer’s Guide, Visitor’s Guide) are printed on recycled paper and will be recycled after the show.
Ecological welcome tools: All our welcoming tools (bags, lanyards and badge holders) are printed on recycled materials and will be recycled after the show.
Lastly, what essential tips would you give first-time attendees to help them navigate the event successfully?
It’s important to prepare for your visit to the show. The best thing to do is to download the JEC World App, where you can find all information about the show and especially schedule business meetings with exhibitors and visitors. Visiting the Discover Composites Area and the two Innovation Planets is also a good starting point to understand what composites can bring to various industries.