World Tube Congress 2026 in Lisbon

etma brings the global tube industry together for exchange, insight and innovation

The World Tube Congress 2026, organised by the European Tube Manufacturers Association (etma), took place on 21 May in Lisbon, bringing together a highly diverse and international audience from across the entire tube value chain.

The congress began the evening before with an informal get-together, offering participants the opportunity to reconnect, exchange views and set the tone for two days of intensive dialogue. The event concluded with a gala dinner following the congress, providing a fitting setting to continue discussions in a more relaxed atmosphere.

Strong participation across the entire value chain

This year’s congress confirmed strong and growing industry engagement, with broad international participation across the tube value chain. Of etma’s 24 member companies, 20 were present in Lisbon with 52 participants. In addition, 51 non-member companies joined the event with 88 participants, including speakers. In total, the congress brought together 143 participants.

The high level of participation reflected the breadth of the industry, with representation across the full value chain—from machinery suppliers, coatings and ink manufacturers, raw material providers and closure producers to tube manufacturers and brand owners—covering aluminium, plastic and laminate technologies across global markets.

A platform for exchange and industry alignment

The World Tube Congress once again confirmed its role as more than a conference. It is a working platform for the industry—bringing together different perspectives to discuss developments, challenges and opportunities across all tube materials.

The programme highlighted an industry operating in a dynamic environment. While markets continue to develop unevenly across regions, companies face ongoing pressure from energy costs, raw materials and labour. At the same time, regulatory developments—particularly in Europe—are reshaping requirements in recyclability and sustainability.

Despite these challenges, the outlook remains positive. Demand in key application areas such as cosmetics, pharmaceuticals and food continues to be strong. Ongoing innovation in materials, lightweight design, manufacturing technologies and recycling solutions further strengthens the long-term resilience of the tube as a packaging format.

In this context, etma continues to play an important role by facilitating exchange, providing reliable market data and benchmarking, and ensuring that the industry’s voice is heard in relevant regulatory and policy discussions.

Programme highlights: plenary and breakout sessions

The congress opened with a series of high-level plenary presentations, bringing together perspectives from across the value chain. Brand owners provided strategic insights into evolving packaging requirements and sustainability roadmaps, with contributions from Haleon and L’Oréal, highlighting developments in pharmaceutical and cosmetic packaging as well as long-term circularity strategies. Complementing these perspectives, Bispharma Packaging shared an in-depth view on developments in the Brazilian flexible tubes market, while etma President Zoran Joksic presented an overview of current trends and structural developments in the European tube market.

In the afternoon, participants divided into three dedicated breakout streams for aluminium, plastic and laminate tubes, where the focus shifted to material-specific challenges and innovation pathways across recycling, regulation, coatings, barrier performance and market development. A further focus was placed on market intelligence and data-driven analysis, with CRU and Kunststoff Information providing insights into aluminium and polymer market dynamics, including raw material price trends and their impact on tube production. These perspectives were complemented by broader industry analysis of global plastics flows and recycling gaps presented by Conversio, highlighting the structural challenges in securing sufficient recycled material supply.

From a regulatory and technical perspective, RecyClass and AliaXion Consulting addressed design-for-recycling criteria and PPWR compliance, while Control Union provided insights into sustainability certification frameworks relevant for tube manufacturers in the evolving European regulatory landscape. In addition, Nehring Consultants discussed future developments in coating technologies, and EVAL Europe (Kuraray) presented innovations in EVOH materials for laminate tube applications.

The success of the World Tube Congress was made possible through the contributions of many individuals and partners. Special thanks go to all speakers for sharing their expertise and insights, helping to make the congress a valuable platform for knowledge exchange and industry reflection. etma also gratefully acknowledges its sponsors—Aisa, Aluman, Bergiplast, Hinterkopf, KM Packaging, Packsys Global and Sherwin-Williams—whose support enables the high-quality organisation of the event and contributes to its networking and social programme.

The World Tube Congress 2026 in Lisbon once again confirmed the importance of etma as a central platform for dialogue in the global tube industry. With strong participation, high-quality presentations and active exchange across all sessions, the event provided an ideal setting for shaping the future of aluminium, plastic and laminate tubes.