Having occupied the leadership position nationwide in the past couple of decades, the plastics industry in South China's Guangdong province is striving to go environment-friendly and high-tech to further hone its competitive edge.

Local manufacturers are expecting the up-and-coming industrial event Chinaplas 2017, the leading industrial plastics and rubber expo in China and across Asia, to give a further boost to the sector.

Organized by Adsale Exhibition Services, Chinaplas 2017 will be held in Guangzhou from May 16 to 19.

"Guangdong has been restructuring its plastics industry in recent years, and we're pinning great hopes on the forthcoming event to be a big help to our development," said Fu An, chairman of Guangdong Plastics Industry Association.

Fu said that state-of-the-art technologies, new materials and equipment will be on show at the expo, as well as the latest news and opinion from industry experts.

Guangdong's leadership in plastics industry has remained unchallenged in China for more than 20 years. Statistics from the provincial plastics industry association indicate that the province produced 10.05 million tons of plastics in 2016, accounting for 13.02 percent of the national total. Its industrial output value makes up 19.69 percent and Guangdong exports make up about one third of the nation's total.

China's industrial output of plastics reached 77.17 million tons in 2016, with exports valued at 399.79 billion yuan ($58 billion), making it the largest plastics supplier in the world.

According to Stanley Chu, chairman of Adsale, more than 3,300 exhibitors worldwide will exhibit at the 250,000-sq-m Chinaplas 2017.

They will display their innovative products and technological developments ranging from green solutions, high-performance new materials, and intelligent equipment.

Green solutions will run the gamut of advanced equipment whicih can achieve zero-VOC (volatile organic compounds) emissions, degradable and recyclable materials that enable lightweight, multifunctional and low-carbon products; and high-performance new materials, those applicable to lightweight vehicles, thinner and lighter consumer electronic devices, improved food safety and reduced carbon footprints in building and construction, while intelligent equipment will feature mechanical arms, robots, automated systems, controllers, actuators and sensors.