Plastics News
Upcoming Industry Events:
Women Breaking the Mold 2021
Thursday, November 11, 2021 – Friday, November 12, 2021
Hilton Austin, Austin, Texas
Register Here: https://web.cvent.com/event/1a70c7ca-d7e6-4bc8-8bde- 8f70b9809ba8/summary
Current Trending Topics in the News with Links to Articles:
- Governmental and Lobbying:
2. Features and News Articles:
PP, PS and PVC resins close out August with higher prices
https://www.plasticsnews.com/news/pp-ps-and-pvc-resins-close-out-august-higher-prices
Summer came to a close in North America with August price increases for polypropylene, polystyrene and PVC resins.
Regional prices for polyethylene resins and PET bottle resin finished flat for the month, but a PE increase attempt didn’t go down without a fight.
Increases seen by PP, PS and PVC were the result of solid demand and some supply restrictions. September is shaping up to be a mixed bag for commodity resins, as markets were affected by Hurricane Ida in different ways in late August.
The pandemic’s impact evident on packaging
https://www.plasticsnews.com/news/pandemics-impact-evident-packaging
Someday there will be discussion about COVID-19 in the past tense. But that day isn’t today. As the pandemic has dragged along, plastics packaging companies have pivoted again and again, dodging and dealing with issues as they arose. As they arise.
Safety. Labor. Supply chain. Consumer behavior. And some surprises.
“The beginning of the pandemic, we thought there would be a slowdown in the need or the move for sustainability,” Rebecca Casey, senior vice president of marketing and strategy at TC Transcontinental Packaging, recalled during a panel discussion at the Plastics Caps & Closures 2021 conference.
But that really has not happened at the flexible packaging maker.
3. Recycling
Plastic circularity success requires money, education, design
https://www.plasticsnews.com/news/plastic-circularity-success-requires-money-education- design
Success in creating a circular economy will not happen with a single solution or even two.
For Diane Marret, sustainability director for Berry Global Group Inc.’s Consumer Packaging North America division, change requires investment in recycling facilities and expansion to recycled resin access.
There also must be more education for both the plastics industry and consumers as well as an emphasis on designing for recyclability.
“The challenges are big. The market is ever-changing,” Marret said Sept. 20 during a presentation during the first day of the Plastic Caps & Closures 2021 conference, organized by Plastics News. “But the accomplishments are so rewarding. Each time one of our new innovations is launched, I can see how our work is helping to create long-term solutions to maximize for circularity.
We have an opening to eliminate plastic in the environment. Let’s not waste it.
https://www.plasticsnews.com/perspective/we-have-opening-eliminate-plastic-environment-lets- not-waste-it
We all agree we must solve the issue of plastic waste in the environment. According to a Harris poll from this spring, more than eight in 10 U.S. adults are concerned about the impact companies have on our global plastic waste issue. In response, many companies are stepping up and doing their part, as more than 400 companies worldwide have committed to work toward eliminating plastic packaging waste and major industry leaders like Coca-Cola and Unilever have promised to increase the amount of recycled content in their packaging to help reduce waste.
But there’s a problem: We’re not recycling enough plastic for companies to meet those commitments. For years, the United States has recycled only about 9 percent of the plastic that it produces, and that number has actually fallen to 8 percent, according to the most recent data from 2019. Why? Our recycling system isn’t built to handle the amount of plastic we need to recycle and return to usable condition in order to achieve national and global sustainability targets while reducing waste. On top of that, according to The Recycling Partnership, 40 percent of Americans lack equitable access to recycling.
There’s a clear solution. In order to create more sources of recycled plastic and keep more plastic out of landfills or the environment, we need a national recycling system designed to manufacture and use plastics while considering recycling every step of the way. The entire plastics value chain, including plastic resin manufacturers, converters and brand owners, consumers and most importantly governments must invest in a circular economy for plastics, including new recycling infrastructure and innovation.
Plastics Recycling World Magazine
Link to September 2021 Issue:
https://content.yudu.com/web/1rl19/0A42x3p/PRWSept21/html/index.html
(the publication does not permit hyperlinking to individual articles, but we list those articles of interest, below, so that you might refer to them)
Current Trending Topics:
PlasticsEurope Calls For 30% Mandatory Recycled Content
PlasticsEurope, the pan-European association representing polymer producers, says there should be a mandatory EU recycled content target for plastics packaging of 30% by 2030.
Sorting Technologies Are Flying Ahead
Innovations to improve the sorting of post-consumer plastics are being developed that encompass robots, data, optical sorting technology and identifier solutions.
Clariant Research Looks at Black Sorting Problem
A recent research paper takes a deep dive into the issue of NIR identifiability of black and coloured plastics used for packaging.
Unleashing the Potential in Rigid Plastics
Alliances from organizations spanning all parts of the value chain are being formed to find new solutions for rigid packaging recycling.
Key Role for Granulators in Circular Economy Drive
High quality and efficient granulation is essential for effective plastics recycling. Here we look at the steps manufacturers are taking to meet industry demands.
Upcoming Events:
Smart Packaging (New Event) December 14 – December 16, 2021 Virtual Event
Link to register: https://www.ami-events.com/event/d9e54ae7-2ce5-444d-9803- b50311d83fe0/summary?rt=ZJWqCFC1sUuPSrZfsYSo5A&RefId=AMI%20Magazines- home&utm_campaign=210311_VE0023_PA_IR_Conf_US_Prospect_Attendees_AMIMag_Hom e&utm_medium=advert&utm_source=amimag
Chemical Recycling Europe September 27 -28, 2021 Intercontinental Hotel Dusseldorf, Germany
To Book Your Space:
https://www.ami.international/events/event?Code=C1153&utm_source=amimag&utm_medium=advert&utm_campaign=201 102_C1153_PA_IR_Conf_UK_Prospect_Attendees_amimag
Plastics Recycling World EXPO
September 29 – 30, 2021 Messe Essen, Germany
To Book Your Stand: https://go.ami.international/expos-eu-2021- exhibit/?utm_source=AMI_Mag&utm_medium=Panel_Advert&utm_campaign=200817_E000_PA_BYS_Exhib_UK_Prospect_Exhibit ors_AMIMag_magazine&utm_content=book_your_stand
Plastics Recycling Technology
October 20 – 21, 2021 Hotel Savoyen Vienna, Austria
To Book Your Place: https://www.ami.international/events/event?Code=C1137&utm_source=amimag&utm_medium=advert&utm_campaig n=200716_C1137
Polymer Sourcing & Distribution
October 4 -6, 2021 Hotel Grand Elysee Hamburg, Germany To Book Your Space:
=201126_C1138_OA_IR_Conf_UK_Prospect_Attendees
Plastics Recycling World EXPO USA
November 3 – 4, 2021 Huntington Convention Center Cleveland, Ohio
To Book Your Stand: https://go.ami.international/expos-us-2021- exhibit/?utm_source=AMI_Mag&utm_medium=Panel_Advert&utm_campaign=200817_E000_PA_BYS_Exhib_US_Prospect_Exhibit ors_AMIMag&utm_content=book_your_booth
Plastics Regulations
Virtual Summit
November 29 – December 2
To Register: https://www.ami-events.com/event/e85e39b2-a603-405e-93b5-32e7f8db72e2/summary?RefId=AMI Mag&utm_campaign=210526_VE0040_PA_IR_Conf_UK_Prospect_Attendees_AMIMag&utm_medium=advert&utm_ source=AMImag