Plastics News
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Women Breaking the Mold 2021
Thursday, November 11, 2021 – Friday, November 12, 2021
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Current Trending Topics in the News with Links to Articles:
- Governmental and Lobbying:
- Features and News Articles:
Some unexpected calm for most resin prices in September
https://www.plasticsnews.com/news/some-unexpected-calm-most-resin-prices-september
September brought a bit of calm to volatile North American resin markets, with only two commodity materials seeing modest price changes. North American PVC resin prices saw a small increase for the month, with regional polypropylene prices down slightly and prices for all other commodity resins flat.
Ocean Cleanup says redesigned collector removes plastics from the Pacific
The Dutch non-profit group Ocean Cleanup hauled almost 64,000 pounds of plastic out of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch after 2½ months of testing the latest iteration of its collection system.
Dubbed Jenny, System 002 had been modified from a passive U-shaped collector of plastic to an active system with two propulsion units that not only increased its speed and efficiency but enabled steering control.
Salmon: Wendy’s move to plastic cups ‘an incredibly important first step’
https://www.plasticsnews.com/news/salmon-wendys-move-plastic-cups-incredibly-important-first-step
In a move that will directly touch millions of consumers, fast-food giant Wendy’s is ditching paper cups in favor of polypropylene with recycled content.
The switch to single-substrate plastic cups supplied by Berry Global Group Inc. for all sizes is being touted by the restaurant company as being more environmentally friendly compared with the current use of polyethylene-lined paper cups.
Transitioning to all-plastic clear cups also will include the initial introduction of 20 percent recycled content supplied by resin maker LyondellBasell Industries.
Report says US plastics industry a growing contributor to greenhouse gas
A new report says the U.S. plastics industry is a large and growing contributor to greenhouse gas emissions and will be more responsible for climate change than the coal industry within a few years.
“We are in a climate crisis,” Judith Enck, president of the report’s sponsor, Beyond Plastics, said at an Oct. 21 news conference. “If we have any hope of effectively driving down greenhouse gas emissions, the production and the use and disposal of plastics has to be on the agenda.”
A new report seeks to quantify how the U.S. plastics industry contributes to greenhouse gas emissions through its entire life cycle. It concludes that plastics are on track to being a bigger climate change problem than coal by 2030.
- Recycling
Canada plastics pact members have ‘eyes wide open’ on costs to go green
https://www.plasticsnews.com/news/canada-plastics-pact-eyes-wide-open-costs-go-green
Canada recycles just 12 percent of its plastic packaging — about 21 percent of its rigid containers but only 1 percent of its flexible packaging. A new plan released Oct. 21 from some major consumer product companies and other groups, however, hopes to change that.
The Canada Plastics Pact released a road map outlining actions its member companies, including big brands like Coca-Cola Canada and Walmart Canada, will undertake to recycle or compost 50 percent of plastic packaging by 2025 and meet other targets.
Kickstart: Everyone is going green
https://www.plasticsnews.com/blog/kickstart-everyone-going-green
Before anyone knew anything about COVID-19, sustainability was the biggest issue facing the global plastics industry.
This week at Fakuma 2021, it appears the industry is picking up on sustainability issues exactly where it left off in October 2019 at the K show. The need to be green — whether in terms of bio-based plastics, increased recycled content in consumer products or machines that use less energy — permeated the show floor in Friedrichshafen, Germany.
Plastic waste issues boosting business for recycling equipment firms
https://www.plasticsnews.com/news/plastic-waste-issues-boosting-business-recycling-equipment-firms
Today is a good day to be in the plastics recycling business. Tomorrow as well. And for the foreseeable future.
With rising interest and appetite for recycled-based products and packaging, demand remains strong for plastics recycling equipment as 2021 looks to turn into 2022. Company officials contacted on the Fakuma trade show floor to discuss market conditions do not expect that to change anytime soon.
Plastics Recycling World Magazine
Link to October 2021 Issue:
(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:
Taking On Odors
Odor is one of the the biggest problems for recyclers looking to supply products for high value, sensitive application.
The demand for plastic recyclates from post-consumer waste is growing but one unpalatable aspect of these materials is their often unpleasant odor. Removing these smells is a prerequisite if PCR is to substitute virgin plastics in new products, especially when those products are likely to come close to consumer noses.
Building Knowledge on Additives for Recyclate
R&D in additives is leading to development of products that counter degradation and improve the properties of recyclate so they match the quality of virgin materials.
The plastics industry is working hard to find ways to incorporate higher content of recyclate – especially post-consumer recyclate – in many key applications in order to meet sustainability goals driven by both growing consumer concern and stricter regulatory requirements. One of the major challenges is to mitigate the quality of deficiencies of polymers arising from the thermal and mechanical stress they are exposed to during the recycling process.
Plastics Recycling World – World Expo – Overview of Event
A look at the show and some of the companies that will be exhibiting.
Upcoming Events:
Plastics Recycling World EXPO USA
November 3 – 4, 2021
Huntington Convention Center
Cleveland, Ohio
Plastics Regulations
Virtual Summit
November 29 – December 2, 2021
Smart Packaging
Virtual Summit
December 14 – 16, 2021
