Industry Trends

April 2023

See what has been happening in Asia’s plastics & rubber industries over the last weeks. What are experts and industry magazines talking about?

What has been happening?

Turning plastic waste into useful organosilane compounds, Graphene-enhanced polyethylene boosts film performance, Using bacteria to convert CO2 in the air into a polyester, and more. Find out what plastic & rubber journals and industry experts have been discussing in the last four weeks.

Latest Plastics & Rubber Articles

New catalyst helps turn plastic waste into useful organosilane compounds
Phys.org: Polymers News

Researchers from Tokyo Metropolitan University have found that gold nanoparticles supported on a zirconium oxide surface help turn waste materials like biomass and polyester into organosilane compounds, valuable chemicals used in a wide range of applications. The new protocol leverages the cooperation between gold nanoparticles and the amphoteric (both acid and base) nature of the zirconium oxide support.
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Graphene-Enhanced Polyethylene Boosts Film Performance, Sustainability
PlasticsToday.com

Graphene-enhanced polyethylene masterbatch offers higher strength using thinner films to reduce costs, increase sustainability, and boost flexible packaging properties.
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Using bacteria to convert CO2 in the air into a polyester
Phys.org: Polymers News

A team of chemical and biomolecular engineers at Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology has developed a scalable way to use bacteria to convert CO2 in the air into a polyester. In their paper, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the group describes their technique and outline its performance when tested over a several-hour period.
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Researchers patent water-soluble plastic material based on potato starch
Phys.org: Polymers News

The University of Alicante Waste, Energy, Environment and Nanotechnology (REMAN) research group has developed a process for obtaining a water-soluble plastic material based on potato starch, which will soon be introduced on the market through the UA technology-Based Company Solublion, linked to the Alicante Science Park.
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Eco-friendly foam can insulate buildings without warming the globe
Phys.org: Polymers News

Rigid foam boards used to insulate buildings can prevent energy loss, making homes more efficient at keeping warm or cool. The advantages in energy efficiency, however, are undercut by environmental concerns over polystyrene products. Blowing agents used in foam production, such as hydrocarbons and hydrofluoroolefins, end up in the atmosphere and contribute to global warming.
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Kickstart: Shoppers have a beef with new packaging
Plastics News

United Kingdom-based retailer Sainsbury’s said its new vacuum packaging for ground beef would reduce plastics use by 55 percent. Consumers, though, complain about the meat’s texture.
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Mastercard removing first use plastics from payment cards
InterPlas Insights

Mastercard has announced it is accelerating efforts to remove first–use, PVC plastics from payment cards on its network by 2028. Mastercard says this move further reinforces the company’s sustainability commitments and scales the accessibility of…
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Advances in cleaning LSR parts, molds
Plastics News

Cleaning liquid silicone rubber molded parts can be difficult, but is required for some applications.
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Researchers turn Superglue into a recyclable, cheap, oil-free plastic alternative
Phys.org: Polymers News

Our team used Superglue as a starting material to develop a low-cost, recyclable and easily produced transparent plastic called polyethyl cyanoacrylate that has properties similar to those of plastics used for single-use products like cutlery, cups and packaging. Unlike most traditional plastics, this new plastic can be easily converted back to its starting materials, even when combined with unwashed municipal plastic waste. Our research is published in Science Advances.
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McCormick Redesigns Packaging for Sustainability, Freshness
PlasticsToday.com

McCormick’s new herb and spice PET bottles use 50% recycled content paired with new SnapTight lids that preserve freshness longer.
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Pirelli introduces 500km/h tire tests to enhance safety
Tire Technology International

A new solution called the ‘High Speed Testing Machine’ has been installed by Pirelli at its research and development department in Milan, Italy, to test tires at speeds of up to 500km/h under controlled conditions. By being able to conduct these tests, Pirelli seeks to enhance the safety levels of the fastest cars in the world. The 500km/h High Speed Testing Machine joins two other existing machines at Pirelli’s indoor testing facility – a 370km/h system and a 450km/h system.
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Are polymer prices heading into the Doldrums?

InterPlas Insights

Plastribution’s Mike Boswell looks at two possibilities for resin prices, and what they mean for suppliers and buyers. ‘Being in the Doldrums’ is an expression used to represent a period of listlessness or despondency and the expression has…

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Project STOP aims to address challenge of plastic waste across Indonesia
InterPlas Insights

Project STOP and its partners say they have reached significant milestones and successes in demonstrating a model for expanding affordable waste management and recycling solutions to help address the plastic waste challenge in Indonesia.
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7 in 10 shoppers will use reusable bags when plastic bag charge kicks in on July, citing 5-cent charge: Poll
AsiaOne

Whenever retiree Tan Mui San goes to the supermarket, she will grab the free plastic bags to pack her groceries before loading them into her reusable shopping bag. “Using plastic bags from the supermarket to bag my refuse is an old habit which started decades ago, when we were encouraged to use plastic bags for throwing refuse into the rubbish chute,” said the 70-year-old single. She would also offer the bags to her friends for the same purpose.
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Rubber market ends higher, tracking positive regional market
The Malay Mail

The Malaysian rubber market continued to close higher on the fourth consecutive day, tracking positive sentiments in the regional rubber futures market, coupled with the weaker ringgit versus the US dollar, a dealer said. The dealer said that the market was also supported by China’s economic performance and further easing of the United States’ (US) banking fears.
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Plastics industry seeks review to correct tariff ‘distortions’
BusinessWorld

The plastics industry said it wants a review to correct tariff “distortions” which render it uncompetitive against foreign-made finished products, which pay zero tariffs. Aaron Timothy Lao, Philippine Plastic Industry Association, Inc. (PPIA) president, said during a Tariff Commission (TC) virtual hearing on Wednesday that the distortions are hindering domestic manufacturers of plastics, preventing them from engaging in local manufacturing because of the tariffs on their imported raw materials.
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Prices of bottled and canned drinks to rise by a refundable 10 cents in 2025
AsiaOne

AsiaOne has launched EarthOne, a new section dedicated to environmental issues — because we love the planet and we believe science. Find articles like this there. SINGAPORE – From April 2025, bottled and canned drinks will cost 10 cents more, but shoppers will get the deposit back once they return the empty cans and plastic bottles for recycling.
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Domestic rubber gloves ASPs still not out of the woods yet, says CGS-CIMB Research
NST Online

The average selling prices (ASPs) for rubber gloves have bottomed and bounced from a low seen on January 23, according to recent channel checks by CGS-CIMB Research with domestic glove makers.
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Lukut factory fire only impacts one per cent of capacity, says Top Glove
NST Online

The fire at Top Glove Corp Berhad’s factory in Lukut, Negri Sembilan on March 30 caused minimal impact with only one per cent of the group’s capacity affected thus far.
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