Industry Trends

March 2024

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?

Sustainable packaging struggling to sell to everyone, Reusable packaging fails to gain ground with consumers sells, AI-driven smart recycling is here, and more. Find out what plastic & rubber journals and industry experts have been discussing in the last four weeks.

Latest Plastics & Rubber Articles

McKinsey: Sustainable packaging sells, but not to everyone
Plastics News

About half of the consumers in the United States are willing to pay for sustainable packaging, according to research conducted by consulting firm McKinsey & Co., but that number drops when a recession hits.
Reusable packaging fails to gain ground with consumers, survey says
Plastics News

While about 80 percent of consumers say they think it is important to reduce the reliance on single-use packaging, almost the same number of people said in a recent survey that they don’t go out of their way to buy products with refillable or reusable packaging.
AI-Driven Smart Recycling Is Here
PlasticsToday.com

Thousands of recycling facilities will use artificial intelligence to boost the recovery of recyclable packaging in more than 70 waste categories.
Q&A: Macpac Unwraps Clarity and Sustainability in rPET Thermoforming
InterPlas Insights

BP&R caught up with Simon Firth, sales manager, Macpac, to discuss the company’s approach to sustainable thermoforming, ensuring clarity and quality of the final packaging, and challenges like educating consumers about recycling.
Falken adds new range of tires to collection
Tire Technology International

Owned by Sumitomo Rubber Industries, the tire manufacturer Falken is set to launch an extensive range of tires later this year, catering to vehicles including trucks, EVs, ultra-high performance, motorsport and off-road. The line-up includes the new Falken Azenis RS820, designed for high-powered cars. It will initially be produced in 38 sizes in the 30 to 45 series, with diameters of 19 to 21 inches for speeds of up to 300km/h.
Non-destructive In-line Testing System for Foamed Plastics Under Development
PlasticsToday.com

Accurate, reliable evaluation of foamed plastics will benefit industries ranging from automotive to packaging.
Small Thinking for a Big Nanotech Future in Automotive
WardsAuto

Nanotechnology could be the answer for several of the biggest challenges facing the auto industry’s production goals.
The Troubleshooter: How to Interpret Plastic Injection Molding Data
PlasticsToday.com

Identifying relevant data collection points in the injection molding process is a key step in calculating true production efficiency.
Plastics by the Numbers
PlasticsToday.com

Plastics market reports for thin-wall packaging, polyethylene furanoate (PEF), functional films, PCR plastics, plastic compounding, and more are featured in this slideshow.
Goodyear launches next-gen tires for regional work vehicles
Tire Technology International

Goodyear has unveiled two additions to its RangeMax tire lineup: the RangeMax RSA ULT and the RangeMax RTD ULT. Designed for regional work vehicles, both tires are engineered to provide a balance of traction, range and mileage, regardless of the vehicle’s drivetrain, says Continental. Available in two sizes with 19.5in wheel diameters, the RangeMax RSA ULT is an all-position tire specifically designed for electric drive vehicles.
Chemically recycled resin used in foam packaging
Plastics Recycling Update

U.S. packaging supplier Pregis North America has begun producing a polyethylene foam that incorporates resin sourced from ExxonMobil’s chemical recycling operations.
Advanced artificial photosynthesis catalyst uses CO₂ more efficiently to create biodegradable plastics
Phys.org: Polymers News

Amid growing global concern over climate change and plastic pollution, researchers at Osaka Metropolitan University are making great strides in the sustainable production of fumaric acid—a component of biodegradable plastics such as polybutylene succinate, which is commonly used for food packaging.
Guizhou Tyre planning €200m passenger car tire plant in Vietnam
European Rubber Journal

Chinese tire makes completes first phase of TBR tire project in the South East Asian country
Tyre maker Goodyear to close manufacturing plant in Malaysia
The Straits Times

Goodyear Tire & Rubber, one of the world’s largest tyre makers, plans to shut down its plant in Malaysia on June 30, a decision expected to affect more than 500 employees, said the company and Malaysia’s investment promotion agency.
Michelin plans to invest 300 million euros in Thailand
Bangkokpost.com

The government said on Friday French tyre maker Michelin planned to invest 300 million euros (11.63 billion baht) in Thailand over the next three years to increase production capacity.
'Palm oil and rubber can boost ringgit'
NST Online Latest News

Malaysia’s commodities notably palm oil and rubber wield significant potential to boost the weak ringgit through the repatriation of export earnings, said Plantation and Commodities Minister Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani.
Kyaikmaraw rubber sheets meet export standards for China, Malaysia
Global New Light Of Myanmar

Agriculture-based products, rubber, sheets, are manufactured into finished products in Kyaikmaraw Township, Mon State.
Plantation Ministry: Centralised model being developed to overcome rubber worker shortage
Malay Mail

The government is developing a centralised consolidation and clustering model to address local and foreign labour shortages in the rubber industry’s upstream sector. The Plantation and Commodities Ministry said this is being done with the participation of several other agencies, government-linked companies and private companies in the supply chain.
Local rubber market ends lower amid losses in regional peers, oil prices
The Malay Mail Online

The Malaysian rubber market was slightly lower today in tandem with the easier regional rubber futures markets and losses in crude oil prices, said a dealer. She noted that the Japanese rubber futures fell today, as growth in inventories and a stronger yen weighed on market sentiment. Benchmark Brent crude for March delivery was 0.54 per cent lower, trading at US$81.19 per barrel as at 4.12 am Central Daylight Time.
Supermax: China likely to have taken over global leadership in rubber glove market from Malaysia
NST Online Latest News

Supermax Corporation Bhd in announcing its second quarter financial year 2024 results said that China glove manufacturers are likely to have taken over global leadership in the rubber glove market, at the very least in terms of pricing.
PTTGC steps up recyling initiative
Bangkokpost.com

PTT Global Chemical Plc (PTTGC), Thailand’s largest petrochemical producer by capacity, continues to expand its recycling business by focusing on opaque plastic containers, especially bottles, under its recently launched campaign to promote environmentally friendly lifestyles among young people.

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