November 2022

Plastic recycling rates are declining even as production shoots up, according to a Greenpeace USA report out Monday that blasted industry claims of creating an efficient, circular economy as “fiction.” Titled “Circular Claims Fall Flat Again,” the study found that of 51 million tons of plastic waste generated by US households in 2021, only 2.4 million tons were recycled, or around five percent.

Opaque white PET bottles can be produced via foaming, with no pigment, so recyclability is unaffected. At K 2022 in Düsseldorf this week, one of the sustainability-themed exhibits by Trexel is an opaque white PET bottle that can function as a light barrier for sensitive products like milk. The white color is provided by Trexel’s MuCell microcellular foaming technology, without the cost and environmental impact of color additives.

Plastic market reports for blow-molded plastic bottles, vaccine packaging, polyethylene, and shrink/stretch-sleeve labels are featured in this slideshow.

Renegade plastics has invented a non-toxic, low-carbon, recyclable fabric. Will the corporate world take notice?

Injection molding can be a complex process. In this free guide, you’ll learn how the production process works based on industry knowledge from Fictiv’s team of injection molding experts. When you’ve finished designing and prototyping your product, it’s time to scale up and start production to get your products to market quickly and cost-effectively.

Is packaging made of polylactic acid (PLA) derived from corn intended to be compostable or recyclable? News about the biopolymer creates mixed signals.

Going into the fourth quarter, the descent of PE, PP, PS, PVC and PET prices since July continued, owing to slowed demand, adequate-to-ample supplies, lower feedstock costs and the overall global economic uncertainty and slowed demand. In the case of both PE and PP, substantial new capacity coming on stream was yet another factor, and competitively-priced imports were an issue for PET and possibly PS. These are the views of purchasing consultants from Resin Technology, Inc.

Phthalates, BPA, PFAS, and other chemicals of concern: why clean food packaging is top-of-mind for brands and packaging converters and what to do about it.

Flinders University materials researchers and German biomaterials developer one•fıve are using seaweed extracts to develop next-generation biopolymer coating materials that could solve packaging waste dilemmas for the fast food industry.

Advances in polyethylene resins for blown films offer improved barrier, recyclability, range of use, and design flexibility for flexible packaging for foods.

Some of the world’s biggest consumer goods companies, including PepsiCo PEP.O, Mars and Nestle NESN.S, are almost certain to miss a target to make plastic packaging more sustainable by 2025, according to a new report published on Wednesday.

COCA-COLA Beverages Philippines, Inc., announced that its key brands, Coca-Cola Original Taste and Wilkins Pure, will shift to 100% recycled polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic packaging, excluding caps and labels, by next year. “It has been four years since starting our World Without Waste journey, and we understand more than ever the importance of partnership and collective action,” said Antonio V. del Rosario, Jr.

The rubber outputs increased in October compared to last month’s production rate. Rubber prices touched a high of K1,600 per pound, said rubber growers.

The Philippines is in a conundrum when dealing with plastics — it wants to reduce plastic consumption, but the economy cannot live without it. So, policy makers are in a quandary on how to balance competing interests in a classical dilemma of, to plastic or not to plastic. Recently, a proposed measure requiring enterprises with total assets over P1 billion to recover some portion of their plastic packaging wastes or suffer a fine.

Majority of organizations in ASEAN, including the Philippines, are focusing on becoming sustainable but only a small portion of them have clear strategy backing them, according to a study.

Malaysia’s natural rubber (NR) production decreased by 3.8 per cent month-on-month (m-o-m) to 36,411 tonnes in August 2022 from 37,843 tonnes in July 2022, according to the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DoSM). Year on year, NR production declined by 15.2 per cent compared to 42,942 tonnes in August last year. “Production of NR in August 2022 for Malaysia was mainly contributed by the smallholders’ sector (87.5 per cent) compared to the estate sector (12.

The recently imposed duties on high-density polyethylene (HDPE) imports will protect the local petrochemical industry from cheap foreign resins entering the country, according to JG Summit Olefins Corp. (JGSOC). On Wednesday, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) ordered the imposition of safeguard duties on imports of HDPE pellets and granules for three years.

Singapore-based tire manufacturer Omni United has unveiled plans for its electric vehicle (EV) tire strategy. Omni United aims to shift toward a more environmentally friendly future through sustainable driving and by continuing with carbon neutral manufacturing of the Radar tire brand. The newly announced strategy is split into two phases: the launch of EV compatible ranges in the first phase, and a dedicated specialty EV range being released in the second phase.

Officials in the Southeast Asian country’s government are taking action to ban imports of scrap plastic by 2025, according to local media.

Malaysian plantation giant Kuala Lumpur Kepong Bhd is considering raising its stake in British chemicals company Synthomer Plc as it looks to further expand its specialty chemicals business globally, two sources told Reuters. Kuala Lumpur Kepong is talking with at least one financial adviser to explore potentially boosting its 26.3 per cent stake in Synthomer, said the sources with knowledge of the matter.

Myanmar delivered more than 8,800 tonnes of rubber to foreign trade partners in September 2022, according to the Ministry of […].