Industry Trends

November 2022

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?

Lego-like recycling will transform how we use future plastics, Plastic recycling remains a “myth”, Mold opaque white PET bottles without pigment, and more. Find out what plastic & rubber journals and industry experts have been discussing in the last four weeks.

Latest Plastics & Rubber Articles

Lego-like recycling will transform how we use these future plastics - Interesting Engineering
Interesting Engineering

The polymers in our satellites, automobiles, and gadgets might all be spending their 200th lives in the not too distant future, thanks to new study.

Plastic recycling remains a ‘myth’: Greenpeace study
Manila Bulletin

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.

Mold Opaque White PET Bottles – Without Pigment
Plastics Technology

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.

Plastics by the Numbers
PlasticsToday.com

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

PVC Plastics Are Polluting Our Planet. This Startup Has a Solution.
Entrepreneur

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

Your guide to injection molding production
Plastics News

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.

PLA Bioplastic Causes More Sleight-of-Hand Confusion
PlasticsToday.com

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

Resin Prices Still Dropping
Plastics Technology

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.

How to Avoid Chemicals of Concern in Food Packaging
PlasticsToday.com

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.

New biopolymer coating could provide fast food packaging solution
Manufacturers Monthly

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.

Recyclable PE Barrier Films Put Sustainability on the Table
PlasticsToday.com

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

Big brands set to miss plastic sustainability targets
Interaksyon.com

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 Philippines to use recycled packaging by 2023
BusinessWorld

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.

Rubber production rises; price hits up to K1,600 per pound
Global New Light Of Myanmar

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.

EPR law: A good start but not enough
BusinessWorld

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 ASEAN firms focus on becoming sustainable
Manila Bulletin

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.

Stats Dept: Malaysia’s natural rubber production down 3.8pc in Aug
The Malay Mail Online | All

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.

Polyethylene import duties seen to protect petrochemical industry
BusinessWorld

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.

Omni United unveils EV tire strategy
Tire Technology International

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.

Thailand moving ahead with plastic scrap import ban
Resource Recycling

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

Kuala Lumpur Kepong eyes bigger stake in Britain's Synthomer, say sources
The Malay Mail Online | All

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 ships over 8,800 tonnes of rubber to external markets in Sept
Global New Light Of Myanmar

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

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