Breaking News Market News Turkey’s PET market moves higher ahead of the high season February 17, 2012 by plasticsinfomart After rebounding at the end of 2011, Turkey’s import PET marketrose steadily,driven by surging upstream costs since January. Sellers report seeing relatively improved buying interest in the last couple of weeks despite harsh weather conditions as per the pricing service of ChemOrbis. Over the past week, import non-European PET offers were priced $15-80/ton above the […] Read more »
Breaking News Material News Shrimp and crab shell fibres in bio-based auto parts. Seriously. February 14, 2012 by plasticsinfomart A new biodegradable material made from shrimp and crab shells that can replace petroleum-based plastics used in auto components helped University of Toronto student Aaron Guan win the AUTO21 TestDRIVE competition. The Master of science student has been awarded a $10,000 scholarship for his innovative work on recyclable, lightweight polymeric nanocomposites. Shrimp and crab shell […] Read more »
Breaking News Material News Lightweight PP bumpers employ new material technology February 14, 2012 by plasticsinfomart Mazda Motor Corp. (Hiroshima, Japan) and Japan Polypropylene (Tokyo) have commercialized a technology enabling 20% weight savings in polypropylene (PP) bumpers with a halving of cycle time to boot. The technology will be applied in the front and rear bumpers of the Mazda CX-5 SUV set to debut this spring as well as other upcoming […] Read more »
Breaking News Product News Planters peanuts switches to plastic packaging February 14, 2012 by plasticsinfomart A blog from Sustainable is Good reports that in fall 2011, Kraft Foods’ Planters brand has launched new plastic packaging for all of its Dry Roasted Peanut Products as part of its sustainable brand initiative. The new plastic package is 100% recyclable, is BPA-free, and uses 84% less packaging material than the former glass jar […] Read more »
Processes Chemists create ordered planar polymers for the first time February 14, 2012 by plasticsinfomart Scientists under the direction of ETH Zurich have created a minor sensation in synthetic chemistry. They succeeded for the first time in producing regularly ordered planar polymers that form a kind of “molecular carpet” on a nanometre scale. At ETH Zurich in 1920, the chemist Hermann Staudinger postulated the existence of macromolecules consisting of many […] Read more »
Breaking News Industry Ecovative's chief explains mushroom-based packaging February 14, 2012 by plasticsinfomart Eben Bayer is the co-founder and CEO of Ecovative Design LLC, a bio-materials company that growʼs sustainable replacements for many of the toxic plastics that are poisoning our planet. Eben co-invented the MycoBond platform, a patent-pending technology that uses a growing organism to transform agricultural byproducts into strong composite materials. These materials are 100% compostable, […] Read more »
Processes RAPRA launches first international polymer conference in Ohio February 14, 2012 by plasticsinfomart The Rubber and Plastics Research Association (RAPRA), announced the Global Polymer Innovation Expo (GPIE) will be held in Columbus, OH August 26-29th, 2012 at Battelle Hall. “We’re thrilled to launch GPIE and provide the international polymer community with resources that will impact their growth for years to come,” stated Laura Woods, president of RAPRA.”GPIE will […] Read more »
Breaking News Industry Sustainability, innovation, and partnerships key themes at The Packaging Conference February 14, 2012 by plasticsinfomart Attendees of The Packaging Conference (Feb. 6-8; Aria City Center; Las Vegas) saw a different type of green in Las Vegas, as sustainability, versus greenbacks, seemed to be on the mind of most. In fact, almost all of the speeches touched on sustainability at point or another. Ecologic Brands chief innovation and packaging officer Glenn […] Read more »
