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You can make bioplastics from... (part 3)

Has been published Saturday, February 18, 2012

One objection to bio-based plastics is that they’re often made from edible agricultural products – not a good long-term plan when we have a growing population of over seven billion people to feed. But this objection hasn’t... find more
Categories: sustainable plastics,   Tags: bio-based plastics,   Author: Mike Tolinski

New Non-Phthalate Bio-Based Plasticizers Are on Their Way

Has been published Tuesday, February 14, 2012

A blog posting here a few weeks ago covered three general “themes” of the debate on the use of vinyl/PVC. After the posting, commentators emphasized that a key issue with flexible vinyl compounds has to do with the phthalate-based... find more

Seeking Process Energy Savings? Look to the Sun

Has been published Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Lately there’s been a number of companies announcing that they’ve installed solar-power arrays to supplement their high energy needs. And why not? Their plant roofs and properties often cover several football fields-worth... find more

Taking a Good Look at What’s in the Recycling Bin

Has been published Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Getting good quality recyclable material from the public is far from straightforward, given human behavior. Consider the bizarre objects found in collection bins -- or even just the common-but-still-inappropriate items you notice in... find more

Three Themes of the PVC Debate… 11

Has been published Thursday, January 26, 2012

Controversy usually accompanies discussions about when, how, or why polyvinyl chloride should or shouldn’t be used in various products, whether it’s packaging, medical products, or children’s toys. The disputes about... find more

Bioplastics’ Future in Asia

Has been published Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Despite yet another report projecting strong future growth rates for bioplastics overall, the plastics industry was rocked last week by news about the dissolution of the alliance between bioresin maker Metabolix Inc. and U.S. agricultural... find more

Notions of “Sustainability” 2

Has been published Thursday, January 12, 2012

The word “sustainability” covers a lot of meanings in the plastics arena – and not all of them concern recycling, bioplastics, energy savings, or other “green” technologies that come to mind.   When... find more

The Key to More rPET: Thermoforms

Has been published Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Recent discussions about increasing the use of recycled PET (rPET) in packaging inevitably must discuss the greater collection and recovery of PET in thermoforms, such as clamshell packaging. However, both the quality and quantity... find more

Bag Bans: A Strengthening Trend?

Has been published Thursday, December 29, 2011

This past month’s purchasing frenzy before Christmas no doubt consumed a great many plastic carryout bags. Nonetheless, the concept of banning these kinds of bags seems to be gaining ground, maybe even within the plastics industry... find more
Categories: green packaging, bag bans,   Tags: bag bans, plastic bags,   Author: Mike Tolinski

You can make bioplastics from... (part 2)

Has been published Thursday, December 22, 2011

Sporadically in this series of blog updates, I’ll summarize some of the unusual feedstock sources that researchers are transforming into bio-based chemicals, plastics, or fillers for plastics. (Part 1 of this series is here.)   Since... find more

Who really wants sustainable packaging?

Has been published Thursday, December 15, 2011

Especially when it comes to being “green,” not all consumers are the same. Some believe very seriously in sustainability and will act on their beliefs by buying green products packaged in recycled or bio-based packaging.... find more

Toughening PLA with Additives

Has been published Monday, December 12, 2011

A few weeks go, I commented on the barrier properties of PLA that are limiting its use in bottle packaging. But many new additives are addressing some of PLA’s other issues, such as impact resistance; below is just a sampling... find more

Reality Tempers Goals & Predictions for Sustainable Plastics

Has been published Thursday, December 8, 2011

Varying estimates of biodegradable or bio-based plastics growth are often quoted in the industry from various new studies. The rates of future growth are usually estimated to be quite high, though bioplastics will remain a small fraction... find more

You can make bioplastics from... 1

Has been published Sunday, December 4, 2011

Polymers surround us in nature, so it’s no surprise that researchers are looking to transform more biological polymers and organic waste -- rather than food crops -- into bioplastics. Here are just a few examples:   Orange... find more

Leaf or Landfill? The Roles of Biodegradability Additives

Has been published Monday, November 28, 2011

Industry observers are already aware of the continuing controversy about the effects and effectiveness of biodegradability-enhancing additives for plastics. These additives encourage the microbial growth and breakdown of discarded... find more

PLA’s Barrier Against Bottle Applications 3

Has been published Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Months ago, I asked a PET packaging specialist for comments about the draft manuscript of my recent book on green plastics issues. This helpful reviewer’s comments included one very specific concern: I hadn’t emphasized... find more

Plastic Packaging’s Hidden Sustainability

Has been published Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Within the past two months, two European industry organizations released reports that overlap on issues about plastics and sustainability: “The impact of plastic packaging on energy consumption and GHG emissions” by the... find more

Packaging & Automotive Industries’ Sustainability Efforts Converge, and Diverge

Has been published Thursday, November 10, 2011

As more giant packaging users such as Kraft Foods Inc. are taking sustainable packaging seriously, green packaging issues are reportedly even limiting the demand for virgin polymers (as did the recession), according to a European report... find more

Paying a “Premium” for Bio-Based Plastic Packaging?

Has been published Monday, November 7, 2011

Bio-based plastics are being considered seriously in almost every product sector in which plastics are used. But will their higher prices keep them mostly in small niches of products for which consumers are willing to pay a premium... find more

Recycling Plastics into Plastics, Oil, or Fire? 1

Has been published Thursday, November 3, 2011

Lately in numerous reports there’s been a flurry of chatter about alternative ways for reclaiming waste plastics. Rather than being recycled directly into new plastics, waste plastics can be converted into other energy-rich materials... find more

Recycling Remains Under GPEC’s Microscope

Has been published Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Two weeks ago I had a chance to attend and present at the yearly Global Plastics Environmental Conference (GPEC) in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, organized by SPE’s Plastics Environmental Division. The level of serious technical discussion... find more

Welcome to Plastech's Sustainable Plastic Packaging ("SPP") blog! 4

Has been published Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Why follow the SPP blog?   Every day you might see dozens of industry news items related to sustainable plastics and packaging. But how can you make sense of them all? How do they all fit together into useful information for... find more