Brazil holds version of IDEA competition
SÃO PAULO, BRAZIL (September 2, 2008) -- Winners in Brazil’s inaugural version of the International Design Excellence Awards (IDEA) included a variety of products with plastics content. Objeto Brasil,
a São Paulo-based design group, organized the single-country IDEA/Brasil competition with cooperation from Industrial Designers Society of America in Dulles, Virginia.
Experts: Lighter-weight vehicles mean more composites
TRAVERSE CITY, MICHIGAN (August 26, 2008) -- Consumer demand for smaller, lighter and more-efficient cars is outpacing any standards the U.S. federal government has proposed for fuel consumption
standards. Composites and thermoplastics offer benefits in shedding weight from cars and trucks, which improves gas mileage. And parts consolidation through modular design offers cost savings.
Plastics News was in Michigan to report on the auto industry’s Management Briefing Seminars as experts discussed the many facets of developing more-efficient vehicles.
Jyco Sealing Technology expands use of TPV seals
DEXTER, MICHIGAN (August 26, 2008) -- Jyco Sealing Technologies already has helped lead the shift from rubber to thermoplastics for automotive weather seals. Even as the company expands its existing
business, it is looking to the next wave for thermoplastic vulcanizate (TPV) seals -- using old tires in new cars and replacing metal cores with less expensive plastic. The company extrudes seals in
Montreal, Quebec, and Guaymas, Mexico, and has a new plant opening soon in the Czech Republic. It also operates joint ventures to make TPV seals in China, Belgium and Japan.
Taxes, bans on plastic packaging looming in California
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA (August 12, 2008) -- A series of recommendations from the Ocean Protection Council in California could lead to more bans and taxes on plastics packaging in the state. The
report, published late last month, calls for producer responsibility for the take-back of packaging waste, and bans or fees on commonly littered items such as plastic bags and polystyrene containers.
U.S. Congress passes phthalates ban
WASHINGTON, D.C. (August 12, 2008) -- A joint U.S. Senate-House conference committee July 28 approved the ban of six types of phthalates -- three of which are banned permanently and three temporarily.
The bill’s approval comes on the heels of phthalate bans passed in the states of California, Washington and Vermont in the past nine months.
Japan keen on bioplastics, but implementation slow
 Inomata
Thailand aims to be a bioplastics leader in S.E. Asia
 Temprom
Recycler MBA may expand in U.K. or China
 Biddle
Australian bag distributor ‘embarrassed’ by findings
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA (August 5, 2008) -- Australia’s biggest municipal council is wondering why the plastic bags it has been distributing aren’t what they’re supposed to be. The bags, which are made
available to park patrons for collecting dog droppings, were supposed to be made of 2 percent polyethylene and the rest of biodegradable starch materials. Laboratory tests show only a 10 percent
starch content. The bags’ distributor, Melbourne-based Dog Tidy Co. Pty. Ltd., said it is trying to find out why the bags supplied by its Chinese manufacturer are not what the city asked for in a
contract that started in January.
Foamex reduces debt, lays out growth plans
 Foamex´s “green” foam chair
Design competition goes international for NPE 2009
WASHINGTON, D.C. (July 15, 2008) -- In a break with tradition, the Washington-based Society of the Plastics Industry Inc. (SPI) will make its next design competition an international event and will
add new design categories. The competition will be held in conjunction with NPE 2009, scheduled for June 22 to 26 in Chicago, Illinois. In the past, the National Plastics Design Competition was
mostly restricted to U.S. entries and limited to load-bearing parts, enclosures and structural parts. The upcoming competition will be open to virtually any type of design, including packaging
products, bioplastics, nanocomposites, and products that address energy efficiency and sustainability.
Australian trade group offers sustainability guidelines
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA (July 8, 2008) -- Australia’s Plastics & Chemicals Industries Association (PACIA) says greater consumer awareness of environmental issues prompted it to launch a sustainability
framework for use by member firms. The new document, called Sustainability Leadership Framework for Industry, covers areas like water and energy use, transport efficiency and other elements of the
supply chain.
Castle Mark creates chair line for ‘green’ market
 Castle Mark’s Edge1 line of office chairs are 90 percent recyclable.
Thai firm enters bio-based packaging market
Temprom
Australian firm to supply ‘green’ bags for Olympics
 Biograde’s compostable bags
Ford looking toward future with PLA
DETROIT, MICHIGAN (June 10, 2008) -- Ford Motor Co. is taking a serious look at bio-based and biodegradable plastics, and asking if it is possible to one day make an auto interior part that can not
only be made from natural products, but also will break down and disappear back into the earth after it’s life is over.
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