Something for everyone: Our 15 most popular blogs of 2017

Blogs are an opportunity for reporters to share something different. Often it's something personal, or commentary, or just an item that doesn't fit the definition of a news story.

Most weeks, the blogs on PlasticsNews.com are among the most popular items on our website. Here's a list of the 15 most popular Plastics News blog posts of 2017, ranked by reader interest.

No. 15: Talking seriously about marine debris, and the importance of immediate action

In June, I moderated most of American Chemistry Council's Marine Debris Dialogue in Newport, R.I., which brought together plastics industry executives interested in the topic along with NGOs, academics and government experts. In this blog I shared my perspective on the meeting, what the plastics industry should be doing, and the importance of keeping the conversation going.

No. 14: Evco Plastics gives NBC a look at a 'modern, growing' US manufacturer

In February, custom injection molder Evco Plastics Inc. was the focus of a report on the NBC Nightly News. We embedded the video and included extensive links to our own coverage of Evco, our 2015 Processor of the Year.

No. 13: Plastics get personal for PN reporter

Frank Esposito shared a story about the role 3D printed plastics played in major reconstructive surgery on his son's jaw.

No. 12: Automotive plastics a promising market for Mecaplast Group

The story behind our decision to name Pierre Boulet, CEO of French automotive supplier Mecaplast, our first-ever Automotive Newsmaker of the Year.

No. 11: Paris Hilton and Sodastream play an April Fools' joke on plastics

I never thought I'd have a reason to mention Paris Hilton in a Plastics News column.

No. 10: Large injection molders see stagnant sales despite rising resin prices

Results from our rankings surveys always yield some interesting facts. Hollee Keller, our editorial research coordinator, took a closer look at the numbers behind the latest Plastics News ranking of the top 100 North American injection molders.

Data junkies have something new to look forward to: watch for Hollee to get her own blog in 2018.

Our annual Women Breaking the Mold issue has become a popular special report. This column gave some details about the project, and includes links to all of this year's profiles.

No. 8: Which plastics companies are on the Inc. 5000 list this year?

Once again this year, the plastics industry is well represented on Inc. magazine's list of the 5,000 fastest-growing American private companies. I like to highlight all of the plastics companies on the list in a blog post each year. It's time consuming to comb through the entire list to find relevant companies, so I appreciate that readers clicked on this item.

No. 7: Expect big but not lasting changes from China's new National Sword

Back in March, I was skeptical that National Sword would permanently clean up problems in the recycling sector. My opinion was based on China's earlier Green Fence policy.

No. 6: Procter & Gamble pulls back the veil on Imflux

Plastics News readers devoured everything we wrote about P&G's revolutionary Imflux technology this year. Bill Bregar's commentary on the topic added some important context to the story.

No. 5: Sears helped make a toy giant but now its days are numbered

Another blog from Bill, looking at the potential demise of a retail giant and the role it played in the growth of the rotationally molded toy sector.

Almost two years after it was first announced, the merger of two of the biggest names in plastics materials was completed this year. Frank Esposito looked at the history of the companies and added his perspective on what the deal would mean to the plastics industry, and the communities where Dow Chemical Co. and DuPont Co. are headquartered.

No. 3: Going topless for ocean plastics, and edible drink containers

A salacious-sounding Plastics Blog post. Quite a few of you clicked on it. I hope you weren't disappointed.

No. 2: Some surprising (to me) facts about plastics employment

U.S. plastics industry employment topped out at 1.3 million workers in 1999. It dropped to 870,000 during the Great Recession, now it's recovered to about 950,000. But even though some experts think we're experiencing a manufacturing renaissance, they don't think we're going to get back to 1.3 million workers anytime soon. Blame automation, of course. But is there hope for continued job growth in plastics manufacturing? And what role will worker training play?

No. 1: Vinyl record plant shuts down?

I'm not sure why this was such a popular story this year. It does have a "man bites dog" quality, since vinyl record manufacturing is on the rise. Plus I included a lot of links to our recent coverage of the vinyl record business.