Kickstart: The ABCs (and UVWs) of recovery

The favorite letter of the alphabet for industry right now may be V. As the North American economy makes its first slow, planned steps toward reopening nonessential manufacturing, the hope is that we'll see an economic rebound that climbs as quickly as it fell.

A U is also seen as good letter, one showing a rapid recovery after a short period of adjustment. A W? No one wants that, an indication that a second drop will hit just as businesses begin to recover.

Plastics News Economist Bill Wood suggests we stop trying to force outlooks into any letter of the alphabet.

"To be honest, these shapes are really just guesses rather than forecasts," he writes in his most recent "Numbers That Matter" column. "There is no clear consensus among economists and analysts and policymakers about which of these shapes is the most probable. I doubt if they are all equally probable, but at this time I cannot rule any of them out."

As manufacturers prepare to reopen, they'll have to consider a new range of precautions needed in the workplace.

Production lines may need to be changed to provide more space between workers, or to install some kind of a barrier between workstations. Break rooms will need to be rearranged so you don't have people crowded next to each other during lunch.

Members of the Canadian Association of Moldmakers are worried about whether they can access personal protective equipment such as masks and shields for staff members as they return to the shop floor.

"It's one thing to have the full intent to open on May 18 ... but what good is that target if I haven't equipped my human resources and my ramp-up protocol accordingly," CAMM Board Chair Mike Bilton told PN's Catherine Kavanaugh. "If I can't get the PPE I need, maybe we better push it back a few days to be sure."

Every office has its traditions and quirks.

In our office, it is Oreos. PN's staff takes Oreos very seriously. As in we have a tasting chart to track new and special flavors when they're introduced. (Yes, we tried the Swedish Fish Oreos. And no one should ever have to taste them again.) As in when anyone returns from international travel, they're expected to bring Oreos so we can decide if they're better than the originals.

We have serious opinions on Oreos.

So when Oreo owner Mondelez International Inc. released its sustainability report on May May 8, I saw a good opportunity to note how invested we are in seeing the company achieve expectations.

When it comes to plastics, Mondelez is focused on increasing the recyclability of its packaging, setting a goal in 2019 of having 93 percent of both plastic and nonplastic packaging designed for recycling.

This year, Mondelez boosted its packaging sustainability goal, setting a target of 100 percent of packaging designed for recycling and labelled with recycling information by 2025.

Let's just hope they don't recycle that Swedish Fish Oreo flavor.