Kickstart: A kayak maker returns to the water

How about some good news for 2020? Catherine Kavanaugh has the story of a Michigan rotomolder and thermoformer of kayaks, paddleboards, canoes and other items who has relaunched production after nearly a year.

KL Outdoors opened in the early 1980s and had several popular brands sold at top retailers. But a series of ownership changes resulted in a restructuring that closed its three plants in Muskegon, Mich., in 2019.

Now, though, it is back with a former owner who relaunched the company as demand swelled for outdoor recreation because of pandemic shutdowns, with orders for more than 90,000 boats since June.

Swedish appliance brand Electrolux is out to clean up more than your living room floor. The company recently unveiled a prototype vacuum cleaner made with 100 percent recycled and reused materials.

Electrolux worked with Stena Recycler, a company specializing in recycling electronic goods, our sister publication Sustainable Plastics writes.

While the current machine is just a test, Electrolux began using recycled plastics in 2010 and by 2030 has pledged that its product range will include at least 50 percent recycled materials.

Sometimes you see a news story that just speaks to you. Like this item about how BASF SE and Schwalbe, a German maker of bicycle tires and tubes, have developed a thermoplastic polyurethane bike tube that will resist punctures.

Why does this interest me? See photo above from mile 20 of what was supposed to be a 60-mile bike ride with friends this summer. (During this COVID summer, with no running or triathlon races, I set a bicycling goal for myself: three 100-mile gravel rides. Bikes rides are a great way to socially distance with friends.) On this day, I somehow managed to roll over a random screw left on a dirt road and it poked through the tire and tube.

I replaced the tube and jury-rigged a patch using the flexible wrapper from a snack — plastics to the rescue again! — but had to replace the tire as well as the tube.

BASF and Schwalbe aren't promising their TPU tube will prevent flats, just resist punctures, but I speak from experience when I note that there are consumers who are very willing to pay for a little more reassurance on the road.