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December 23, 2021 08:22 AM

Kickstart: The ultimate Christmas card

Rhoda Miel
Managing Editor
Plastics News Staff
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    Getty Images/iStockphoto
    The ultimate Christmas card

    This year, more than any other recent year, plastic may save Christmas.

    Not in terms of packaging or medical personal protective equipment, but for last-minute gift buyers who can't find what they want in the store and opt for gift cards instead.

    While cards may not have the same sentimental value, they are practical (as anyone who's ever tried to figure out what to get a teenager) and an easy option for an unexpected guest at the holiday table.

    But while more gift cards may be exchanged this year, that doesn't mean that card manufacturers are coasting along with steady business. The International Card Manufacturers Association noted that producers have faced the same supply chain issues as every other plastics processor. Meanwhile, new technology for credit cards could completely disrupt the existing industry.

    "The global card industry and cards themselves are being reimagined," the ICMA wrote in a blog earlier this year. "Card industry changes are taking place across the globe at unprecedented speed and scale amid economic and geopolitical uncertainty. This new landscape presents huge opportunities for those willing to seize the upside of disruption."

    Just to note a few: greater demand for contactless technology, including the potential for biometric sensors that would replace physical cards; consumer demand for more environmentally friendly products, including more sustainable cardstock; streamlined production to reduce the potential of supply chain disruptions on orders and deliveries; and new materials that could eliminate plastics altogether.

    "In the distant future, we see the rapid growth of paper cards in all short-term and single-use plastic applications," Greg Maze, director of product management for packaging at Neenah Paper in Wisconsin, told ICMA.

     

    Recycling and the gig economy

    Can an Uber model work for recycling?

    Newbin (or as the company prefers, "newBin") is a startup sister company to International Recycling Group that would provide residents access to curbside recycling on demand. Users — or "binnies" in the company's terminology — would place plastic recyclables at their doors and schedule a pickup from independent contracts — or "binners."

    Users could earn points toward discounts at local businesses while collectors would also earn an unspecific reward. Newbin would do the sorting, with IRG claiming it will have a recycling center in operation within three years to support the program.

    "Anyone can be a part of our recycling revolution," Mitch Hecht, founder and CEO, said in a news release. "We are on a mission to achieve our 100 percent landfill-free recycling goals, while showing how easy and effortless recycling can be."

    An on-demand recycling business would be a key improvement for Americans who don't have curbside recycling available now, Hecht said, adding that corporate sponsors will help fund the program.

    But, of course, that's just the plan. Newbin, based in Erie, Pa., currently is working to raise funds through crowdfunding in addition to contributions from companies and make its concept a reality.

    Happy holidays!

    From ice storms to stuck freighters on the Suez Canal and continuing COVID restrictions, it's been a heck of a year.

    Plastics News will be taking a break for the rest of 2021, with a few exceptions, such as a new Material Insights video on Dec. 27.

    We will also, of course, keep an eye out for any breaking news and will update plasticsnews.com as needed. You should also be receiving The Book, Plastics News' annual roundup of lists and rankings, in the mail the week of Dec. 26.

    We hope you have a relaxing holiday break, and we'll catch up with you in 2022. (And thanks to Audience Engagement Editor Erin Sloan, and Salem, for the photo.)

     

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