Kickstart: Changes for PlasticsNews.com readers

Maybe you didn't notice changes to the Plastics News website at all. Or maybe you saw the new masthead.

In our quest to bring our readers more news online, there have been a few behind-the-scenes upgrades to PlasticsNews.com this week.

We launched a new subscription system that will make it easier for readers to sign up, manage and start reading our award-winning plastics industry coverage.

We're also excited to announce we're offering an all-access subscription to include data downloads of all of our North American rankings and lists. Rest assured, we kept our resin pricing charts included in the regular digital subscription, and paid subscribers can also still view the industry rankings and lists.

But, like with all changes in technology, we did have some hiccups and you might still be having issues accessing your current subscription.

Here are some tips:

• If you're still having trouble, be sure to log out of the site and log back in.
• Take the "forgot my password" route and follow the steps to make a password that will comply with the new requirements.
• Try clearing out your browser cookies and cache.

Those should get the site running smoothly, but if all else fails, ask for help.

Thanks to PN's Erin Sloan for this item.

Plastics suppliers with Canadian operations are "actively managing" disruptions caused by a rail strike that began Aug. 22, affecting Canada's two largest rail carriers, Canadian National Railway and Canadian Pacific Kansas City Ltd.

PN's Frank Esposito is following the ongoing supply chain complications for resin makers, but of course it affects a range of other industries.

North American automakers and parts suppliers have deep and complex cross-border operations. With bulk shipments such as resin moving toward trucks to move products, analysts say costs and congestion on highways will grow.

In 2023, our sister paper Automotive News reports, the U.S. imported and exported with Canada transportation equipment worth about $73 billion, according to the U.S. International Trade Administration.

"When vehicle assembly stops, so does parts and systems supply," Flavio Volpe, president of Canada's Automotive Parts Manufacturers Association, wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

If 2023 brought the resurgence of friendship bracelets to pop culture, then 2024 is building on it, this time with rising demand for bag charms: tchotchkes and knickknacks — often made with plastics — that people attach to purses to personalize them.

Much like a charm bracelet, bag charms offer "personalization and playful expression," the website World Branding Forum writes. The charm trend has been covered by fashion media such as Vogue, Marie Claire and Elle.

"The beauty of bag charms is that they can go on anything, and really, they can be anything," Elle noted in an Aug. 18 post.

Purse maker Coach sells its own branded charms, including a $75 one shaped like a mushroom that features acrylic with 70 percent recycled content.