Kickstart: Excitement for the Plastics Hall of Fame

Yesterday the Plastics Hall of Fame made a big splash with the announcement of the 2024 inductees. That's exactly what the volunteer leaders of the Hall of Fame have been calling this for months, the "big splash."

I'll take the opportunity to highlight some Hall of Fame-related topics in today's Kickstart.

Established in 1972, the Plastics Hall of Fame has grown to 236 members representing 10 countries, including five Nobel Prize winners in chemistry.

Criteria for membership include significant invention or breakthrough; development of an outstanding product, market, end-use niche or business endeavor; long and valuable service to the plastics industry; and constructive, collaborative action with industry-related groups.

This year's class has some incredible stories. One that stood out: Arthur Eichengrün, chemist, materials scientist and inventor who developed the processes for manufacturing cellulose acetate. He's also credited with co-discovering aspirin and, in 1919, developing an early injection molding press.

Eichengrün was one of two historical figures in this year's induction class — deserving industry members who were previously overlooked in the more than 50 years the Hall of Fame has been around. I liken it to the Baseball Hall of Fame's Eras Committee.

If you aren't familiar with the Plastics Hall of Fame, you may be wondering where it is so you can stop by and visit. It's not really a place, though. For a while it had a home in the National Plastics Center & Museum, which was in Leominster, Mass. The museum opened in 1991 but closed in 2008 and the collection moved to Syracuse University.

But the best place to see what the Hall of Fame is about will be at NPE2024, set for May 6-10 in Orlando, Fla.

The new class will be inducted on Sunday, May 5, the day before the show opens, and at the show, a Walk of Fame display featuring information on all members of the hall will be at booth W2380 as part of the Innovation Stage.

The Taipei Times has an interesting story today on Meining, Taiwan's historical connection to the Barbie doll.

From 1967-1987, before production moved to China, most Barbie toys were made in Meining. The factory once employed 8,000 workers.

The story quotes former workers — now in their 50s and 60s — who have fond memories of making Barbies. But it notes that the dolls weren't sold in Taiwan until 1982, and even then they were too expensive for most factory workers.

One worker told the newspaper how, despite tight security, she managed to sneak Barbie pieces home in her lunchbox.

"Honestly, everyone was trying to sneak out bits of Barbie," the worker told the newspaper. "She is so beautiful and glamorous."

Reminders of Barbie's impact on Taiwan include the Meining Friendship Group, which organizes social gatherings for those who used to work at the plant, and Taishan Doll Museum, which has displays of Barbie dolls and other toys that were produced at the factory.

Congratulations to Kelvin Okamoto, president of Green Bottom Line Inc., who was just named the recipient of the Robert MacFarlane Award of Excellence from ASTM International's plastics committee.

The award is the highest given by ASTM's plastics committee. Okamoto was specifically honored for his leadership and oversight of the subcommittee on environmentally degradable plastics and bio-based products.

PN readers may recall that Okamoto was one of the experts on bioplastics who we recruited for last year's Bioplastics Live.