Kickstart: Adding to the spotlight on the plastics treaty

The environmental group Greenpeace is calling on some star power to boost the U.S. government's participation in the global plastics treaty.

Early today, Greenpeace released an open letter to President Joe Biden — with actors William Shatner, Laura Dern and Jane Fonda among those signing it — that calls for Biden's administration to "support a legally binding treaty that caps and phases down plastic production, provides a just transition for workers in the plastics sectors and protects front-line communities."

The treaty, coordinated by the United Nations Environment Programme, is set for a second round of negotiations in Paris May 29 to June 2. PN's Steve Toloken has a story on UNEP's road map for discussion — which it says could lead to an 80 percent reduction in plastics pollution — and he talks about the upcoming treaty sessions in this week's Material Insights video.

"The decision you make on this critical issue will help define your legacy," the letter to Biden says. "Will you be the president who helped put an end to the plastic pollution crisis or someone who let it spiral further out of control? We're calling on you to do the right thing."

Greenpeace also projected a message near the White House on May 15 advocating for a strong treaty and "asking the president to choose between 'people or plastic.'"

The Smart Car, which began life as a two-seat city car brand from Daimler with injection molded outer body panels, isn't quite the same now, but the brand is still alive and seeking new investors and technology.

Smart is now a joint venture of Germany's Mercedes-Benz and China-based Geely Holding Group and with the four-seater electric vehicle Smart #1 being launched in Europe. The Smart #3, an electric crossover, is expected to debut soon.

Reuters reports that Smart is "open for a third, fourth, fifth investor, not only for funding but technology," according to Dirk Adelmann, CEO of Smart Europe.

The new take on Smart ditches many of the plastic components that marked the original vehicle — such as those injection molded body panels and a polycarbonate roof — but still uses plastics in design cues both inside and outside, including the instrument panel and an illuminated front grille.

Loliware LLC, the company that converts seaweed into a material extruded into biodegradable straws, now has an injection molding version of its material.

The California-based company introduced the resin at the 2023 Rethinking Materials Innovation and Investment summit in London on May 15, Karen Laird from our sister paper Sustainable Plastics writes.

It used the material to produce its first "Seaweed Utensil Set," made on standard injection molding presses. The company says the new grade opens up a host of new applications.

"Creating a seaweed resin that was compatible with injection molding machinery proved to be a challenging task, as seaweed has unique properties and stringent performance requirements had to be met for the resulting parts," said Loliware Chief Technology Officer Victoria Piunova in her presentation at the Summit, Karen writes.