Kickstart: Plastics public policy in an unexpected political season

The U.S. political landscape has made some wild shifts in the past month. Obviously, the biggest change is a new name at the top of the Democratic ticket, Kamala Harris, along with her new running mate, Tim Walz.

So it seems to be a perfect time to check in with Plastics News' Steve Toloken for Plastics in Politics Live, the regular webinar where he and Editor Don Loepp talk about public policy, starting 2 p.m. today, Aug. 13.

While plastics policy may not be part of any major debates between now and November, there could be ripple effects for the industry. That could mean greater emphasis on President Joe Biden's 83-page plastics plan that was unveiled at the end of July — or a scaling back of that plan.

Walz, Minnesota's governor, signed an extended producer responsibility bill for plastics into law in May, making Minnesota the fifth state to adopt EPR rules. The law requires companies to start paying 50 percent of the cost of residential recycling by 2029, rising to 75 percent in 2030 and 90 percent in 2031. Packaging industry group Ameripen called the bill a "fair compromise."

California, Harris' home state, also has an EPR law. Harris also was an original sponsor of the Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act in 2020.

That's not to say that EPR will be a central part of any campaign, but it's interesting that both Harris and Walz are familiar with it.

The webinar is free to access for PN subscribers. Click through here to register.

Production is set to begin this year on PET caps for PET bottles in the U.S., creating an all-PET container that's easier to recycle. PN's Jim Johnson reports Origin Materials Inc. is set to be the first to put PET caps on the U.S. market, with the California company working with Michigan's Reed City Group to mold the closures.

Origin also has a deal for cap manufacturing in Europe.

Plastics News readers will have a chance to get the story behind Origin's plans as part of the Plastics Caps + Closures online event Sept. 18 with a presentation from John Bissell, Origin co-founder and co-CEO. Registration is free in advance of the event and open now.

The caps are outside Origin's typical business model. The company calls itself a "leading carbon-negative materials company with a mission to enable the world's transition to sustainable materials."

Origin says it has developed a method of producing PET that will meet the performance demands for secure beverage closures as the high density polyethylene and polypropylene that are typically used now.

If 2023 were a year to celebrate all things Barbie, then toy maker Mattel Inc. thinks 2024 is the year to highlight another of its molded toys: Polly Pocket.

And just like Barbie, Polly Pocket has her own home, the compact house. Next month, a few people will get to stay in it.

Mattel teamed up with Airbnb to offer three one-night stays in an adult-sized take on the plastic playhouse to mark the toy's 35th anniversary. You don't actually sleep in the house, but rather in four beds squeezed into the "action park tent." (No sign of a bathroom in any of the online photos, but there must be one somewhere at the site in Westford, Mass.) Each stay is listed at $89 to mark the toy's debut in 1989.