Sustainable Plastics Live
In the August Sustainable Plastics Live, Karen Laird talks about how plastics recyclers are suffering because some brand owners are buying inexpensive virgin resins, and some regulators are delaying extended producer responsibility efforts.
A supplier is experimenting with a new method to make PHA resin — by growing it in plants. The technology may offer a lower-cost way to make the family of bio-based resins. Also, Karen Laird shared a detailed timeline on the history of chemical recycling of plastics.
Bioplastics can help companies reduce their carbon footprint but they need more work to become competitive with fossil fuel-based polymers.
Karen Laird says the plastics industry is facing a “paradigm shift” to change from conventional fossil fuel feedstocks to bio-based alternatives.
The European Commission’s long-awaited new plastics packaging and waste regulations will have a major impact in the industry. In our Sustainable Plastics Live, Karen Laird breaks down the proposal including impacts on recyclers, biodegradable resins, chemical recycling and consumers.
Sustainability was a major theme at K 2022 in Düsseldorf, Germany. In our November Sustainable Plastics Live, Karen Laird and Don Loepp discuss how the show highlighted the industry’s progress toward being more circular, including advances in materials and equipment.
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