Don Loepp

Robert Schad, the founder of Husky Injection Molding Systems Ltd. and a member of the Plastics Hall of Fame, died July 10. He was 95.

Advanced Pedestals Inc., a rotomolder and injection molder based in Texas, and ALPS Inspection, an in-line leak testing equipment maker in Ohio, have been named top workplaces in plastics for 2024.

Bio-based plastics are back in the spotlight, although their role in helping the industry become more circular while cutting carbon emissions is still developing.

What makes a plastic package sustainable? What strategies are companies using to reduce carbon footprint and improve recyclability, while still making sure that packages perform and meet consumer and brand owner expectations?

A new report says that chemical recycling is not a viable solution to plastic pollution problems

Plastics recycling was the main topic of the October Sustainable Plastics Live program. Karen Laird gave an update on chemical recycling project and talked about challenges that all recyclers face right now, including high energy costs, sluggish demand and competition from low-cost virgin resins. She discussed policies that could help, including container deposits and taxes on virgin polymers.

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.

Plastics industry efforts to become more sustainable aren’t moving fast enough – even for PET – according to new reports from the Minderoo Foundation and Systemiq. In Sustainable Plastics Live, Karen Laird summarizes the new reports and talks about the impact extended producer responsibility will have on plastics.

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. 

K 2022 was held against the backdrop of the COVID pandemic, the start of a global recession, skyrocketing energy prices and war in Ukraine. Prior to the show, organizers said they did not know how those potential negatives would impact attendance.