Your Go-To Source for Plastics Industry News
Welcome to The Plastics Report, your weekly update on the latest news and trends in the plastics industry.
?? Want more industry news? Sign up for our flagship newsletter to receive an enhanced edition of The Plastics Report directly to your inbox.
Let's dive in...
Bioplastics: New Developments Expand Use of PLA; Study Confirms No Microplastics Left Behind
DuPont scientist Wallace Carothers is generally credited with synthesizing polylactic acid (PLA) in 1932 —?admittedly, he is best known for his research that led to the development of nylon — but it wasn’t until late in the last century that PLA started to be used in an appreciable way, especially in medical applications. Its biocompatibility and bioresorption properties have made it an essential polymer for drug-eluting stents and implants.
PLA is also one of the most popular biopolymers in the race to replace petroleum-based plastics precisely because of its degradation properties. It continues to make headlines as researchers hone the material’s properties and further its environmental benefits, as illustrated by two recent developments —?a PLA-based flexible and recyclable plastic film and a study showing that PLA will fully biodegrade under the right conditions and not leave behind microplastics.
PLA-based flexible film earns researchers prestigious prize.
Researchers at Germany’s Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Polymer Research (IAP) that developed a flexible and recyclable plastic film based on PLA and paved the way for its commercialization have received the 2024 Joseph von Fraunhofer Prize. The annual prize recognizes outstanding scientific achievements by Fraunhofer employees, rewarding research teams with €50,000 and substantial bragging rights.
The research at IAP involved replacing petroleum-based low-density polyethylene (LDPE) with a biopolymer to reduce the carbon footprint of single-use shopping and garbage bags. PLA showed promise —?it is bio-based, biodegradable, and easy to recycle, said the researchers — but its high stiffness made the polymer unsuitable for flexible packaging applications. They found a solution by coupling polyether plasticizers directly with the polymer chain, making the material more flexible over time.
“Until now, plasticizers have been mixed into PLA as additives. However, the plasticizer molecules migrate out of the material over time, making the PLA stiff and rigid again,” explained researcher Dr. Benjamín Rodríguez. “To prevent this migration, we anchored the polyether to the polymer. To achieve this, we synthesized PLA-based block copolymers in which the polyether chain segment is covalently linked to PLA chain segments at both ends.”
The discovery results in several advantages:
Related: Bioplastics News Stream
The material is being commercialized under the Plactid name by the Polymer-Group, and its subsidiary SoBiCo GmbH has commissioned a production plant in Pferdsfeld, Germany. Ultimately, the company plans to produce 10,000 tons of the material annually.
Study concludes that bio-based PLA does not produce microplastics.
A recently released meta-study commissioned by Holland Bioplastics, a Netherlands-based association promoting biopolymers, claims to show that PLA will hydrolyze —?break down chemically using water as a reactant — into increasingly smaller molecules and eventually fully biodegrade.
Research laboratory Hydra Marine Sciences conducted a systematic review of published scientific literature beginning with an initial scan of more than 30,000 reports, 500 of which were identified as relevant for deeper review. The research confirmed that the environmental degradation of PLA is mainly driven by hydrolysis. As long as the PLA is exposed to moisture and humidity, it will degrade at a rate determined by temperature until the polymer chains are so short that the material becomes soluble in water and will biodegrade into biomass, water, and carbon dioxide, according to the report.
“The meta-study shows that in contrast to non-biodegradable plastic, which will persist and permanently accumulate as micro- and nano-plastics in the environment, PLA in the environment will not leave persistent pollution as long as humidity and water are present,” said Christian Lott, managing director, Hydra Marine Sciences.
Baltimore’s Plastic Pollution Lawsuit Cites Deeply Flawed Study
The city of Baltimore has filed a lawsuit seeking damages for plastic pollution. The defendants in the case are not individual citizens found polluting with plastics —?they would likely be criminally charged —?but instead are companies involved in making and using plastic packaging. These companies also are not accused of throwing plastic on the streets, city greenways, or into the harbor. Just as John Dillinger robbed banks because “that’s where the money is," lawsuits are brought against companies with large corporate coffers. In this case, Coca-Cola and PepsiCo are both defendants (other defendants are named, too, but you’ll see shortly why these two are listed first).
What makes this lawsuit different from similar past attempts.
New York City launched a similar lawsuit last year, and I didn’t feel it was worth commenting on that particular case. What makes this case different is a paragraph in the PR statement released by Milberg Law, one of the legal firms involved in this case:
“A recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that microplastics are linked to serious cardiovascular problems, such as heart attacks and strokes. New research also traces more than 20% of the world's plastic pollution to just four companies. Defendants Coca-Cola (11%) and PepsiCo (5%) are at the top of the list.”
In April, I wrote in PlasticsToday about that new research, which traced “more than 20% of the world’s plastic to just four companies,” pointing out serious flaws in the sampling methods and how unsupportable the report’s conclusions were. Yet here is that research being used as justification for the lawsuit, and also for naming Coca-Cola and PepsiCo as the first two defendants. (Looks like Milberg Law is not reading my columns. Gotta fix that.)
Microplastics were not part of the research.
Even more maddening is the first sentence in the quote above regarding microplastics. You may recall that the researchers pointing the finger at Coca-Cola and PepsiCo were very clear that their sampling did not include microplastics. Yet here it is tied right back into that research.
You may also recall that the researchers threw out half of their samples since the manufacturer could not be identified. The research also involved worldwide sampling, none of which occurred in Baltimore. To somehow insist that Coca-Cola and PepsiCo can be responsible for 11% and 5%, respectively, of the plastic at issue is fantasy.
领英推荐
Surprising facts about plastic pollution.
Plastic pollution is a complex problem, and the data can be counterintuitive at times. It’s always surprising to find that the United States is the largest consumer of plastic but doesn’t even make the top 20 list for nations contributing to ocean plastic. It’s equally surprising that, on a per-capita basis, the United States is number eight on the list of plastic waste generators, behind the “green” European countries of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Switzerland.?
Relying on overly simplistic research to devise an overly simplistic list of culprits is bad science and will make bad law. I would hope that these arguments (or similar) are used if this ever goes to trial.
Trio of CA Recyclers and Manufacturers Fight Proposed Plastic Bag Ban
A coalition of three California recyclers and manufacturers calling itself the Responsible Recycling Alliance (RRA) has banded in response to a pair of pending state bills that would eliminate reusable plastic film grocery bags.
Being opposed to AB 2236 and SB 1053, the RRA’s founding members —?EFS Plastics, Merlin Plastics, and PreZero US — instead urge integrating those bags into the Plastic Pollution Prevention and Packaging Producer Responsibility Program established by SB 54 in 2022.
Reusable plastic grocery bags made in California contain at least 40% recycled post-consumer content and can be recycled into new bags and other materials. Consumers typically pay 10 cents per bag.
Negative effect on plastic film recycling.
“AB 2236 and SB 1053 do not result in a more environmentally friendly option,” said Roxanne Spiekerman, vice president of public affairs for PreZero US. “We all share a common goal to protect the environment, and while I am certain that the proponents of these bills have the best of intentions, as written this legislation would roll back environmental gains, make shopping more expensive for low-income Californians, eliminate jobs across California, and make it more difficult for SB 54 to succeed in improving plastic film recycling in the state.”
The RRA proposes that adding reusable plastic film bags into SB 54 is California’s more sustainable solution because that would make it easy for residents to collect a variety of plastic bags at sufficient volume to support plastic film recycling.
A commitment to environmentally responsible circularity.
“We’re committed to the best approaches that are supported by research and backed by science,” Spiekerman explained. “Californians have earned the right to the best solution that’s available. We can accomplish our shared goals of great product circularity in an environmentally responsible manner. And it’s important to note that plastic film bag producers, as defined by SB 54, are the ones who will pay to fund the plastics collection infrastructure and the system-wide improvements necessary to ensure that plastic film is recycled.”
EFS converts household waste plastics into reprocessed resins. Merlin recycles and processes post-consumer and post-industrial plastic packaging. PreZero US is the North American arm of a European environmental services company that provides recycling services and manufactures reusable plastic bags.
Lakeshore Plastics Expands Capacity, Turnkey Services to Meet Demand
In a sign of robust injection molding demand, Utah’s Lakeshore Plastics expanded capacity of its Orem manufacturing facility by about 50% to 12,000 square feet.
Lakeshore produces about four million caps annually and is adding equipment for cap lining. The company owns five injection molding machines (IMMs) from Absolute Haitian, ranging from 100 to 427 tons. Three of those IMMs are paired with top-entry robots from Absolute Robot. Lakeshore’s new manufacturing space can accommodate three more IMMs.
Robots bring precision, speed, and consistency to process.
Automation is critical to Lakeshore’s business. Removing high-end jewelry cases from a mold, for example, requires careful handling to maintain aesthetics, a task that is best performed by a robot. Molding polished parts of clear Tritan copolyester, which degrades quickly with any variation in cycle time, also requires automation. “The ARI top-entry robot is faster and more consistent at removing the part from the mold and prevents damage that could be introduced if a machine operator so much as bumps the mold when removing the part,” said Lakeshore CEO Kyle Pontius.
For mold fabrication, the company added a CNC lathe and three electrical discharge machines (wire, sinker, and hole popper) to complement its CNC milling machine.
Related: The Troubleshooter: Developing Robust Maintenance Procedures in Plastic Injection Molding Operations
“In the coming months, we're making available specialized molds to easily swap logos and textures on numerous cap sizes to produce a custom closure at a much lower initial cost,” Pontius said.
Support for companies reshoring molding operations.
Lakeshore is helping many companies onshore molds or rebuild molds from a previous supplier that are difficult to remove. For these transitions, Lakeshore helps customers confirm mold and tooling compatibility with its facility, match material and color, review quality control requirements, and plan logistics.
Starting as a mold fabrication company in 2019, Lakeshore provides turnkey services from engineering through to assembly.
“The benefit to customers of our turnkey experience is risk mitigation,” Pontius said. “From CAD modeling to in-house fabrication and repair to prototyping and mass production, the development cycle is under one roof. If a mold has an issue, rather than having it taken out of the machine and shipped away for repair, we can diagnose the problem and repair it in a matter of hours, minimizing downtime and maximizing production schedules,” said Pontius.
Recommended Reads ??
?? Food-Grade Recycled Polypropylene is Poised for US Intro: The NextLooPP initiative’s success and breakthroughs across the Atlantic and an FDA Letter of No Objection to 14 companies bode well for food-grade PP recycling on American shores.
? Beryl a Monstrous, Early Start to Hurricane Season: The Category 5 hurricane could threaten petrochemicals operations in Mexico and the US Gulf Coast.
?? Cretex Medical Breaks Ground in Costa Rica: The company’s first location outside the United States will provide medical device component manufacturing and assembly services.
?? Smart Bandages Monitor and Treat Chronic Wounds: Next-gen dressings could automatically sense a change in the wound’s condition and administer appropriate medication in real time.
?? Tiny Tube Earns Top Award: World’s smallest child-resistant tube from Neopac marks a breakthrough in both compact and secure packaging.
?? Upcoming Industry Events
PLASTEC Minneapolis | October 16-17, 2024 | Minneapolis Convention Center | Minneapolis, MN
EXPOPLAST Montréal | November 13-14, 2024 | Palais Des Congrès de Montréal | Montréal (Québec), Canada