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In 2018, I wrote an in-depth feature about the ocean-bound plastics supply chain, which covered the potential for the market as well as the difficulties to scale. However, since then, the usage of ocean-bound plastics continues to grow. HP incorporates ocean-bound plastics into Original HP ink cartridges. Atando Cabos is a company focused on ending the contamination of discarded fishing and marine farming gear from the coasts of Patagonia.  Most recently, I received a news…

Several advanced recycling stakeholders are turning to blockchain technology to enable value chain traceability and visibility. Circulor, a leading provider of sustainable supply chain and dynamic carbon dioxide traceability, announced a partnership with the broad energy company, TotalEnergies, and Recycling Technologies, a chemical recycler of plastic, to develop a blockchain-enabled traceability solution for Hard-to-Recycle Plastics (HTRP). The project is being assisted by financing from Innovate UK. Project TRACKCYCLE will embed…

Fittingly, the shows were the first to be held at the Anaheim Convention Center since the last IME West, Feb. 11-13, 2020. In the intervening 18 months, the only times the convention center was open it was to serve as a mass testing and vaccination site. At a ribbon-cutting ceremony to open the combined shows on August 10, executives from the event’s organizer, Informa Markets, were joined by the mayor…

Australia-based Twelve8 Technology has launched a plastics additive that enables polymers blended with it to decompose naturally, without industrial treatment, within two years. The PaktoEarth RAWS-tech additive decomposes to water, carbon dioxide (CO2), and less than 1% biomass. The additive-blended plastic, which is suitable for food packaging, can be recycled. But for post-consumer plastic that “escapes” the recycling process, ending up in nature or landfill, the technology offers an accelerated…

Have you checked out Plastics Technology’s upcoming Extrusion 2021 Conference? It’s going to be held Sept. 21-23 at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Ill., a short drive from O’Hare Airport. And if you register before Aug. 20 you’ll save money. Over the course of two-and-half+ days, attendees will be able to sit in on presentations from more than 70 technical experts covering a wide range of subject…

The Benvic Group, a thermoforming company headquartered in Chevigny-Saint-Saveur, France, has acquired Chemres, a supplier of polymers and custom compounds.  A specialty compounder with a strong position in the US contact lens market, Chemres also has long-term customer relationships in the medical, wire & cable, and packaging industries. Chemres has its headquarters in Princeton, NJ, with operations in Chesapeake, VA. The acquisition of Chemres will give Benvic a foothold in…