Senate Democrats eye plastics tax in $3.5T budget plan
The top Democrat in the Senate said lawmakers are “seriously” considering a tax on virgin plastics as part of a $3.5 trillion spending and tax plan.
Everything’s Going Up—Including Machine Prices
Sidel said higher costs and shortages of raw materials and components force it to raise machine prices by 5%. Plastics machinery is a highly competitive business, and—apart from the usual haggling and negotiating—suppliers are always looking for ways to make their products more affordable. But we’re in a period of sudden inflation in the cost of pretty much everything—food, fuel, raw materials of all sorts. A lot of that can be attribute…
Vinyl Institute helps family that relied on bottled water for two years
The trade group’s donation covers the cost of PVC pipe for a new 400-foot deep well that lets household use its faucets again for drinking, cooking and cleaning.
Danimer Scientific Continues Research into Soybean Oil as PHA Source
Bioplastics company Danimer Scientific has received a $400,000 grant from the United Soybean Board to expand the company’s evaluation of high-oleic soybean oil (HOSO) as a feedstock in the production of polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA), a sustainable biopolymer that serves as a biodegradable alternative to traditional plastic. The grant marks continuation of Danimer’s collaboration with the United Soybean Board after the successful completion of a one-year project to develop a practical model…
Supply chain blamed for slowing North American machinery shipments
Shipments of injection molding and extrusion machinery in North America decreased again in the second quarter, despite an uptick in orders, because supply chain problems are pushing back delivery schedules.
'Artificial Meniscus' Aims to Fill Treatment Gap to Provide Pain Relief
The MERCURY study, which is the longest and most extensive study of a meniscus implant, showed that patients treated with Active Implants’s NUsurface device experienced a 10-point improvement from baseline in Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) pain measurement. The NUsurface meniscus implant is an investigational treatment for patients in the United States with persistent knee pain following medical meniscus surgery. It is made from medical-grade polymer, and, owing to…
First Chemically Recycled Polypropylene Iced Coffee Cups
Swiss dairy company Emmi has started to incorporate chemically recycled polypropylene into its packaging. The cups are produced by Greiner Packaging and the chemically recycled material comes from Borealis. Emmi has the stated goal to make all of its packaging 100% recyclable and is committed to various measures to promote circularity such as packaging that contains at least 30% recycled material by 2027. Focusing on recyclable packaging and the use…
The Unspoken Cues and Habits of a Group
Hidden rules, as defined by author and speaker Ruby Payne, are the unspoken rules of a group. Sports have hidden rules, as do religion, work, and economic class. I attended a Greek Orthodox wedding years ago. It was obvious which wedding guests were Greek Orthodox and which were not. In the workplace, examples of hidden rules include which parking spot and elevator you can use and whether to leave the…
Sabic Launches Automotive-Grade Resins with Recycled Content
Sabic’s first automotive grades containing mechanically recycled content are now available. The new resins are: Sabic T2E-3320EH PP compound, a high-flow, low-emission, talc-filled polypropylene (PP); Xenoy T2NX2500UV resin, an unfilled, UV-stabilized blend of polycarbonate (PC) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET); Xenoy T2NX5230 resin, a mineral-filled PC/PET blend. All three materials contain up to 29% recycled content while offering performance similar to that of incumbent virgin resins, giving automotive customers new options…
Kickstart: The future hybrid office
The future hybrid office Herman Miller Inc. knows that you’ve been working at home a lot, and that you expect you’ll still being working at home — at least part of the time — in the future as more firms embrace hybrid office work strategies. So the office furniture maker is also embracing change, with a podcast that will examine “the future of work.” Ryan Anderson, vice president of global…