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By 2010, maybe earlier, a barrel of oil will cost over $150. Twenty years after that, oil production will reach its peak, and in 2060 the cost of oil will surpass $900 per barrel as it has become a scarce raw material. Long before that, oil will have stopped being used for fueling transportation or heating houses. (“Black gold” extracted from oil shale and sands processed from the tar-like bitumen into refinery-ready light crude and the few wells still pumping in Antarctica are exclusively used for pharmaceuticals and some special plastics.) Fact or fiction? Read the full article.
With the global focus on the use of sustainable and environmentally friendly materials, plastics manufacturers are constantly challenged to identify alternate material solutions. These solutions must provide an effective replacement to existing fossil fuel-based products within the plastics industry. Add in a dose of reality regarding the lack of sustainable materials available today and the challenge becomes immediately apparent. Read the full article.
What is the definition of “green?” This is a question often asked by design firms, marketing departments and corporate offices as businesses wrestle with how to respond to increasing demands for green products. The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) has estimated that the value of new construction that is LEED certified (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) surpassed $12 billion in 2007 while Mintel’s Green Living report estimates the number of consumers who often buy “green products” has tripled in the 16 months prior to December 2007. Within this explosion of activity, how is the definition of green evolving and what will it be like in the future? Read the full article.
More than most industries, the plastics industry uses acronyms galore. For example acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene is very rarely stated as such but instead ABS is commonly used — or how about saying the tongue twister polychlorotrifluoroethylene when PCTFE would suffice. There is however a fairly new acronym that all in our industry should become familiar with … LCA. No, it’s not a polymer but a very important process called Life Cycle Assessment. Read the full article.
Plastics recycling in North America has undergone profound change in this decade. Current market and policy pressures are forcing the polymer recovery industry to adopt new practices and invest in new technologies. The rising globalization of the overall plastics supply chain is also resulting in significant alterations to how plastics are recycled in the United States and Canada. Read the full article.
Many companies in the plastics distribution industry are facing the challenge of “going green” and researching opportunities to provide sustainable materials and products to their customers. However, to adopt a total sustainability structure, companies must also look internally at their energy efficiency. This forward thinking can result in major financial savings, is good for the environment and also improves their corporate image. The primary reasons for reducing energy usage are impossible to ignore. So why is the list of excuses for inaction seemingly endless? Read the full article.
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Facing the sustainable
materials challenge
The evolving definition
of “green”
Plastics recycling: current trends and issues