In order to celebrate the birthdays of employees in this quarter, the company held a “birthday party” in the training conference room on Nov 11. Eight employees and colleagues from all departments attended the party. The whole birthday party was lively, warm and colorful, bringing laughter and surprises to everyone. At 11:30 a.m., the birthday party started…
In recent years, pre-cooked meals and side dishes designed for rapid heating and eating have increased on the market. Packaging bags of these products usually requires good barrier properties, low temperature resistance and high temperature resistance. Customers can choose multi-layer composite packaging bags, or high temperature resistance trays with cover films, which are convenient for…
Lets see what this client said for this amazing travel. “It was really really fantastic visiting to China first time. I love the city, Qingdao. So beautiful. My schedule to this city is to visit my supplier Yingzhicai Package. I applaud Qingdao Yingzhicai Package for the business relationship we have built so for especially on the aspect…
Would an excise tax on virgin plastics used to manufacture single-use products achieve the stated goal of incentivizing the market to source more recycled plastic and reduce the amount of plastic waste? Perhaps to a limited extent, but it comes at a considerable cost.Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), who sits on the Senate Finance and Environment and Public Works committees, has introduced legislation that ultimately would impose a 20-cent-per-pound fee on virgin plastics. Under his proposal, manufacturers, producers, and importers of virgin plastic resins would pay a tax of 10 cents per pound in 2022, with incremental increases reaching 20 cents per pound in 2024. “This fee would apply to virgin plastic used to make single-use products, including plastic packaging, beverage containers, bags, and food service products. Exported virgin plastic resin and post-consumer recycled resin would be exempt,” said a statement on Whitehouse’s website. Other exemptions, mostly in the form of rebates, include medical products, containers or packaging for medicines, personal hygiene products, any packaging used for the shipment of hazardous materials, and virgin plastic used to make non-single-use products.The revenue generated by the excise tax would go into what Whitehouse calls a Plastic Waste Reduction Fund. That money would fund a number of projects designed to reduce plastic waste and promote recycling.“Plastic pollution chokes our oceans, hastens climate change, and threatens people’s well-being,” said Whitehouse in a prepared statement. “On its own, the plastics industry has done far too little to address the damage its products cause, so this bill gives the market a stronger incentive toward less plastic waste and more recycled plastic,” said Whitehouse.”There’s a lot to unpack in that statement. No one disputes that waste in the environment, plastic or otherwise, is disgraceful and needs to be addressed. As far as its impact on climate change, however, I would need some clarification. If the senator is talking about the impact of plastics production on the environment, plenty of studies have shown that it uses far less energy than alternative materials such as glass and paper. Also, he fails to mention how plastics are instrumental in manufacturing “fuel-efficient vehicles, energy-saving home insulation, and electronics,” as noted in a comment released this week by Joshua Baca, Vice President of Plastics at the American Chemistry Council (ACC). The statement also pointed out that the excise tax would “further fuel inflation at a time when we can least afford it” and “favor imported plastic resins coming mostly from China, costing American jobs.”
CRDC – Habitat for Humanity from CRDC Global on Vimeo. The plastics industry is positioning itself — and in some cases is poised — to earn a share of the $1 trillion infrastructure bill approved by the US Senate in a bipartisan vote on Sept. 7. The bill is intended to rebuild the nation’s roads, bridges, and other crumbling infrastructure, and fund new climate-resilient projects as well as broadband initiatives. While the bill likely will be delayed when it is presented to the House for approval, where it is expected to receive opposition from some Democrats who think the bill is not sufficiently expansive, it still will offer opportunities to some plastics manufacturers in the transportation and infrastructure sectors. The Plastics Industry Association is a fan of the bipartisan bill, “which includes key provisions to enhance waste management and replace aging lead pipes with plastic pipes,” said President and CEO Tony Radoszewski. “The waste management provisions will enhance our nation’s recycling infrastructure as well as consumer participation. The legislation provides funding support for a recycling infrastructure grant program created by the Save Our Seas 2.0 Act, which was signed into law last year. The bill also includes language from the RECYCLE Act, which sets aside funding to increase consumer education and participation in the recycling system.” Several global entities recently announced new sustainable initiatives that have close ties to the building and construction and infrastructure sectors. A “concrete” impact on plastics and constructionThe Alliance to End Plastic Waste, a global non-profit organization, and the Center for Regenerative Design and Collaboration (CRDC), a South Africa–based company founded in 1997, announced Sept. 14 a partnership to scale up a system to convert hard-to-recycle plastic waste into a concrete additive used in building and construction applications. CRDC will develop a 14,000-square-foot production plant in York, PA, to increase its capacity. The company will also scale up its existing production plant in Costa Rica to a full-scale commercial capacity of 90 tons per day when fully operational by mid-2022. (The video above shows the Valle Azul sustainable housing project in Costa Rica, a collaboration between CRDC, Habitat for Humanity, Dow, and local organizations.)
Substitutes are readily available, based on desired material properties and the function of the finished part. Supply-chain disruptions have left no part of our industry untouched over the last year. While there is light at the end of the tunnel in our fight against COVID-19, it is apparent the fallout will continue for some time. The impact is only heightened with the recent Suez Canal blockage and a shipping container shortage.The disruptions have combined to create a significant material shortage, increasing prices or downright halting the production of plastic-based components. Fortunately, the tremendous innovation we have seen in material development provides options for product developers willing to explore alternatives for commonly used resins.During material shortages, substitution options are available based on desired material properties and the intended function of produced parts. (An extensive list is available on the Protolabs website.) Each lesser-known plastic could work as a replacement for commonly used plastics such as acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), polycarbonate (PC), and polypropylene (PP).Polysulfone (PSU)This resin is an amorphous, transparent, and pale-amber high-performance thermoplastic that exhibits good melt stability, which permits fabrication by conventional thermoplastic processing methods. PSU also has outstanding mechanical, electrical, and thermophysical properties, as well as excellent chemical and hydrolytic stability. The characteristics come together to make the resin a tremendous fit for components that are exposed to steam and hot water, like plumbing components, sterilizable plastic parts for medical devices, and membranes for water treatment, gas separation, and more.Polyphthalmide (PPA)Semi-aromatic polyamides like PPA are often a cost-effective alternative to the more expensive, fully aromatic aramids. Featuring a combination of aromatic and aliphatic groups, PPA greatly reduces moisture absorption, which results in few dimensional changes and more stable properties. The material is a great fit for products that must withstand prolonged exposure to harsher chemicals and higher temperatures. With that, common applications are motor parts, coolant pumps, bearing pads, resonators, and more.Protolabs
