Welcome to the Plastics Weekly, NEO’s regular news monitoring of the plastics industry.
This week’s highlights:
- Dead flies could be turned into biodegradable plastic, scientists say. The finding, presented at the autumn meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS), could be useful as it is difficult to find sources for biodegradable polymers that do not have other competing uses. Scientists hope that polymers from the black soldier fly can be used to create bioplastics such as polycarbonates or polyurethanes, which are traditionally made from petrochemicals. (The Guardian)
- The UK company Mura Technology is aiming to create a ‘true circular plastics economy’ with its first plant in the UK. The company uses water heated to supercritical temperatures to break down the bonds in waste plastic, instead of combusting the plastic itself. The oils derived from the waste can then be used to produce new food-grade plastic, with no limit to the number of times it can be reprocessed, the company said. (Reuters)
- Pepsi Co and a subsidiary of Nestlé have debuted their first 100% recyced plastic bottles in Thailand. The companies are working with Envicco, a joint venture between Thai petrochemical producer PTT Global Chemical and Austrian plastics packaging manufacturer Alpla, is producing 100% recycled polyethylene terephthalate (rPET) in Thailand. Envicco is the first recycler in Thailand to receive ‘food-grade rPET’ certification by the national Food and Drug Administration after earlier being certified by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. (Sustainable Plastics)
