Welcome to the Plastics Weekly, NEO’s regular news monitoring of the plastics industry.
This week’s highlights:
- Food and beverage giant PepsiCo announced that plans to achieve its first net-zero plant by 2025. Pepsi said its beverage plant in Northern Spain is expected to become the company’s first plant globally to reach net-zero emissions by next year. According to PepsiCo, the new achievement follows investments of €27 million (USD$29 million) dedicated to innovation and sustainability projects in the plant over the past five years, in addition to a €5 million decarbonization-focused electrification project. (ESG Today)
- Computer hardware and electronics producer Acer is aiming to collect 50 tonnes of ocean-bound plastic in 2024. The company has partnered with Plastic Bank to collect the equivalent of 2.5 million plastic bottles in Southeast Asia, tackling plastic pollution at the source. The partnership also provides support to under-developed communities by allowing residents to collect plastic and trade it for income, goods, and services to support their livelihood. (Sustainability Magazine)
- A Chinese Academy of Sciences review has identified effective methods for PET plastic recycling. The review presents a groundbreaking approach to PET plastic recycling through a dual strategy combining microbial and chemical catalysis. Innovative catalytic techniques include enzymatic breakdown with genetically engineered microbes and advanced photo and electrocatalysis. (Innovation News Network)