Business

The plastics processing industry is going through a significant transformation, driven by rising energy costs and concerns regarding future supply reliability.

Digital packaging emerges as a revolutionary player in transforming how consumers interact with products. Traditional packaging, primarily focused on protection and basic marketing, is evolving rapidly.

The future of the plastics industry emerges as a focal point, in a world inundated with crisis reports and the relentless hustle of daily life. Hence, it’s crucial to take a step back and examine the industry through different lenses.

Most plastics processing sites use gas simply for space heating but some processes use gas as part of the process, e.g., rotational molding.  Where gas is used for hot water only then this is generally relatively constant over the year. For space heating, the gas use load will be related to the weather conditions (how cold it is) and the weather is then a ‘condition’ driver for gas use. 

Recycling plastic films through Solvent-Targeted Recovery and Precipitation (STRAP) is crucial for environmental sustainability since packaging commonly uses these materials. While experts are testing pioneering methods, scaling these techniques remains a challenge.

The rapid proliferation of 3D printing technologies across various sectors has heralded a new era of manufacturing efficiency and innovation. However, plastic waste generation necessitates urgent and effective recycling strategies.

Sustainability will not be ‘completed’ in one or two years. It is a long-term program that will define and change how a company operates in the future. The sustainability road map a prioritized set of actions designed to get a company from where it is today to where needs to be in the future. 

The pilot-scale fluoropolymer incineration study conducted by the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) represents a significant stride in understanding the environmental impact of fluoropolymer disposal.

Carbfix, an innovative enterprise, spearheads efforts to capture CO2 from the atmosphere and ingeniously converts it into rocks when injected into the ground, contributing to carbon sequestration and mitigating climate change.

In the quest for safer and more eco-friendly fire safety solutions, synergists emerge as a solution to enhance non-halogenated FR effectiveness.

In the turbulence, the future of the plastics industry emerges as a focal point. With forecasts depicting a landscape characterized by both challenges and opportunities. In a world inundated with crisis reports and the relentless hustle of daily life, it’s imperative now more than ever to hit the pause button and reassess our perspectives.

The IKV Colloquium demonstrated the plastics industry’s resilience in addressing current challenges. On February 28th-29th, 2024, RWTH Aachen University’s IKV organized an event fostering industry-academia exchanges.