Environment

There is good news on plastic recycling in Europe. In 2014, 7.7 million tons of plastic waste was collected (compared with 6.6 million in 2012), of which 69.2% was sent for recycling or re-used to generate energy. This, in short, is what emerged from the annual report published by PlasticsEurope and Epro...

On December 2 the European Commission published its long awaited circular economy package, following the withdrawal of a previous proposal at the beginning of 2015. When withdrawing the previous proposal, the European Commission promised that it would deliver a “more ambitious” proposal before the end of 2015...

On November 26 Covestro (formerly Bayer MaterialScience) announced that it is extending its sponsorship agreement with Solar Impulse to the end of 2018, as the solar-powered airplane prepares to complete its journey round the world in 2016. Covestro has been a Solar Impulse project partner since 2010 and also its official technical...

The results of European Bioplastics’ annual market data update, presented at the last European Bioplastics Conference in Berlin, confirm the positive growth trend of the global bioplastics industry. “The market is predicted to grow by more than 350 percent in the mid-term”, says François de Bie, chairman of European Bioplastics...

The equivalent of 66 billion 1.5-litre PET bottles were collected and recycled in 2014, representing 57% of bottles and containers placed in the market. This conclusion comes from a report carried out by PCI PET Packaging Resin & Recycling for Petcore Europe from a Europe-wide survey among actors involved in the collection, sorting and…

The city council of Rotterdam is currently examining the PlasticRoad project, that makes use of prefabricated modules entirely made of recycled plastic (mainly obtained from post consumer bottles) to replace...

Plastics suppliers are being urged by the European Plastics Distributors Association (EPDA) to ensure they are compliant with the latest legislation for restricted substances, as the deadline approaches for SMEs to register existing chemicals used in production processes.

Radici Novacips, head company of the RadiciGroup Plastics Business Area, has chalked up another important achievement in sustainability: the company has developed and published an EPD (Environmental Product Declaration) for its Heramid “post industrial” PA6 and PA6.6 engineering plastics and an EPD for its polyamide scrap recovery service...

This is the slogan of the recent communication campaign launched by Pro.mo, and it is a message substantiated by the results of a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) comparative scientific study of disposable tableware, published on July 9 by the Group of disposable plastic tableware manufacturers, which is part of Unionplast...

The Sabic’s fourth sustainability report, “Foundation for the Future” reflects the company commitment to growing its business responsibly and sustainably. This report builds on the great progress Sabic has made so far and is another step on its path to a sustainable and efficient future for the economy, society, and the environment...

The 2015 Epro Awards final, sponsored by Corepla (the Italian consortium for the collection and recycling of plastic packages) took place at IdentiPlast conference in Rome on April 29. A panel consisting of representatives of Epro, PlasticsEurope, PRE, Eupc and ACR+ from across Europe assessed the entries and...

Based in Ospedaletto di Istrana, near Treviso (Italy), Aliplast processes 70 thousand tons of plastic materials each year. It has just concluded two important trade fairs - Plast and Ipack-Ima - where it has introduced cutting-edge innovations in the field of plastic packaging recycling. It is the first Italian company to...

The Coca-Cola Company unveiled on June 3 the world’s first PET plastic bottle made entirely from plant materials at the World Expo - Milan. PlantBottle packaging pushes the boundaries on sustainable innovation by using groundbreaking technology to create a fully recyclable plastic bottle made from renewable plant materials...

On May 5, the European Flame Retardants Association (EFRA) - which represents the leading organisations which manufacture, market or use flame retardants in Europe - releases the 2014 Vecap European Progress Report. The Voluntary Emissions Control Action programme (VECAP) is a product stewardship programme which aims...

CertiNergia is an ESCo (Energy Service Company) UNI CEI 11352 certified company and part of an international group with more than thirty years of experience. Exhibiting at Plast 2015 was a vital step forward considering the solid experience the company has accumulated in the plastic industry for its more than 130 Italian clients, approximately 30…

A company specialized in the design and industrialization of PET containers, PET Engineering successfully concludes the project Suspack “Sustainable packaging through PET reduction and alternative materials”.

An agreement Protocol between Expo 2015 and the Italy’s national packaging consortium Conai (Consorzio Nazionale Imballaggi) was presented in Milan on March 24, for the promotion of a circular economy programme for the Expo. The importance of this Expo Circular Economy Programme, of which Conai is the...

A recent investigation by the online version of the well known Italian newspaper Repubblica.it on noise pollution does not mince words: one fifth of the European population is exposed to excessive noise, which is responsible for 10,000 deaths a year in Europe and increases in cardiac disease, sleep problems and...

The British Plastics Federation (BPF) has expressed its concern at the impact of reduced oil prices in the UK Plastics Recycling Industry. Areas of plastics recycling are becoming uncompetitive and this is threatening not only the viability of businesses but also, potentially, the recycling record of the whole supply chain.

On March 3 in Milan, Novamont and Lavazza unveiled the first 100% compostable Italian espresso capsule. The outcome of five years of research and development, the capsule will be ready for production in late 2015 and on the shelves in 2016. Compatible with Minù coffee machines, the capsules will be made of Mater-Bi 3G and...