Sustainable, Efficient Use Plastics

Use of plastics is a big deal in petroleum use. 

Sustainable and efficient innovations for the plastics industry

Press release / October 06, 2022

At the world’s largest trade fair for the plastics and rubber industry, 14 Fraunhofer units have adopted the “We know plastics” slogan and will be showcasing innovative, sustainable and efficient approaches, solutions and developments for plastics processing. From October 19 to 26, 2022, the topics of circular economy, digital transformation, climate protection and functionalization will take center stage at Booth SC01 in Hall 7.

Shortages of raw material, competition and the lack of skilled workers are among the challenges that the manufacturing industry is currently facing. Researchers are therefore working on energy-efficient and resource-efficient processes for the manufacturing of the future.

Circular economy: reusable transport packaging for food shipments

Circular economy represents the greatest field of action for the plastics and rubber industry. The circular economy of plastics concerns their entire life cycle — from product design, material selection and additives, the circular business model and traceability to added value for customers.

Using reusable transport packaging for B2C food shipping, the Fraunhofer Cluster of Excellence Circular Plastics Economy CCPE will showcase its research results and demonstrate solution approaches for circular products. The demonstrator “reusable transport box” combines the potential of circular plastic compounds with innovative manufacturing processes for component production. Newly developed PLA-based monomaterial approaches, bio-based foams with functional additives and odor-optimized recyclates open up promising design opportunities for the realization of circular product designs.  ... ' 

Advanced Recycling: Opportunities for Growth

Noting especially plastics. 

Advanced recycling: Opportunities for growth  in McKinsey

May 16, 2022 | ArticleBy Zhou Peng, Theo Jan Simons, Jeremy Wallach, and Adam Youngman

Advanced recycling: Opportunities for growth

As interest in the circular economy grows, emerging recycling technologies that are complementary with mechanical recycling are accelerating.

 Article (8 pages)

As industries continue to shift away from fossil fuels and toward sustainability, many consumer-packaged-goods (CPG) companies have pledged to sell goods that have less impact on the environment. These pledges affect a large portion of the plastic products people use or encounter in everyday life, including packaging materials such as bottles, caps, meal trays, and flexible film wrap. As a result, the demand for circular polymers is rapidly increasing—but capacity announcements are not on pace with demand growth.1

Advanced recycling offers one potential solution. This term refers to recent technological developments meant to complement mechanical recycling—which has generally been the default approach to recycling for the past 30 years. Mechanical recycling is most effective with high-quality, relatively clean sorted waste; it faces structural limitations such as limited pools of appropriate feedstock and resulting material properties that limit end-market applications.

Advanced recycling can not only expand the types of plastics that are recyclable but also produce plastics that have tailored molecular weight distributions and comonomers that are suited for high-value applications, such as flexible packaging for food. However, capacity is limited today; many of these technologies are still developing and scaling.

Given the still-limited scale and uncertain financial returns, advanced recycling is a work in progress. This article addresses the current state of affairs as well as how to mature advanced-recycling technologies, building out infrastructure and sortation, and setting up end-to-end partnerships.

Accelerating demand for recycled plastics

Demand for recycled polymers is growing, primarily because of increased consumer awareness, CPG pledges, and regulations (Exhibit 1). These plastics can be produced through either mechanical recycling or advanced recycling. In mechanical recycling, plastic waste is washed, shredded, and pelletized, while in advanced recycling there is a chemical change and a longer route to go from plastic waste to ready-to-use plastic.  ..... '

More on Eastman Procter Partnership

 Was linked to additional information: 

Procter & Gamble partners with Eastman to reduce virgin plastic use By Julia Wray in CosmeticsBusiness

The companies will collaborate to expand infrastructure to boost plastic recycling rates in the US

FMCG giant Procter & Gamble has pledged to use materials made by Eastman’s molecular recycling technologies to reduce its use of virgin plastic from fossil fuels.

P&G will also collaborate with the specialty materials business on advocacy initiatives aimed at reducing the reliance on virgin plastic and enabling a circular economy.

Eastman’s Eastman Renew materials are made via molecular recycling technologies which use waste plastic that would otherwise go to landfill.

"Eliminating waste plastic from our environment is a complex global challenge that requires a comprehensive, collaborative approach across the entire plastics lifecycle," Lee Ellen Drechsler, Procter & Gamble Senior Vice President of R&D, commented.

"P&G is taking a thoughtful approach to addressing the collection, processing, revitalisation and reuse of materials.  ... ' 

Molecular Recycling with Eastman at P&G

 Most interesting as I worked in this in the future analysis of this space at P&G.  Good to see the continued advances made.

Eastman molecular recycling technologies to advance Procter & Gamble packaging goals 

Innovative Eastman Renew materials reduce reliance on virgin plastic packaging

KINGSPORT, Tenn. and CINCINNATI, Aug. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Today Eastman (NYSE: EMN) announced that it has entered an agreement with Procter & Gamble (NYSE: PG) to further accelerate the transformation of plastic packaging and collaborate on recycling solutions to enable a circular economy. P&G will use Eastman Renew materials in select products and packaging, supporting both companies' goals to reduce the use of virgin plastic from fossil resources. Additionally, the companies will collaborate on advocacy initiatives aimed at reducing reliance on virgin plastic and enabling a circular economy for many products people depend on daily. 

Lee Ellen Drechsler, senior vice president of R&D at Procter & Gamble.

Scott Ballard, division president of Plastics at Eastman.

Procter & Gamble

"Eliminating waste plastic from our environment is a complex global challenge that requires a comprehensive, collaborative approach across the entire plastics lifecycle. P&G is taking a thoughtful approach to addressing the collection, processing, revitalization, and reuse of materials. That's why we selected Eastman's molecular recycling technologies which enable former waste to be transformed into useful products," explained Lee Ellen Drechsler, Procter & Gamble Senior Vice President of R&D. 

Eastman Renew materials are made via Eastman's molecular recycling technologies using waste plastic that, without this technology, would end up in landfills. These advanced recycling technologies are a complement to traditional recycling, expanding the types and amounts of plastics that can be recycled. This gives materials an extended useful life and diverts plastic waste from landfills or the environment. 

In addition to packaging innovation, P&G and Eastman will collaborate on initiatives addressing the infrastructure needed to increase plastic recycling rates. These efforts will complement the current recycling streams in the United States and enable additional recycling options for consumers eager to help solve the plastic waste problem. The two companies will work to expand the collection of hard-to-recycle plastics, further diverting waste from landfills. These expanded recycling streams will be used to create new materials via Eastman's molecular recycling technologies.  ... ' 

Enzymes Embedded in Plastics

Based on a conversation I have had, this is a considerable breakthrough with broad application.

Enzymes successfully embedded in plastics

Research News / June 01, 2021  Fraunhofer Institute

In general, plastics are processed at way over a hundred degrees Celsius. Enzymes, by contrast, cannot usually withstand these high temperatures. Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Polymer Research IAP have managed to reconcile these contradictions: They are able to embed enzymes in plastics without the enzymes losing their activity in the process. The potentials this creates are enormous.

Materials that clean themselves, have anti-mold surfaces or are even self-degrading are just a few examples of what will be possible if we manage to embed active enzymes into plastics. But for the enzyme-specific properties to be transferred to the materials, the enzymes must not suffer damage as they are embedded in the plastic. Scientists at Fraunhofer IAP have developed a solution to the problem as part of the “Biofunctionalization/Biologization of Polymer Materials BioPol” project. Since summer 2018, the project has been running in cooperation with BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg. The Ministry of Science, Research and Culture of the State of Brandenburg is funding the project.

“It was clear from the outset that we were not looking to produce biofunctionalized plastics on a laboratory scale. We wanted to take a giant step to show that technical production is possible,” says Dr. Ruben R. Rosencrantz, Head of the “Biofunctionalized Materials and (Glyco)Biotechnology” department at Fraunhofer IAP, summarizing the ambitious project goals. At around the midpoint in the project, major breakthroughs are already emerging: Enzymes have been successfully embedded, both in terms of the enzymes themselves and the processing technique.  ..."