Plastic packaging is increasingly replacing metal coating packaging

Inthepast20years,plasticpackaginghasbeenprovedtobeabetteralternativetometalcoatingpackagingcans.Consumers'complaintsaboutrustymetalcoatingpackagingcansandthedifficultyofre-closingmetalpackagingcansafteropeningalldrivedesignerstodevelopplasticcoatingpackagingcontainers.   XuanweiCoatingsCo.oftheUnitedStatesmadeanexperimentin2002whenitdesignedasquareplasticcoatingpackagingcontainerTwist&Pourwithasidehandle,aneasy-to-dumpoutletandascrewcap.In2003,thepackagingcanswontheAmericanAssociationofIndustrialDesignersGoldAward.   Atpresent,theplasticizationofcoatingspackagingcansintheUnitedStateshasgraduallybecomeatrend.KWPlastics,basedinTroy,Alabama,hasdeclareditselftheworld'slargestsupplierofTruSnapplasticcoatingspackagingcontainers.KWPlasticsisamajorrecyclerofhigh-densitypolyethyleneandpolypropylene.ThecompanyopenedanAlabamaplantin1981torecyclePPfrombatteryshells.In1986,thecompanyopenedafactoryinBakersfield,California,andestablishedKWPlasticsRecyclingin1992torecyclehigh-densitypolyethylene.KWbegantoproduceplasticandmetalmixedcoatingscontainersin1998,andexpandedtouse100%recycledmaterialsinallplasticinjectionmouldingcoatingspackagingcontainers.   BeforethepopularityofplasticcoatingspackagingcontainersintheNorthAmericancoatingsmarket,itwasthefirsttobewidelyacceptedintheEuropeanmarket.Tocommemoratethe50thanniversaryofitscustomerCofabrill,VerstraeteIML,aBelgianconsumergoodspackagingmanufacturer,launchedapaintpackagingbucketin2016forZolpan,thecompany'sprofessionalpaintproduct,whichusesagoldeninlayinjectiontechnology.   Recently,RPCSuperfos,aninjectionandthermoformingpackagingdesigndevelopmentandmanufacturerbasedinTaastrup,Denmark,begansupplyingplasticpackagingcansfortheinteriorandexteriorwallsofHelios,aSlovenianpaintmanufacturer.HelioschoseRPCSuperfos'sSuperOvalcontainerbecauseofitsuser-friendly,lightweightandsustainabilityfeatures.   Previously,Heliospaintproductsgenerallyusedmetalpackaging,butwiththeincreasingpopularityofwater-basedpaint,thecompanyhasdecidedtoswitchtoplasticpackagingcontainers,andstipulatedthatitswallpaintwillonlyuseplasticpackagingcansandbuckets,"becausemorepeopleappreciatethequalityofthesecontainers."

EU plans to recycle plastic packaging by 2030

Tocombatenvironmentalpollution,theEuropeanUnionhasannouncedaplantorecycleplasticpackaging.Undertheplan,theEuropeanUnionwillendtheuseofplasticproducts,includingdisposablecoffeecups,by2030.TheEuropeanCommissionsaidithopedtoimprovetherecyclingefficiencyofplasticpackagingthroughtheplanandensurethatallplasticpackagingcouldberecycledorreusedby2030.Inaddition,theEUhopestocreatenewbusinessopportunitiesthroughtheplan.   Atthesametime,theEUwilldevelopnewmeasurestoimprovetherecyclabilityofplasticproductsusedinthemarket,increasetheuseofrecycledplasticcomponents,andimprovetheplasticrecyclingmechanismtoestablishamoreadvancedandstandardizedgarbagesortingandcollectionsystem.Becauseplasticparticlescanenterthehumanbodythroughair,waterandfood,theplanalsoincludesmeasurestolimittheuseofplasticparticlesincosmeticsanddetergents.   Statisticsshowthat85%ofbeachwasteworldwideisplasticwaste.Asaresult,themeasuresannouncedbytheEuropeanUnionalsoincludecleaningup700kilogramsofplasticwastewashedashoreeveryday.Atthesametime,theEUalsoplanstoreducethegenerationofmarinelitterfromthesource,andtodevelopnewrulesfortheportandshippingindustrytoensurethatthewastegeneratedbyshipsatseawillnotbedischargedintothesea,butbetransportedbacktolandandhandledproperly.   TheEuropeanCommissionwillprovideguidancetomembergovernmentsandEuropeanenterprisesonhowtominimizeplasticwasteatsourceandsupportrelatedtechnologicalinnovation.TheEUsaiditwouldprovideanadditional100millionby2020todevelopmorerecyclableplasticmaterials,improverecyclingprocessesandtrackandremoveharmfulsubstancesandpollutantsfromrecycledplastics.   Regardingthereasonsforlaunchingtheplan,theEUsaidthattheextensiveuseofplasticpackaginginEuropehascausedalarmingwaste,andplasticwasteisoftendifficulttodecompose,whichhasbroughtseriousenvironmentalproblems.TheEuropeanCommissionpointedoutthatonly5%oftheeconomicvalueofplasticpackagingmaterialscanberetainedineconomicactivities,andtheremaining95%willdisappearafterthefirstuse.Itwastes70billionto105billioneurosayearinEurope.Inaddition,theEUproducesabout25milliontonsofplasticwasteannually,buttherecoveryrateislessthan30%.Non-recyclableplasticwastetakeshundredsofyearstodecompose.Asasinglecommoditymarket,theEUhastheresponsibilitytoparticipateinsolvingtheseproblems.   "TheEUalsohopestohelptheregion'seconomygraduallytransformintoacirculareconomythroughtheplan."YurkiKatynin,vicepresidentoftheEuropeanCommissionforemployment,growth,investmentandcompetitiveness,saidthatwhileprotectingtheEuropeanenvironmentfromplasticpollution,theplancouldalsopromoteeconomicgrowthandtechnologicalinnovationintheEuropeanUnion.Bychangingthedesign,production,useandrecyclingofplasticproducts,newinvestmentandemploymentschemescanbecreated,thusaddingmomentumtotheEU'seconomicgrowth.Undertheplan,theEUwilldoagoodjobinrecycling,curbingplasticwaste,eliminatinglitteringatsea,promotinginvestmentinnovationandstimulatingglobalchange.   Catherinebelievesthattheplanisalso"agoodopportunityforEuropeanindustrytoestablishagloballeadingpositioninnewtechnologiesandmaterials".HeaddedthatsincethereisnocompletesetofstandardsandthereisnospecificplasticrecyclingmarketinEurope,itisimperativetoestablishamarket.   AccordingtotheEuropeanAssociationofPlasticManufacturers,theoutputvalueoftheplasticindustryintheEUreached340billioneurosin2015,withmorethan1.5millionpeopleemployed.TheEUplanstocreate200,000newjobsintheplasticwastesortingandrecyclingindustryby2030.

The new formula can produce cheap and environmentally friendly plastics

Plasticshavehugecarbonemissions:theproductionofthisoil-basedmaterialgeneratesatleast100milliontonsofcarbonemissionsperyear.Now,anAmericanresearchteamhasinventedacheapwaytomakeplasticfromsugarandcorncobs.Iftheplasticcanbeproducedatalowenoughcost,itmayonedayreplacepolyethyleneterephthalate,oneofthemostcommonplasticsintheworld.Foodpackagingbags,sodabottles,andevenpolyestercottonallcontainPET.   Fordecades,oilhasbeentherawmaterialforalmostallplastics,frompolyethylenetopropylene.However,theoilcrisisofthe1970spromptedresearcherstolookforalternativestousingplantsratherthanoiltoproduceplastics.DuPontandotherchemicalcompanieshavemadeprogress.ButscientistshavebeenlookingforalternativestoPETbasedonbiologicalmaterials,andthemostpromisingispolyethylenefoam.Usingrenewableenergy,researchershavesuccessfullydevelopedamajorcomponentofPEF,furan-dicarboxylicacid.However,thecostofthismethodisveryhigh.   Tothisend,JimDumesic,anengineerattheUniversityofWisconsinatMadison,andhisteamsetouttofindwaystoreducecosts.Tenyearslater,theyfoundthatthekeytothismethodwasasolventcalledgamma-pentyllactone.GVLisacolorlessliquidthatcanbeobtainedfromrenewableenergysourcessuchascorncob.WhenDumesicandcolleaguesaddedGVLandanorganicacidcatalysttowater,theyconvertedfructose,asugarfoundinfruits,vegetablesandcornsyrup,intoorganiccompoundsthatcouldbeusedasprecursorsofFDCA.BecauseGVLperformssowell,theDumesicteamneedsonlyasmallamountoffructosetoproducealargeamountofpureFDCA.   AliHussainMotagamwala,achemicalengineerattheUniversityofWisconsinandco-authorofthelatestresearch,saidthatthenewmethodsolvedthreeproblemsinplasticproduction.First,itusesrenewablecarbonsources,notfossilfuels.Secondly,previousattemptstomakeFDCAfromrenewableenergyrequirecorrosiveacidsandexpensivereactioncontainers,whicharenotrequiredbythenewapproach.Thirdly,scientistscanusethefinalproductFDCAascatalystandrecycleGVLsolvents.Comparedwithexistingmethods,thiswillreducecostsandsaveenergy."Thelatestapproachmakesthewholeprocessgreener."