research & science
29 Sep 2023
--- According to a new Rabobank report, Europe has gone from being one of the lowest cost paper producing regions to the highest cost region on Earth. To remain competitive on the world stage, Europe’s paper producers must...
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28 Sep 2023
--- The plastic industry warns that the current proposal to restrict PFAS in the European Economic Area does not differentiate between the different substances that need to be regulated individually. The European Chemicals...
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27 Sep 2023
--- As global demand for recyclate increases, so does the need for recycling innovation. With low plastic recycling rates globally, the industry is transforming to improve waste management and establish a circular economy. We...
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26 Sep 2023
--- University of Cambridge spin-off company Xampla, which produces plant-based proteins to replace single-use plastics, has launched a consumer brand named Morro. The launch follows 15 years of research and will provide a...
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19 Sep 2023
--- Israel-based UBQ Materials has expanded the use of its UBQ – a plastic substitute from unrecyclable household waste, with disposed packaging as the majority ingredient – in Arcos Dorados, a McDonald’s...
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19 Sep 2023
--- With countries like the UK, France, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand cracking down on single-use vapes amid rising health and environment concerns, we examine the packaging industry’s role in the damages caused by...
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12 Sep 2023
--- US researchers have chemically recycled mixed and metalized plastics using table salt (NaCI). The study authors say the findings have the potential to “revolutionize” plastic chemical recycling by offering a...
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11 Sep 2023
--- Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP) has announced an investment in “cutting-edge” carbon conversion research to create more environmentally sustainable packaging materials. The research will be conducted by...
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06 Sep 2023
--- The packaging needs of the homecare market are diverse, from simple bottles or containers to more complex trigger sprays. To keep up with market demands, household packaging companies say they must continually innovate and...
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06 Sep 2023
--- The Group of Twenty (G20) provided a “record US$1.4 trillion” in public money to support fossil fuels in 2022, according to a study titled “Fanning the Flames: G20 Provides Record Financial Support for...
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05 Sep 2023
--- The Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking (CBE JU) has published its second call for project proposals. The undertaking is dedicating €215.5 million (US$232 million) to advance competitive circular bio-based...
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04 Sep 2023
--- Researchers at University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), US, are repurposing plastics in a method that shortcuts conventional “dirty” processes for making surfactants while giving single-use plastics one...
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01 Sep 2023
--- Researchers at Sandia National Laboratories, US, have developed a molecule that can make plastics more durable by reducing temperature fluctuations within polymer chains. Plastics change and deteriorate more rapidly than...
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31 Aug 2023
--- Swedish researchers have found that single-use paper cups could be as toxic to environmental and human health as plastic. The team left both types of packaging in wet sediment and water for several weeks and followed how...
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28 Aug 2023
--- Researchers from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, US, have found microplastics (MP) and nanoplastics (NP) widely dispersed in agricultural soils, which they say could contribute to antibiotic-resistant bacteria...
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24 Aug 2023
--- Aimplas has performed pretreatments to accelerate the biodegradation of synthetic plastics. The plastics technology centre is using methods based on microwaves and reactive extrusion. Aimplas is part of the Bio Innovation of...
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17 Aug 2023
--- The Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s Plastics Initiative is working with Unilever, PepsiCo and Danone to develop scaled reusable packaging systems that can perform as effectively as single-use models on economic,...
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16 Aug 2023
--- A Deakin University, Australia, winner of the Three Minute Thesis presenter is developing a prototype for antimicrobial food packaging that could help extend product life and reduce food waste and illness. Agnes Mukurumbira...
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16 Aug 2023
--- As the diversification of ice cream and desserts continues to grow, so does consumer demand for more attractive, convenient and environmentally responsible packaging. Consequently, the market is witnessing higher demand for...
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14 Aug 2023
--- Chemical engineers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, US, are turning low-value waste plastic into high-value products with a new recycling technique. The method, described in the journal Science, could increase the...
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