Conference Agenda 2022

The Alliance to End Plastic Waste was created in 2019 with a clear mission to address the global challenge of eliminating plastic waste in the environment. Its 65+ corporate members represent the global value chain of plastics from resin manufacturers, converters, brands, to waste management companies. The Alliance frames this global circularity challenge in terms of six critical and inter-related gaps related to: quantity, quality, affordability, design, data, and alignment. Thus far, a portfolio of more than 35 projects in 30 countries are being implemented to close these six gaps. A pipeline of many more projects is in place to continue to grow this portfolio in terms of impact and reach. A diverse sample of projects will be reviewed that demonstrate a range of practical and robust solutions appropriate to different global settings and addressing different aspects of the circularity gaps. Furthermore, the role of innovation will be addressed in the context of Alliance programs to enable start-ups and entrepreneurs to grow and develop, access capital, and contribute to the ecosystem of circular solutions.    

Convenience Foods often come packaged in convenient packaging, at least convenient for the consumer, but often times not so convenient for the recycling industry.   Nodax resins from Danimer Scientific are based on PHA and offer alternative end of life options for packages produced with this material.   An explanation of what PHA is and where it comes from as well as an exploration of end of life options will be presented. 

About 50% of total plastics produced per year are used in disposable, short life, non-durable packaging and single-use products. Ninety percent of this plastics packaging and are carbon-carbon backbone, hydrocarbon plastics like polyethylene, and polypropylene. Used in thin or flexible film forms or with food, paper, and disposable product packaging, they are difficult to recover and clean from the MSW stream for recycling. In fact, the latest EPA’s MSW data analysis shows that recycling of non-durable plastics as percent of generation is only 2.4% and that of thermoplastic elastomers (rubber) is negligible. These carbon-carbon backbone plastics are non-biodegradable, persistent, and accumulate in the natural environment like the oceans. They fragment and break down into smaller and smaller particles, like microplastics and cause negative impacts as is being extensively reported in literature, press and e-media [The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2021. Reckoning with the U.S. Role in Global Ocean Plastic Waste. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/26132].

Re-designing carbon-carbon backbone polymer plastics at the molecular level to provide for certified and verifiable biodegradable and industrial compostable plastics is environmentally responsible. However, it must be ensured that after use, the compostable plastics along with food, paper, and biodegradable organic waste is treated at a managed industrial composting facility.  Managed industrial composting is necessary to divert food and biodegradable organic waste from landfills or open dumps to composting for reducing GWP impacts. The EPA WARM model estimates that recovery of 1.84 million tons of MSW biodegradable organic wastes through composting results in 1.7 million tons of CO2 equivalent of GHG emissions reduction. Complete biodegradability under composting conditions must be validated using ASTM/ISO International Standards and certified by certification organizations like the BPI (North America).

Unfortunately, there is much misunderstanding and misleading product claims about biodegradability and compostability in the marketplace. We will review the science around biodegradability and compostability and learn to identify unqualified, as well as misleading biodegradability claims. This @EnvSciTech article reports necessary requirements for assessing and reporting plastic biodegradation.

https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.est.9b04513 .

 

If we are going to get to net zero by 2050, circular plastics has to be scaled dramatically. It must make the switch from a cheap alternative to valued ingredients sought by consumers, retailers, and brands. It is proven that today’s consumer buys green when the message is simple and clear. This talk will focus on the opportunity to use technology to embed the impact in the materials and to make it obvious for the consumer. Track-and trace technology acts as a blockchain backbone to directly connect the the consumer to the material origin and the carbon impact of their purchase. For companies the technology provides a verification layer that allows them to easily visualize and compare their impact across product lines, regions etc. We will discuss cases from Oceanworks business and examples of how this technology can scale. The intended audience is brands and manufacturers that want to use recycled content but struggle to make the business case.

The Covid-19 pandemic has significantly increased the amount of single-use plastic, especially as personal protective equipment (PPE) like gloves, disinfecting wipes, and medical-grade facemasks have become common among the general public. The need for public health, however, has ushered in a pandemic of another kind: one of environmental harm. Although efforts have been made to prolong use or otherwise reduce waste of these items, many areas have already seen negative effects of both properly discarded and littered PPE. It is estimated 89 million masks are used globally per month, and in the U.S. alone, the healthcare system generates 5 million tons of medical waste annually, not including drastic scale-up during the pandemic. Other countries have up to eighteen times that amount, far exceeding capacity at disposal facilities. To reduce the environmental threat from these items, which have become necessary to maintain public health, the Hyundai-Kia Materials Development Department collaborated with a U.S.-based specialty recycling facility to develop a supply chain for collecting and compounding these disposable items into reusable resin. The objective is to develop cost-effective material for automotive use, supporting Hyundai Motor Company global sustainability goals. Sourcing and collection was conducted at medical centers and research labs, with stringent protocols to eliminate any possible biohazard risks. Compounding was completed to meet internal specification requirements and preliminary testing shows promising results for mechanical performance. Targeting interior and exterior trim components for two vehicle platforms, this development is expected to divert 1 thousand tons of PPE waste annually. Although similar recycling efforts are in progress around the world, this will be world-first for the automotive industry, enabling drop-in replacement for current materials. Future work can include the addition of regional collection partners to support global production, as well as additional compounding such as the development of glass-fiber reinforced structural grades.

Climate change, population growth, unsustainable lifestyles – surmounting global challenges like these require embracing the circular economy as a guiding light. At Covestro, our goal is to embed circular economic principles into the fabric of our operations and be a trailblazer for the entire plastics industry. A globally leading high-tech polymer manufacturer, Covestro has set a vision to be fully circular. A core component of achieving that vision is focused on joint solutions and collaborations with entities that share a similar goal for a more sustainable future. From innovative mattress collection initiatives to advanced and chemical recycling solutions, Covestro and its collaborators work to set the foundation for a new way of working. Closing the loop on a sustainable future is best done by preparing the next generation workforce with the skills needed to approach manufacturing with an eye on circularity, leading to collaborations with top-tier universities like the University of Pittsburgh, where the Covestro Circular Economy Program is launching.

Eliminating single-use plastics is a hot issue of the day. But more discussion is needed around the solutions for managing overlooked plastics like those used in healthcare, textiles, and electronics. These products make up two-thirds of the plastics produced, and will continue their linear path to landfills and incinerators unless we build recovery pathways for all types and uses of plastics. Join Brightmark CEO Bob Powell as he shines a lot on these lesser-known plastics and the emerging technology solutions that recapture their value and absorbs these materials into the new circular economy.

Recent advances have included the inclusion of biocarbon in products that are compostable in less than 90 days, or can be fully converted back to pure carbon for re-use in a matter of minutes. The production of carbon from waste biomass sequesters three tons of carbon dioxide for every ton of biocarbon produced. This carbon can be added at up to 50% in plastics providing stiffness, color, and ultraviolet protection. 

This presentation provides an overview of the opportunity to generate substantial and valuable carbon credits during the production of renewable plastics additives. Biomaterials inputs are cleaner products at competitive prices and can perform equal to, or better than, fossil fuel-based inputs. Product manufacturers that use renewable biocarbon can save money by reducing resin loading and the use of alternative fossil-based additives such as carbon black.

 

Noah Godfrey from Ampliphi will introduce the concept of “plastic accounting” - a process used to measure the negative impacts of plastic pollution that are associated with a company’s operations and supply chain. We all know we can’t manage what isn’t measured — the concept of plastic accounting intends to bridge the gap between ambition and action.

Plastics are a ubiquitous group of materials found in almost every supply chain. While they can offer significant advantages over alternatives, plastics’ contribution to climate change and the exponential increase of plastic pollution has created a global call to action.

Especially in the plastic packaging industry, pollution and waste has emerged as a principal concern. As a result, consumer brands are feeling the pressure from regulators, investors and consumers. A complete plastic footprint analysis is the first step to relieve these pressures and to better understand how to implement sustainable systems into their operations and supply chains. Measuring a plastic footprint uncovers accurate and actionable information, enabling informed decision making and unlocking the sustainable potential of a company’s value chain.

This session will provide insight on what is important to consumers and when it comes to packaging, how it’s created and where it originates from is just as important as how it looks and functions.  Fiber-based packaging is a sustainable solution that is both functional and has less of an environmental impact.  Moving toward a circular economy includes building a sustainable supply chain through collaboration alongside like-minded partners with continuous innovation.  Sustana is uniquely suited to share expertise and key learnings on how recycled content in paper packaging and products supports the circular economy and meets consumer demands.

Empower is building a global plastic waste ecosystem based on the same philosophy as the Norwegian bottle deposit system. By giving plastic waste a value we can crowdsource collection and segregation at source and keep materials in the economy. Empower aims to stop leakage of plastic into the environment and cost-efficiently incentivise collection of leaked waste. The solution functions digitally via a mobile app. By tracking plastic waste and making digital inventories, they ensure that most of it is reused and recycled. This is done by setting up collection points around the world, together with local partners who then issue financial rewards in the form of digital tokens, in return for the deposit of plastic. Empower does not take ownership of collected materials or data, but helps the local collectors to get both funding for cleanups and to match with potential buyers of materials. This way they create local waste collection infrastructure as well as local entrepreneurs and sustainable jobs within the waste management industry.

As consumer awareness and demand for sustainable, recyclable packaging have increased, so too has the pace at which brands are evolving to meet these packaging expectations, especially related to their single-use plastics packaging. This has a trickle effect on packaging manufacturers and converters. Faced with developing solutions at the speed and scale required by brands, they must ensure the alternative packages meet recyclability criteria AND contribute to a positive consumer experience. Innovation is at the center of our successful evolution and as a part of this approach, and a focus on performance, sustainability, and price, we are developing the technology to replace traditional plastic packaging with renewable, fiber-based materials.

Returnable, reusable and refillable packaging is gaining a lot of attention these days. When done right, it can completely eliminate the problem of plastic packaging waste while reducing costs for consumers. However, few companies have been able to build a successful business in this space and it remains a very small proportion of the total consumer goods sector. The Coca-Cola Company has been one of the pioneers in this space, and even today runs large returnable and refillable businesses around the world. In this session, you will learn about some of the principles and practices that make for a successful returnable and refillable packaging strategy.  

According to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, the world’s oceans will contain more plastic than fish by 2050. Now is the time for CPG brands to improve the recyclability of their packaging, specifically for e-commerce channel use, which has increased nearly 50% over the past two years. In this presentation, H.B. Fuller Global E-Commerce Business Manager Tania Montesi will discuss the opportunities for packaging makers to use materials that add high quality fiber to the recycling stream. Learn how even the smallest changes in E-commerce packaging design can make a big impact on our planet. 

For polymer products, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a defining step which helps in setting up the decarbonization and sustainability goals in a more quantitative way. LCA is a method to assess the potential environmental impact of products and processes throughout their entire life cycle which includes raw material acquisition, production, use, and end-of-life. I will be describing current market trends for flexible packaging materials for which alternatives such as bioplastics are being sought. I will present some key jargon used in the industry, and describe what lies ahead for bio-based and biodegradable polyesters (bioplastics) based on some key performance and sustainability parameters.

Consumers, regulatory agencies and industry providers all understand the evolving environmental and health issues associated with the use of environmentally persistent plastics. Bans on the use of environmentally persistent plastics for single use consumer products, industry sustainability goals, pending taxes on producers of environmentally persistent plastics and consumer demands are all driving companies to replace environmentally persistent plastics with biologically degradable or otherwise waste stream manageable alternatives. The challenges in the production of alternative polymers, industry conversion to these polymers and the commercialization of products manufactured from these polymers at scale will be discussed. With a panel of scientific leaders involved in the scaled production and industry use of alternative polymers for consumer products, conference attendees will hear up-to-date successes and issues in achieving full commercialization of biologically degradable polymers. Conference attendees can send questions that they would like to hear addressed by the panel to the roundtable discussion moderator Branson W. Ritchie, Director of Technology Development and Implementation at the New Materials Institute (britchie@uga.edu.)   

Brands often struggle with balancing design and sustainability: this session explores select best practices from cosmetics conglomerates optimized for both packaging appeal (primary & secondary). Its aim is to help practitioners (across all teams including operations, packaging, marketing, and CSR) implement the guidelines from management on sustainability goals, adapting existing packaging (eg PCR, light-weighting, refills, etc), and discussing technologies of eco-design software (e.g. the eco-design tool S.P.O.T., Sustainable Product Optimization Tool at L’Oreal, and the EDIBOX software at LVMH Perfumes & Cosmetics). The session will discuss how brands can save hundreds of thousands of dollars annually from making simple and practical packaging sustainability adjustments using proven case studies.

How can we convert single use water containers from petroleum-based to plant-based bottles, caps, and labels? Bill Horner and his team at Single Use Solutions have been working diligently to provide an answer to this question by establishing Model Sites around the world, to prove the conversion can be achieved in everyday practice. Horner will be sharing insights as to how this long-awaited breakthrough will soon become a reality.

The global growth in e-commerce and the changing behavior of online shopping is increasing packaging material consumption drastically. The recent pandemic has fast forwarded the e-commerce industry by 5 years but the used- packaging materials are often still from the late 90s. Forward thinking companies understand that modern shoppers care about the earth-friendliness of packaging and that consumers prefer buying from retailers who support environmental responsibility. Furthermore, negative press and unpleasant unboxing experience combined with the fact that everyone has a voice on social media can drive a product or even a company to succeed or fail. But the landscape of offers for sustainable packaging is broad, the certifications are often not harmonized and the regulations are different in each country or state. Missing recycling and composting infrastructure combined with reduced availability of materials  make it hard for e-commerce sellers to make the right decisions. In this presentation you will learn about the challenge of designing and producing a commercially available alternative to virgin plastics and why increasing use of paper for packaging can only be a  part of the solution.

The presentation will explain how Lenzing and PACKNATUR® joined forces to shake up the way we pack fresh fruits and vegetables, and how retailers have benefited from showing the will to change. LENZING™ for Packaging surrounds food and other goods in naturally durable and biodegradable fibers that are of botanic origin and certified safe for food contact. Sustainably produced and fully compostable after use, LENZING™ cellulosic fibers are suitable for a varied range of packaging applications, from single-use botanic nets to reusable bags. In close cooperation with producers, Lenzing AG has developed environmentally sustainable single-use nets and reusable bags for fruits and vegetables made from LENZING™ Modal fibers of botanic origin and certified as compliant with recognized safety standards for food contact. Responsibly produced in line with Lenzing’s commitment to sustainability, these vibrantly colored nets are becoming increasingly popular as a compostable substitute for plastic bags and nets that are derived from non-renewable sources and contribute to the pollution of the environment

Sustainability is a popular topic in many industries but what does it mean for flexible packaging?  And how is the industry planning to get there?  This presentation will go through the background of why the industry is innovating for sustainability, the technical challenges that need to be overcome, and the three-pronged approach.  Details of each of these three prongs will be discussed including how they all work together to solve the sustainability puzzle across many different product types that utilize flexible packaging.

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Driving sustainability into products on the shelf requires organizations to thoughtfully consider all materials and ingredients in their products, the byproducts of the manufacturing process and even how the final product makes its way to stores shelves or direct to consumers homes. The full impact of downstream sustainability impact is determined at the planning stages of a product. Learn how to determine where in the process you are and how you can take to make your goods more sustainable.  

At SABIC, we focus on various aspects of sustainability that are linked to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals designed to be a "blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all". In this presentation, I will talk about our SABIC’s Specialties offerings toward the carbon neutrality goals, including mechanical recycling, chemical upcycling and certified renewable solutions.

Trinseo will discuss how a plastics manufacturer transforms toward circularity. With the evolvement in the marketplace on sustainable products and consumer perceptions, the business model of the plastics manufacturers is evolving, including upward and downward integration or collaborations - developing and securing sustainable feedstocks, expanding sustainable product portfolios, utilizing scientific tools, decarbonization and innovative product design. Most importantly, concerted efforts among value chain partners are critical as circularity can only be achieved through collaborations.

STX is a multinational environmental commodities firm with a 17 year tenure that has been helping companies of all sizes achieve Net Zero.  What may seem like a daunting task is actually quite feasible and less capital intensive than most think.  STX has offices spanning across the US, Europe, and Asia which gives us direct access to the most affordable solutions when paving your path to a more sustainable future.

The presentation will highlight green routes that generate value from waste streams via upcycling. Discussed in more depth will be three examples from different sectors, including the 1) upcycling of agro waste streams or CO2 into biochemicals, 2) presentation of the first known industrial bio-based metal recovery from lithium ion batteries and 3) enzymatic plastic degradation to useful monomers.

It’s imperative that manufacturers continue to focus on deploying a ‘greener’ approach to the manufacture and distribution of their products. Becoming ‘greener’ typically means reducing the use of toxic or hazardous materials, reducing the energy required to support operations and minimizing waste products introduced into the environment. However, there are other avenues companies can follow to becoming green. 

Participants will learn about an actionable framework to guide their efforts to embed sustainability into every function of their company.

How the next generation of climate positive materials is enabling companies to design meaningful user experiences, by telling stories with new beginnings and endings that go the distance to truly embrace circularity? This presentation looks at both existing alternatives as well as new innovations that are leveraging local ecosystems to create sustainable and desirable products. A range of cross-industry case studies will highlight how leading as well as emerging brands and manufacturers are positively disrupting their industries by harvesting the power of different renewable carbon sources to maximize sustainability, support new business models, mitigate supply chain risks and elevate consumer engagement throughout the product lifecycle.

The chemical industry, although responsible for making over 96% of goods, has also become the third largest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. This is due to the implementation of chemical processes that carry inefficiencies in energy use and increase CO2 emissions. Artificial Intelligence (AI) has the potential to help scientists develop more sustainable products and processes, but it typically requires large datasets (100’s-1000’s of points), which are not available in the initial development stages.Sunthetics democratizes the use of AI in chemical research with a platform that enables the development of new chemical products, processes, and formulations in 20% of the time. The approach leverages small data (as little as 4-5 initial data points) to reduce development waste, emissions, and resource consumption by 80%. We work at the intersection of AI and chemistry to promote digitalization, fast-track innovation, increase manufacturing efficiencies, enhance material performance, and improve sustainability for advanced manufacturing.

Growing pressure from regulators, investors, and other stakeholders is compelling companies to take a deeper look at their scope 3 emissions and develop meaningful disclosures and reduction targets. But, while more and more guidance on how to report on those emissions is beginning to coalesce, many companies still have a lot more questions than answers on where to begin, how to quantify and prioritize, and how to set meaningful reduction goals. Scope 3 emissions can be especially challenging to quantify, and the availability of good data from suppliers and other stakeholders is often lacking or non-existent. Thankfully, by leveraging life cycle assessment data and associated emissions factors, companies can create defensible scope 3 GHG emissions inventories, identify hot spots and areas for improvement, and set realistic reductions goals and targets achievable through partnerships, thoughtful procurement practices, and other strategic initiatives.

Blockchain has been much discussed over the past several years with great promise to help improve many processes across the globe, including but not limited to supply chains, manufacturing, contracts and payments, the environment etc. Yet several years later, we are still talking of promise vs progress.  The reason is simple - early blockchain solutions were engineered more to stretch the limits of what is possible vs to focus on what can and should be attainable. In essence they were not customer (enterprise) focused. There is a new breed of blockchains, led by Topl, that is building not only enterprise grade technology but enterprise ready usability in order to focus on real use cases and drive real value creation for our enterprise customers.  We will discuss how Topl is making it easier and easier for enterprise users to incorporate blockchain so that we can continue our promise to our customers: you change the world.  We prove it.  

TotalEnergies-Corbion has launched a chemical recycling program to close the loop on PLA.  This technology is able to convert PLA resin back into our monomer feed stock allowing for repolymerization into virgin material instead of downcycling via mechanical recycling.  Our advanced recycling process is low-energy and efficient compared to procuring new feed stocks and other chemical recycling processes.

As production of plastics increase to more than 1 million tonnes per day, we face a growing plastic challenge that must be managed. Today, less than 14% of plastics that we use are recycled, and more than 8 million tonnes of plastics are leaking into our oceans and our environment each year. Although there has been an increase in global momentum to tackle this plastic waste issue, urgent efforts are required to provide a solution that will decrease plastic pollution and make plastics more sustainable. Plastic Energy provides a solution to this problem and is paving the way as one of the world leaders in chemical recycling end-of-life plastics. Plastic Energy uses its patented thermal anaerobic conversion (TAC) technology to transform plastic waste that is difficult or unable to be mechanically recycled. Recycled oils from its process (called TACOIL) are used as a replacement for fossil oils, in the production of virgin-quality food-grade plastics, contributing to the circular economy. With two industrial recycling plants currently in operation in Spain, Plastic Energy has been developing its Plastic2Plastic™ technology and the chemical recycling (also called advanced recycling) industry for the past 10 years. In the last few years Plastic Energy has announced multiple partnerships with key players in Europe Southeast Asia and the US, and is currently building two plants in France, one in the Netherlands and has recently announced a new plant to be built in Texas. With Plastic Energy’s value-chain partners, the company has moved beyond the proof-of-concept stage to the commercialisation of food-grade packaging made from their TACOIL. It has been incorporated into products in Europe such as Magnum ice cream tubs, Tupperware reusable straws and Vinventions wine closures. Chemical recycling has been the missing link to recycling an increased number of plastics, such as flexibles and multi-layer films, that would otherwise end up in landfills or incinerators. Plastic Energy is working towards a circular economy for plastics and a more sustainable future for us all.

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Chemical recycling of plastics is an emerging route to supplement mechanical recycling since polymers can be converted into monomer form. As opposed to mechanical recycling, wherein the polymer properties degrade with each cycle, the monomers can be re-polymerized without any polymer property degradation. Petrochemical and refining operations of the future will include more plastics oil, obtained from chemical recycling, in the feedstock mix to establish circularity in the plastics lifecycle or to qualify for fuels category. An important step in this value chain is to purify and upgrade the raw plastics oil obtained from depolymerization. This presentation will address this topic with special focus in the areas of mixed plastics and polystyrene chemical recycling.

Plastic bottles are finding new uses as recycled materials in electronic devices, cars or garden furniture. This is what is meant by upcycling: when recyclates are optimized in their properties to such an extent that they achieve a quality equivalent to that of primary material. This process turns plastic waste into a very valuable raw material of the future. With our innovative technology solutions, plastics can be mechanically recycled and put to a new use without any loss of quality. Plastics such as those in the form of water bottles or production waste, are first collected and sorted. The material is then shredded into flakes for washing and cleaning. Our twin screw extruders are the heart of plastic recycling plants. Thanks to their exceptional mixing and degassing performance, they are ideal for transforming plastic flakes into pellets while maintaining material integrity. In addition to vacuum domes and atmospheric vents, larger volumes of gases can be removed from the melt via the ZS-EG side degassing unit, further increasing product quality. This presentation will review requirements for not only the twin screw extruder but also the equipment used to convey, feed and meter feedstock into the extruder. Pelletizing, post-treatment and handling of the finished pellets will also be reviewed in order to provide a complete overview of the recycling process from PCR to high quality pellets that have exactly the property profile required for their subsequent use.

Plastic is a useful, reliable material that has enabled huge advances in modern life, health and transport, but poor management, low perceived value and a lack of global infrastructure to support its recycling has led to environmental pollution through plastic leakage, landfill and incineration. With approximately just 9% of plastic produced to date having been recycled, this valuable resource is being lost. Mura Technology hold the key to turning the tide on waste plastic.

Polyester is one of the most widely used polymers all around the world, with applications that span from packaging to textiles. Depending on the application the material composition can be quite different, with a polyester amount ranging from more than 99% for PET bottles to 25% for some particular textile applications. The most common method for the recycling of plastic waste is mechanical recycling. This process typically includes collection, sorting, washing and grinding of the material, but a breakdown of polymer chains occurs when the resin goes through multiple cycles, degrading its intrinsic viscosity and limiting the number of times the process can be repeated. The larger amount of polyester is then landfilled or incinerated, and this is particularly true for textiles, where colorants and dyes can play a pivotal role. Is there a sustainable solution? Polyester wastes that are not mechanically reused can be depolymerized via a chemical processes to recover the monomers than can be used to produce new virgin PET and then more sustainable fibers, avoiding non-renewable sources.

Mechanical and chemical recycling are possible routes for the textile industry in which only 1% of our textiles are recycled. As a partner in two European projects based on PP mask (Re-Breath) and PET or PA from textile waste (SCIRT) recycling with industrial challenges, CETI has based its recycling innovation on thermomechanical recycling: densification, extrusion and filtration, regranulation. New recycled pellets will be designed with compounding in order to feed meltspinning, spunbond and meltblown equipment. Solutions to face challenges such as impurities from textile life and manufacturing, viscosity stability, degradation, and bicomponant fibers or multicomponent fabric will be presented in order to combat the global plastic waste challenge.

The European Commission adopted the world’s first comprehensive  plastics strategy to decrease single-use plastics accounting for marine litter. Cotton Incorporated’s talk helps us understand the depths of this global plastic problem including microplastics, microfibers, and what this Single-Use Plastics Directive means for the nonwovens industry, particularly feminine hygiene and wet wipes. The talk illustrates how brands are seeking solutions to address plastic leakage in their supply chain and proves cotton a natural fiber solution over synthetics based on its biodegradability properties in water and soil. 

2020 ushered in  a new world: one where sustainability is king—but also one where single use plastics are an important part of everyday life, particularly mixed plastics (such as masks).  While efforts to reduce and reuse some materials are growing (and there has been significant effort in shopping bags and straws), some applications are non-recourse (e.g., medical and sanitary) and require end-of-life solutions to deal with the growing levels of plastic wastes.   NexantECA has investigated the various options for plastic waste recycling and presents key findings from our reports, and an outlook on the industry.

It’s hard to imagine anything as useful as plastic, but the industry is shifting from single-use plastics to sustainable solutions to meet both consumer demands and new environmental regulations. Made from renewable resources like starch and fibers, plant-based packaging maintains the same versatility as plastics yet decomposes within 90 days or less and is free from harmful toxins and microplastics. Using a circular economy approach, learn how Evanesce delivers sustainable packaging and service-ware solutions that are cost-effective compared to other green alternatives.

In a society where environmental concern is increasing, there is heightened consumer demand for more sustainable alternatives to many petrochemical-based synthetic polymers. Successful replacements of synthetic plastics must preserve the low cost, versatility, and ease of processing in order to compete as biopolymeric alternatives. Because chitin is a promising raw polymer for the production of plastics due to the attractive combination of price, abundance and thermoplastic behavior, combined with its non-toxicity and biodegradability, chitin is recommended for production of suitable functional materials. The presentation will discuss techniques utilized to process chitin and means to prepare multiple chitin-based bioproducts. We will discuss in depth the most recent methods and present a compelling collection of examples narrowed down to the most promising chitin architectures.

Part of the global bioeconomy, Stora Enso is a leading provider of renewable products in packaging, biomaterials, wooden construction and paper, and one of the largest private forest owners in the world. Andreas will discuss how fiber-based materials can replace plastic and will illustrate it with customer cases. Addressing the needs of today's eco-conscious consumers, Stora Enso helps customers replace fossil-based materials with low-carbon, renewable and recyclable alternatives for their food and drink, pharmaceutical or transport packaging.

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Consumer and brand interest in more sustainable packaging continues to grow.  Plant-based materials can serve as more eco-friendly alternatives that help meet sustainable packaging goals and interests.  There are, however, opportunities to accelerate this transition to help realize the benefits plant-based packaging can provide. From education and collaboration, to data and policy, this session will focus on some of the opportunities to support broader adoption of more sustainable, plant-based packaging.

We know companies and consumers want to do the right thing but not as the expense of quality, performance, price or service. From plant-based ingredients to our broad choice of ready-made and custom designs, we've built a customer-oriented approach that makes it easy and affordable to switch to plant-based. 

We'll take a moment to dive deeper into our latest, exclusive, bio-based material innovations, how these new materials are tackling real-world problems for consumers and crucially, the importance of intelligent product design in delivering sustainability. 
 

Emerging materials are shaping the way we package and manufacture various non-polymer products at unprecedented speed. With global initiatives and heightened awareness pushing the environmental envelope, will consumers embrace these new materials both in consumption and price? Are there sustainable advantages to incorporating alternatives? REearthable™ was founded on a commitment to address environmental plastics issues by pushing boundaries, challenging assumptions and creatively re-thinking how plastic could be made; without plastic. Our biodegradable and compostable ecoPLAS® product is just that; a drop in ready limestone based plastic alternative suitable for three manufacturing processes. This presentation focuses on emerging and unlikely materials that are finding their way into alternative plastic products, consumer tradeoffs such as visual in brand packaging, and an exploration of the potential sustainable and ecological footprint of various non-polymer materials.   

Plastics are necessary (and remarkably efficient). But plastics’ accumulation in the ocean poses a grave threat to mankind. The issue of plastics accumulation in the ocean MUST be fixed. Many would like to believe that the issue is really being addressed via continued reduction, reutilization and recycling. It is NOT. That’s wishful thinking (at best). These “recycled” ideas have been around for decades and the results are there for everyone to see: we are still leaking over 10 million tons per year of plastic into the ocean. If we continue to merely prioritize circularity, ten years from now we’ll be recycling more than ever. But will also likely be continuing to be leaking more persistent plastics to the ocean than ever. Not a good deal for the planet or our posterity. Having circularity as the #1 metric does NOT prioritize “less plastic in the ocean”. We need a better solution (and metric). The better solution is simple: Collect more and biodegrade faster. The better metric: kilograms of ocean-plastic avoided per $.

It is good to clarify what biodegradability really means and how it needs to be verified. The only correct parameter to measure is the conversion of carbon to CO2 which must not reach 100% since part of the carbon is assimilated in unquantifiable biomass. Standardized tests under well-controlled and optimum laboratory conditions are needed in order to increase sensitivity and accuracy and to reduce variation.

In order to avoid littering it is strongly preferable to use the term compostable packaging instead of biodegradable. Moreover since compostability entails much more than just biodegradation including as well a timely disintegration and the absence of harmful or toxic components and degradation metabolites.

As biodegradation can be different from one environment to the other, generic claims should be avoided and environment where biodegradation will take place specified.

Finally, nuancing is also needed for distinguishing applications for which ready and rapid biodegradation is required from applications where persistence should be avoided and slow biodegradation can offer a solution.

 

Biodegradable products occur and biodegrade in all known environments. During the covid-19 pandemic, new large environmental pollution emerged due to the discarding of used protective masks. They can be found everywhere on land, waters, and seas. Certain ecologically oriented companies have started the production of biodegradable masks that are supposed to decompose in the natural environment. Extended areas of applications for ECHO Instruments respirometer system for measuring face masks and women sanitary pads/tampons will be presented. We will present the results and show some ways how to conduct such experiments.

Waste products made from bioplastic can also be found as waste in rivers or seas; therefore, it is important to understand what impact this plastic has to our environment. Algae are the most important group of organisms participating in the circulation of matter and energy in ecosystems. The synergy between bacteria, typically heterotrophic species, that use organic matter and O2 for growth while releasing CO2, and photosynthetic autotrophic microalgae, which use CO2 and sunlight for growth, incorporating nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorous), allows for better efficiencies in water pollutants removal. The question on how this system works in biodegradation of bioplastic is very important for ecologists, researchers, and producers of bioplastics. Therefore, a new type of respirometry system – photo respirometer, for laboratory measurement of biodegradation in the marine environment will be presented. Intensive research work is still needed on the development of biodegradation measurements in order to optimize the measurement processes and shorten the analysis time.

A systematic approach using rounds of respirometry and disintegration testing was used to design for industrially compostable and home compostable multilayer packaging (MLP). The study incorporated two rounds of thermophilic composting (58°C) examining various film chemistries, thicknesses, adhesives, inks, and metallization variables. Respirometry and disintegration photography data from thermophilic composting revealed 12 monolayer films and MLP structures with greater than 90% carbon mineralization within 90 days, half the time allotted for certification under ASTM D6400 and D5338. These data also provided insights for MLP structure design for materials tested under mesophilic (35°C) and psychrotrophic (20°C) home composting conditions, demonstrating one structure achieving >97% carbon mineralization in 6 months of composting at 20°C. Thermal properties of the MLP structures have been studied using TGA and DSC, and water vapor transmission rates have been determined for both industrially and home compostable monomaterial films and MLP with many examples yielding <1 g/m2·24h. At 20°C home composting conditions, the laminations of regenerated cellulose with either poly(hydroxy alkanoates) or poly(butylene succinate-co-adipate) yielded faster carbon mineralization and disintegration than either regenerated cellulose or the polyester monomaterial films alone, illustrating an acceleration in degradation outcomes with complex MLP structures when compared to monomaterials.

Compostable packaging is receiving more widespread attention from brands and retailers to help towards increased circularity and meet corporate global sustainability commitments.  But what is compostable packaging, what value does it bring and how do we communicate this to consumers.  Hear about some public/private collaboration initiatives including education tools to help explain compostable versus biodegradable. Plus the role of compostable packaging to help increase food scrap diversion to composting and why compost is a good thing.   

The challenge with conventional flexible plastic packaging is that it is nearly impossible to technically recycle thin films and multilayered plastic packaging and it is surely isn’t economically viable to do so. Compostable plastic packaging addresses the challenges of plastic pollution from the design phase. It offers a packaging alternative that mimics perfectly the positive properties of a conventional plastic packaging such as moisture and oxygen barrier, shelf-life, lightweight design, and flexibility, but with a built-in circular solution for its end-of-use.
Inspired by nature’s perfect packaging, TIPA® created breakthrough packaging that undergoes the same biodegradation process as organic waste, just like an orange peel or walnut shells. TIPA® displaces conventional flexible plastic with fully compostable packaging such that plastic will no longer linger in landfills for hundreds of years, but will biodegrade within months in a sustainable end-of-life process. TIPA® solutions were designed with the goal of achieving a circular economy through an organic recycling process – composting.
 

Cashew Nutshell Liquid (CNSL) is a naturally occurring material that is relatively unknown. Essentially a waste stream from the process of removing cashew nuts from their shells, CNSL is a renewable feedstock worthy of consideration for companies and industries interested in getting greener. However, the use of CNSL should not be based solely on interest in increasing renewable content. CNSL has more to offer. The presentation will introduce Cashew Nutshell Liquid and its unique chemistry. CNSL and its component constituents will be reviewed in detail. The CNSL supply will be discussed, including where it comes from and how it fits within the cashew nut industry.As a natural material, we will present the results of a Life Cycle Assessment, including the environmental impact of cashew materials compared to phenolics. The presentation will also include results of toxicity tests.

Demand for safe, bio-based and sustainable products continues to grow as our global society is challenged to reduce the impacts of climate change.  Consumers likewise are insisting on more natural, sustainable and safe products and materials around them – and they demand the proof behind these attributes.  Learn how Cargill is leveraging its historic strengths in agriculture, food, feed and animal protein to build an emerging bio-based product business serving industrial, consumer and chemical intermediate markets.  Utilizing Cargill’s extensive global presence in commodity procurement, storage, trading and processing, its Bioindustrial Group is expanding into construction and building materials, dielectric and cooling solutions and performance chemical sectors.  Further growth is occurring in meeting personal care markets such as skin care, oral care and hair care with sustainable products made from both commodity and specialty feedstocks.

Due to environmental and sustainability concerns, biobased materials play a key role in the formulation of packaging, cosmetics, and household cleaning products. As these sectors transition away from the use of petrochemical-derived material in favor of biobased (biomass-based) ingredients, manufacturers, suppliers, and distributors rely on carbon-14 analysis to receive precise results on biobased carbon during the R&D phases of product development and to validate biobased claims. Carbon-14 testing differentiates between biobased and petroleum-based sources, validating the percentage of biobased content in a product’s ingredients. The analysis is performed using an Accelerator Mass Spectrometer (AMS) instrument according to standardized methods such as ASTM D6866, ISO 16620 and EN 16640. Biobased testing also allows manufacturers and distributors to visibly display the use of biobased ingredients through certifications and eco-labels, several of which require carbon-14 testing for biobased content such as the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) BioPreferred Program's voluntary labeling initiative for biobased products.

In this session we’ll discuss how circularity can be achieved for hard-to-recycle plastic applications with bio-based alternatives. We will share actionable tips on how to choose the right material for your product applications and how to consider the overall environmental footprint in your evaluation process

Most reactive hot melt adhesives used today rely on post-curing chemistry to develop adhesive strength. One specific disadvantage of this approach is that the chemical cross-links that are formed are irreversible, and bonded articles can only be pulled apart after much effort or not at all. The Conagen adhesive is better. It is designed with reversible chemical cross-links which arise from the bio-molecules that break and spontaneously reform during bonding and de-bonding. We will present the results on metal, plastic, and glass and prove how Conagen’s adhesive formulations are de-bondable, strong, and in some instances are over three times stronger than other petroleum-based products. In addition the bio-molecules are all natural products found in plants and we are making them by precision fermentation at industrial scale, allowing the material to be sustainable and environmentally friendly.

Interfacial has been a leader in engineering sustainable material solutions for our customers for over a decade. We have found that a critical key to success is to engineer sustainable materials that are first and foremost value driven. We will provide multiple case studies outlining our personal successes and failures in this presentation and provide recommendations to others working to create similar value in the plastics industry.

Trinseo will summarize key trends and developments in our global shift toward circularity.  Walter van het Hof will share regulatory developments and industry expectations, and will highlight his experience driving sustainability efforts for Trinseo globally and how the company anticipates on these.

The presentation will focus on aluminium packaging innovation and optimization, as a circular and sustainable solution for the plastic crisis. It will highlight Ball’s vision of the future of aluminium packaging and define key levers for enhancing its sustainability credentials and minimizing environmental impacts.

The presentation aims to show that in today’s world, holistic approach is critical to address each stage of the material and product life-cycle, in order to maximize sustainability performance and be suitable fit for the real circularity.

TBC

Sustainable manufacturing solutions are necessary to implement at this point in time. Oil spills, green initiatives and sustainability are not usually topics that go hand-in-hand. However, through research and innovation, there is a solution to revolutionize the industry. In fact, today’s oil response industry solves one problem by creating another. The entire industry has always cleaned up oil spills simply by moving the incident from one location to another, causing another problem entirely. Other products on the market are non-biodegradable and polypropylene-based — single use plastic, which is made using traditional manufacturing processes that can cause land and water pollution. In fact, each competitor's 10-pound boom is equivalent to 3,000 plastic straws, and even minor oil spills can require many truckloads of booms. As you know, these polypropylene products end up in landfills and never break down. To combat this problem and implement green, sustainable oil spill response throughout all manufacturing and all industries, Green Boom is the only biodegradable line of oil-only absorbents. By choosing green, we are able to help decrease the world’s reliance on single-use polypropylene, increase the use of renewable agricultural resources and, of course, reduce adverse environmental and health impacts.