PLA Polymer – Germany faces growing economic challenges as order shortages worsen 14-08-2024
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Germany faces growing economic challenges as order shortages worsen
- Germany’s economy faces growing challenges as order shortages worsen, with 39.4 per cent of companies reporting a lack of orders in July, up from 38.4 per cent in April.
- Manufacturing is particularly affected, with 43.6 per cent of companies lacking orders.
- The textile sector is especially strained, with 66.5 per cent of companies reporting shortages. PLA Polymer
Germany’s economy is facing increasing challenges as the order shortage worsens, according to the latest data from the ifo Institute. In July, 39.4 per cent of companies reported a lack of orders, a rise from 38.4 per cent in April.
The manufacturing sector has been particularly hard hit, with the percentage of companies reporting insufficient orders increasing from 39.5 per cent in April to 43.6 per cent in July.
Study shows that basic polymers can be recycled up to 10 times
The Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee, which includes most UN member states, plans to finalize the development of an international legally binding document at a meeting in Seoul in November 2024 to combat plastic pollution.
The document will focus on the collection of plastic and its incorporation into the production of new products (recycling) without limiting the production of polymers, which possess unique properties, such as their lightweight, low cost, ability to keep out moisture and air, and the potential for recycling. PLA Polymer
Despite the unique properties of plastic, the global attitude towards it is mixed. Earlier this year, the Centre for Climate Integrity (CCI) released a provocative report accusing international petrochemical companies of deceiving the public for years by claiming that plastic recycling is feasible on an industrial scale.
The environmental group stated that most plastic waste cannot be recycled due to technological and economic constraints. One of the arguments the CCI presented to support its conclusions was that “the quality of plastic degrades as it is recycled,” limiting its use and further recyclability. PLA Polymer
A recent study by the Russian Chemists Union completely refutes this claim, proving that the most common (high-tonnage) types of polymers – PP, LDPE, HDPE, PVC, and PS – can be successfully recycled multiple times without losing their consumer properties.
New CPC line for Suominen
Company has got closer to a return to profitability in the first half of 2024.
Nonwovens manufacturer Suominen, headquartered in Espoo, Finland, has announced a €20 million investment in a new card-pulp-card (CPC) production line at its plant in Alicante, Spain, to become operational in the second half of 2025.
The CPC process is a highly efficient route to the production of wipes substrates and other nonwovens based on natural fibres and pulp. PLA Polymer
“With this investment we are responding to the accelerating demand for sustainable nonwovens in Europe,” said Tommi Björnman, Suominen’s president and CEO.
For the first six months of 2024, Suominen reports net sales of €232.3 million, up 5% on the first six months of 2023, with increased volumes and lower raw materials prices, offset by lower sales prices. Net sales in the Americas were €145.7 million and in EMEA were €86.5 million.
The company managed to reduce its operating loss for the first six months of 2024 to €2.9 million, compared to a loss of €12.1 million in the first six months of 2023. PLA Polymer
“Our ability to innovate and meet market needs is reflected in the share of net sales from new products launched in the last three years, which continued on a very good level and exceeded 37% in the first half of this year, “Björnman said.
CCL Expands Range of Floatable Polyolefin Shrink Sleeves to Enhance PET Recycling
CCL Label, a leader in labels and packaging solutions, has expanded its range of sustainable low-density, floatable polyolefin (PO) shrink sleeves. PLA Polymer
These sleeves are designed to support recycling in established PET, HDPE, and PP waste streams, providing a more eco-friendly alternative to traditional materials that hinder recycling.
Reinhard Streit, VP and Managing Director of Food & Beverage at CCL Label, highlighted the versatility of the new range, which includes options like a high-shrink version for complex bottle shapes, a thinner 45-micron version for material efficiency, and a white version ideal for light-sensitive products like dairy and supplements. PLA Polymer
The EcoFloat sleeves, made from low-density material, offer an effective solution for mechanical recycling. These sleeves automatically separate from PET flakes during the sink/float process at recycling facilities, floating to the top while PET sinks, resulting in cleaner PET flakes that can be recycled into new bottles, thus closing the recycling loop.
Shivern Reddy, Sales Director at CCL Label South Africa, emphasized the high-shrink version’s capability to contour seamlessly to complex bottle shapes, while the 45-micron version offers material efficiency and a reduced carbon footprint. PLA Polymer
Making a Play With PHA
Processors with sustainability goals or mandates have a number of ways to reach their goals. Biopolymers are among them.
The drive toward sustainability is requiring North American processors — especially those serving the disposable packaging markets — to give more consideration to their material choices. PLA Polymer
Whether driven by their brand owner customers or internal demands or goals, molders and extrusion processors slowly are investigating and even in some cases deploying new materials and structures aimed at making their products greener.
Of course, sustainability has many definitions and takes on many shapes and forms. Where material choices are concerned, it could mean moving toward single-resin structures that are more readily recyclable. PLA Polymer
This is an emerging trend in flexible packaging, where all-PE multilayer structures are replacing multipolymer systems of those that combine plastics and other materials. There is also a growing push in packaging and beyond, or products made with a healthy dose of postconsumer reclaim. And biopolymers are also gaining a toehold in the green movement.
French collaboration for compostable PLA
Enzymatic material disintegrates and biodegrades at a much faster rate than the 26 weeks required for certification. PLA Polymer
Following their successful collaboration on the enzymatic depolymerization of PET polyester which is now rapidly being commercialised, Carbios and the Toulouse Biotechnology Institute (TBI) are jointly developing another engineered enzyme that can be embedded into PLA (polylactic acid) to make it also self-biodegradable.
A study published in the joural Nature in July describes the engineering strategies deployed to ensure the development of the enzyme which is capable of biologically depolymerizing PLA materials over a wide temperature and pH range, reflecting the natural variations found in the life cycle of domestic compost. PLA Polymer
The study also describes the methodologies and challenges involved in obtaining a homogeneous incorporation of the enzyme into PLA films at high temperatures of 170°C, while retaining sufficient activity to enable the polymer produced to degrade completely and rapidly under domestic and industrial composting conditions, as well as in anaerobic digestion (methanization).
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