International Plastics News for Asia

The buzz word in the plastics industry today is "recycling" and many innovative production processes are being developed to answer the call for enviroment-friendly products. During the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, the organisers opted to use materials that are either recycled or were made of biodegradable materials. A popular beverage company also launched its special PET bottles that contain the traditional plastic material combined with plant-based material from sugar cane and molasses. A team of researchers from IBM's Almaden Research Center and Stanford University has embarked on a study to develop new types of organic catalysts that can build up and break down plastics in a more sustainable way to enable the repeated recycling of plastics products. As demand for improved plastics products increases, changing criteria on quality improvement and costs control are pushing the use of all-electric injection moulding machines. We are now seeing a wide range of such machines that promise greater energy-efficiency, higher output and more flexibility. This issue carries a Special Supplement on Asia抯 biggest plastics show - Chinaplas. There is no denying that China today has taken an important role in the global plastics industry and the show reflects this in terms of the number of exhibitors, visitors and new products introduced each year. There is much enthusiasm and bigger expectations at the world's third largest plastics event this year as it turns towards the "green" path.