Chemicals Industry

Polyethylene (PE)

Kazakhstan's KazMunayGas in talks with SIBUR for joint PE and PP projects; an initial agreement in October 2021 needed amendment in light of sanctions against Russia
Interfax Kazakhstan General Newswire (06/13)

BASF and Institute cyclos-HTP publish details on mechanical recycling of PE/PA coextruded multilayer films; tests involved PE/PA coextruded multilayer films with PA concentrations up to 30%
BASF SE (06/10)

Polypropylene (PP)

Vietnam’s Hyosung to start 600,000-ton/year propylene dehydrogenation plant in July; company also aims to restart a PP plant in June
MRC (06/13)

Berry says its new UK polymer recycling unit will establish availability of additional mechanical-recycled FDA-grade rPP material for its packaging later this year; new facility employs CleanStream technology, which offers target purity standard of 99.9%
Berry Global Group Inc. (06/13)

Polyesters/Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET)

Coca-Cola Bottlers Japan partners with real estate developer Mitsubishi Estate on a bottle-to-bottle recycling scheme in Japan; scheme collects PET bottles in office buildings, turns them into new PET bottles
Contify Retail News (06/13)

Security labels do not impact recyclability of paper, cardboard packaging, are reliable, sustainable solution, according to studies by Leonhard Kurz, PTS, INGEDE; TRUSTCONCEPT labels protect products from counterfeiting, manipulation
Leonhard Kurz Stiftung & Co. KG (06/13)

Propylene

S-Oil restarts cracking plant in Ulsan, South Korea, after outage related to May 24 explosion; cracker plant has capacity for 200,000 tons/year of propylene
MRC (06/13)

Polyurethane (PU)

Covestro announces Standard 100 certification of its Dureflex brand TPU films, recognizing product safety and absence of pollutants; films are suitable for outdoor clothing, furniture, automotive seating applications
Covestro LLC (06/13)

Neenah Filtration releases new details on company's meltblown nonwoven with a special 'memory effect'; thermoplastic PU can be deformed by low force in its amorphous state at 40°C-50°C, cooled to maintain state, and returns to permanent form above 50°C
Neenah Inc. (06/13)

Polymers/Resins

Solvay doubles production capacity of its high-performance polymer Solef polyvinylidene fluoride; capacity supports global lithium-ion battery market amid rapid growth of electric and hybrid vehicles
Solvay SA (06/13)

SK Chemical to divest PET film business to private equity firm Hahn for 1.6T won, or about US$1.27B; move supports SK's strategy to focus on battery materials, sustainability-aligned sectors
Korea News Gazette (06/10)

Polymer Additives

BASF expands series of anode binders with styrene-butadiene rubber binder Licity 2698 X F; binder facilitates use of silicon contents exceeding 20%
BASF SE (06/10)

Coatings

AkzoNobel and partners launch first-ever global Collaborative Sustainability Challenge, seeking initiatives to support carbon reduction in the paints and coatings industry
Mid-East.Info (06/13)

Advanced coatings manufacturer Element 119 plans expansion in Connecticut, adding 36 new jobs over two years at facilities in Thomaston and Cheshire; company manufactures coatings for aerospace, marine, automotive markets
Targeted News Service (Press Releases) (06/10)

Films/Sheets

Roland DGA introduces new HeatSoft Premium heat transfer material that is flexible, made of 3.5-mil matte polyurethane film with waterbase coating that yields vibrant prints that resemble screen-printed graphics; product is simple to week, transfer
Roland DG Corp. (06/10)

Specialty Films

Scientists create cellulose film with improved hydrophobic properties, enhanced tensile strength, folding resistance, elongation, reflectance; film contains silicon dioxide, PBAT, for use in packaging, glass film, beverage appliances, flexible electronics
Nanotech Daily (06/10)

Plastics

Berry says majority of its standard products now qualified as incorporating a minimum 30% PCR plastic, which will help customers meet UK Plastic Packaging Tax requirements; Berry also working with customers to incorporate PCR into their specific products
Berry Global Group Inc. (06/13)

Pennsylvania launches grants to develop recycling program for agricultural plastics, which are often single-use; program to integrate existing materials management infrastructure, seek recovered agricultural plastic markets, with proposals due July 8
Pennsylvania Dept. of Agriculture (06/13)

Plastic Packaging

Sommos, an online grocery shopping platform in Mexico, has users pay for reusable glass and plastic containers during their first purchase; for subsequent purchases, users return containers to the delivery person, receive new containers with more product
CE Noticias Financieras (06/13)

Latvia-based Polipaks offers flat bottom pouches featuring stable bottom, rigid structure; pouches can be customized with top sliders, hook zips, front zips and pocket zips to keep product fresh, plus laser pre-cuts and tear notches for easy opening
Packaging News (06/13)

Cosmetic & Personal Care Ingredients

DSM and Firmenich announce future leadership team for DSM-Firmenich upon proposed merger of the two companies; new executive committee will include individuals from both DSM and Firmenich
PR Newswire (06/13)

Indie brand Honey Buz will launch three new natural skin-care products made with honey, hemp and botanicals at Philadelphia Flower Show 2022; new products are Honey Soap with anti-viral properties, I Bee eye and face serum and Native Bee body lotion
PR.com (06/10)

Food & Beverage Ingredients/Additives

University of Connecticut researchers aim to bring Pickering emulsions, known as HIPEs, to food applications as an alternative to trans and saturated fats; ingredients could help keep healthy fats emulsified
States News Service (06/13)

Household Product Ingredients

BASF completes major investment to increase production capacity for Tinopal CBS optical brighteners at site in Monthey, Switzerland; production supports end markets including detergents for home use and commercial dry cleaning
BASF SE (06/10)

Nutraceutical Ingredients & Products

25mg dose of Tetraselmis chuii unicellular green microalga may boost hematological, hormonal, biochemical, anthropometric parameters in healthy males; microalgae contains amino acids, essential fatty acids, vitamins, minerals: study
Nutra Ingredients (06/13)

DeSimone Formulation probiotic with streptococcus, bifidobacterium, lactobacillus may lessen depression when used with depression treatments; formulation distributed by ExeGi Pharma under the brand name Visbiome in North America: study
Nutra Ingredients (06/13)

Flavors, Fragrances & Scents

G Fuel debuts Ninja Cotton Candy flavor, inspired by gamer Tyler 'Ninja' Blevins, available at select Walmart stores; zero sugar, zero calorie flavor marks G Fuel's first ready-to-drink 16-oz. can with 140mg of caffeine compared to its 300mg lineup
PR Newswire (06/13)

DavidsTea launches new Cold Brew Teas that steep in only 10 minutes, compared with their previous teas' 1.5-hour steep time and other teas on market that take over 8 hours; collection includes three flavors, 28-oz. cold brew bottle
GlobeNewswire Canada (06/13)

Silicon & Silicone

Ferroglobe and REC Silicon enter agreement under which Ferroglobe will supply high purity silicon metal to REC Silicon; companies aim to establish low-carbon, fully traceable US-based solar supply chain
Globe Newswire (06/13)

Synthetic Fibers

University of Maine scientists develop machine to produce cellulose nanofiber slurries, sheets for biomedical use; slurries can be electrospun with synthetic resins to produce nonwovens, and sheets are impermeable to air, biocompatible, immunogenic: study
Frontiers in Nanotechnology (06/10)

Donghua University scientists design high-filtration antibacterial face masks using multilayered nonwovens made of meltblown, electrospun fibers; nonwovens contain silver nanoparticle additives, filter at 99.1% efficiency, eliminate over 99.99% E. coli
CDC & FDA Daily (06/10)

Nonwoven

Qingdao University researchers use green chemistry method to develop flame-retardant viscose/alginate nonwoven fabric; alginate is naturally flame-retardant, and blended fabric exhibits improved anti-flammability compared to viscose alone: study
Cellulose (06/13)

Fabrics/Textiles

Packaging Design Wrap-Up: Fashion student upcycles Shein plastic bags with help from TikTok; advertising agency plants anti-racism pill boxes across New York City pharmacies; Lay’s India chip bags featuring hand illustrations align to create heart shape
Industry Intelligence Inc. (06/10)

Tech vs. Trees: Popeyes print ad mimics crunch of crispy chicken, paper alternative to plastic takeout container is both recyclable and water-resistant, developer aims to scale up biodegradable wood-based textile to 10% global market share
Industry Intelligence Inc. (06/10)

Latest: Jun, 13 2022