{"id":10761,"date":"2020-07-31T08:05:52","date_gmt":"2020-07-31T14:05:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ulprospector.com\/knowledge\/?p=10761"},"modified":"2023-05-11T09:23:37","modified_gmt":"2023-05-11T15:23:37","slug":"pe-waste-not-want-notmore-companies-are-using-waste-as-a-plastic-feedstock","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ulprospector.ul.com\/10761\/pe-waste-not-want-notmore-companies-are-using-waste-as-a-plastic-feedstock\/","title":{"rendered":"Waste not, want not

More companies are using waste as a plastic feedstock<\/h2>"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Nike
Made mostly from trash and production scrap, this new Space Hippie sneaker line from Nike includes its lowest carbon-footprint shoe ever. (Nike photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Innovative companies increasingly are finding ways to turn trash into treasure. More specifically, they are leveraging collected waste and trash and processing it into plastic materials that can be made into useful products and then eventually recycled again.<\/p>\n

Nike, for example, has made headlines for its latest line of sneakers, dubbed Space Hippie, that it fashioned from various types of waste materials \u2013\u2013 from used T-shirts and drink bottles, to rubber and plastic factory scraps \u2013\u2013 to produce four versions of the funky-looking shoe.<\/p>\n

One model, Space Hippie #04, accounts for only 3.7 kg of carbon per pair, making it by far the lowest carbon footprint shoe that the company has produced. It\u2019s goal is to reach zero-carbon or climate-positive, notes Noah Murphy-Reinhertz, sustainable design lead within Nike\u2019s NXT Innovation Space Kitchen, and head of the team that created the Space Hippie line.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Photo
Material ConneXion\u2019s Dr. Andrew Dent suggests there is no such thing as an inherently sustainable material; how it is used determines how eco-friendly it is. (Material ConneXion photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Dr. Andrew Dent, executive vice president of research at Material ConneXion and chief material scientist for its parent company, Sandow, recently cited the following three encouraging developments as examples of how innovative companies are turning waste into useful, and reusable, plastics. New York City-based Material ConneXion operates eight subscription-based materials libraries around the world, featuring more than 10,000 materials and processes across all disciplines of design.<\/p>\n

Dent was speaking in June as one of three dozen presenters at a virtual event called the Sustainability Deep Dive, the first such conference organized by the Industrial Designers Society of America.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u2018Dirty\u2019 plastics become Ekomats<\/h2>\n
\"Photo
EcoGlobal in Vermont is turning \u201cdirty plastics\u201d into a resin called Ekopolimer, which can then be molded into ultra-durable, flexible mats they call Ekomats. (Material ConneXion photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A social enterprise company called EcoGlobal in Chelsea, Vt., says the mechanical recycling and low-emissions manufacturing process it has developed can turn single-use and \u201cdirty\u201d plastics into a durable, recycled material it calls Ekopolimer, consisting of 75 percent post-consumer waste (mostly used LDPE retail bags and diverted landfill-bound material).<\/p>\n

EcoGlobal then molds the resulting compound into heavy-duty, durable, slip-resistant, multi-purpose mats it calls EkoMats (www.ekomats.com<\/a>). The company claims they are \u201cwater-impervious and flexible, and hold up in all-season weather and temperatures (-40\u00baF to 158\u00baF)\u2014 outliving and outperforming metal, concrete, wood and other plastics.\u201d<\/p>\n

Recycling TetraPak cartons<\/h2>\n
\"Photo
Switzerland\u2019s RePlan Global is turning its EcoAllene resin, made from recycled , multilayer Tetra Pak cartons, into a wide range of consumer products. (Material ConneXion photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A Swiss company called RePlan Global Sagl has developed a material called EcoAllene\u00ae made from recycled multilayer, polylaminate food cartons that consist of 75 percent paper, 20 percent polyethylene and 5 percent aluminum. These composite materials (most notably TetraPak food and drink containers) have previously been disposed of in landfills, burnt in \u00a0incinerators, or partially recycled by separating the three components, at high cost, high energy consumption and low quality of materials.<\/p>\n

RePlan (for Recycling Planet) said it took years to develop the patented process to treat the PE and aluminum (PoAl) elements to create a viable, third material. It granted a license to Turin, Italy-based Ecoplasteam SpA (www.ecoplasteam.com<\/a>) to launch the first EcoAllene production site in Spinetta Marengo, Italy. The plant, created with the help of Italian equipment maker Amut SpA, can recycle 7,000 tons of PoAl waste and transform it into a similar amount of EcoAllene recycled material.<\/p>\n

Ecoplasteam receives bulk PE and aluminum waste from a paper mill, in bales weighing half a ton each. First scanned for extraneous material, which is removed, it then goes through a washing phase, after which any remaining cellulose material is separated out. The cleaned material then goes through grinding, drying, and densification, before being extruded and chopped into pellets.<\/p>\n

The resulting dyeable and highly consistent material is a soft plastic polymer, metalized by the effect of the aluminum, with what the partners call \u201ctop-grade mechanical characteristics.\u201d The material\u2013\u2013which Andrew Dent says can have a \u201cshimmery, silvery look\u201d\u2013\u2013is being used to make a variety of consumer products, from eyeglass frames, cleaning tools and writing utensils, to toys, desk organizers and jewelry.<\/p>\n

EcoAllene\u2013\u2013which consists of an\u00a0entire family of various recipes and formulations\u2013\u2013also is \u201cinfinitely recyclable,\u201d RePlan claims. Visit www.replanglobal.com\/en\/ecoallene<\/a> for more details, including a video inside the production plant.)<\/p>\n

Turning food waste into moldable plastic<\/h2>\n

Israeli company UBQ Materials Ltd. (www.ubqmaterials.com<\/a>) notes that humans generate more than 2 billion tons per year of global municipal solid waste, with that number projected to more than double by 2050. Solid waste management, therefore, is a key utility and critical infrastructure for society.<\/p>\n

The Tel Aviv-based UBQ has developed a patented, proprietary process that can make a new thermoplastic raw material out of all Residual Municipal Solid Waste (RMSW) destined for landfills, including food waste, garden trimmings, paper, cardboard, diapers, dirty plastics, and packaging materials.\u00a0The company calls its resulting bio-based, fully recyclable, composite material \u201cthe greenest thermoplastic material on the planet.\u201d<\/p>\n

Each ton of material produced by the company is said to equal the carbon-emission reduction of 540 trees.<\/p>\n

\"Photo
Israel\u2019s UBQ Materials claims its material, made from municipal solid waste, is \u201cthe greenest thermoplastic material on the planet.\u201d Here, it is shown after being molded into a trash bin. (Material ConneXion photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

During the process, the mixed waste stream is reduced to its more basic, natural elements, such as cellulose, lignin, sugars and fibers, that reconstitute and bind together into a new sustainable, composite material \u2013\u2013 all through what the company calls an energy-efficient and commercially viable process that does not use water or emit harmful fumes. UBQ says its testing has shown that its materials can be recycled more than five times without degrading, while most plastic materials typically begin to degrade on first use.<\/p>\n

On its website, the company states: \u201cWe\u2019re up and running. Our pilot industrial plant in Israel, is already supplying UBQTM<\/sup>\u00a0to local manufacturers, has a capacity of 5,000 tons per year and boasts advanced laboratories that are the base for R&D activities at UBQ.\u201d It adds that it is nearing the launch of its first overseas plant, and is aiming for an annual capacity of 100,000 tons of UBQTM<\/sup>\u00a0material for the North American market.<\/p>\n

UBQ announced in March that it had appointed Mike Thaman, the former CEO of building giant Owens Corning, as its new CEO, and charged him with scaling UBQ globally, focusing initially on North America. Thaman headed Owens Corning for more than a decade, before stepping down last year from the $7 billion company.<\/p>\n

UBQ, co-founded by Jack (Tato) Bigio and Yehuda Pearl, in April was named a finalist in Fast Company<\/em> magazine\u2019s \u201c2020 World Changing Ideas Awards,\u201d marking the firm\u2019s second year in a row on the list.<\/p>\n

A March article in the Jerusalem Post<\/em> noted that in recent months, UBQ has announced a partnership with automaker Daimler AG to test its material in the production of automobile parts, and with Arcos Dorados \u2013\u2013 the largest independent McDonald\u2019s franchisee worldwide \u2013\u2013 to incorporate the material in items at its Latin America stores. Last fall, UBQ also partnered with the Central Virginia Waste Management Authority in the U.S. to introduce 2,000 recycling bins made from the company\u2019s material.<\/p>\n

Waste bins made from waste. Now that\u2019s<\/em> the circular economy in action.<\/p>\n

____________<\/p>\n

NOTE: IDSA has made videos of all of its Sustainability Deep Dive conference presentations <\/em>available for viewing, for free. See the full speaker and topic list, and access the videos at<\/em> www.idsa.org\/SDD2020<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Innovative companies increasingly are finding ways to turn trash into treasure. More specifically, they are leveraging collected waste and trash and processing it into plastic materials that can be made into useful products and then eventually recycled again. Nike, for … Continued<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":23,"featured_media":10767,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"episode_type":"","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"ppma_author":[1244],"class_list":{"0":"post-10761","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-plastics-2","8":"entry"},"yoast_head":"\nWaste not, want not: Companies are using waste as a plastic feedstock<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Turning trash into treasure. 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(Material ConneXion photo)"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/ulprospector.ul.com\/10761\/pe-waste-not-want-notmore-companies-are-using-waste-as-a-plastic-feedstock\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/ulprospector.ul.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Waste not, want notMore companies are using waste as a plastic feedstock"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/ulprospector.ul.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/ulprospector.ul.com\/","name":"Prospector Knowledge Center","description":"Welcome to the blog for UL Prospector, the most comprehensive raw material search engine for product developers.","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/ulprospector.ul.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/ulprospector.ul.com\/#\/schema\/person\/1ccb877b39b97b6edffea515566df093","name":"Bob Grace","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/ulprospector.ul.com\/media\/2017\/10\/Robert-Grace_avatar_1508791447-96x96.jpg9c3cf61917eeafce529135a60aa75f87","url":"https:\/\/ulprospector.ul.com\/media\/2017\/10\/Robert-Grace_avatar_1508791447-96x96.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/ulprospector.ul.com\/media\/2017\/10\/Robert-Grace_avatar_1508791447-96x96.jpg","caption":"Bob Grace"},"description":"Robert Grace has been in business-to-business communications his entire career. He has broad global experience and for more than 35 years has worked as a journalist, editor-in-chief, publishing executive and key connector of like-minded parties. He has launched successful publications and C-level events on three continents. While with Crain Communications Inc., he oversaw the relaunch of the 100-year-old European Rubber Journal in London and helped to start Urethanes Technology magazine there. \u00a0In 1988 Bob returned to Akron, Ohio, to serve as founding editor of Plastics News, an award-winning, weekly business newspaper. In 2005 he oversaw the editorial launch of the bilingual (Chinese and English) PN China e-newsletter and website. For more than a decade at PN he also held the titles of associate publisher, editorial director and conference director, and most recently served as business development director. A long-time affiliate member of the Industrial Designers Society of America, Bob has organized numerous design-focused events, earned a Personal Recognition Award from IDSA in 2013, and constantly strives to help bridge the gap between the design and manufacturing communities. In 2014 he left Crain and created RC Grace LLC in Akron, Ohio, as a consultancy that aims to help companies to enhance their branding and market presence, find business partners, connect with design resources (here or in Asia), secure funding and advance their growth initiatives. Email Bob or visit his website at www.rcgrace.com to learn more about how he can help you.","sameAs":["http:\/\/ulprospector.com"],"url":"https:\/\/ulprospector.ul.com\/author\/robert-grace\/"}]}},"authors":[{"term_id":1244,"user_id":23,"is_guest":0,"slug":"robert-grace","display_name":"Bob Grace","avatar_url":"https:\/\/ulprospector.ul.com\/media\/2017\/10\/Robert-Grace_avatar_1508791447-96x96.jpg","0":null,"1":"","2":"","3":"","4":"","5":"","6":"","7":"","8":""}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ulprospector.ul.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10761","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ulprospector.ul.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ulprospector.ul.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ulprospector.ul.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/23"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ulprospector.ul.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10761"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ulprospector.ul.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10761\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ulprospector.ul.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10767"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ulprospector.ul.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10761"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ulprospector.ul.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10761"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ulprospector.ul.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10761"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ulprospector.ul.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=10761"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}