http://plasticpak.info/bagblog Plastic Bag Information Resource Wed, 07 Nov 2007 07:40:01 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en We all know that the cost of anything associated with "Green" or Sustainable packaging has a higher cost than traditional ethylene products.  The challenge is to show through cost analysis that the overall impact of "Green" packaging can be made into a positive.  Look at things like competitive advantage, energy ... http://plasticpak.info/bagblog/2007/11/07/costs/ When we speak of PLA and biodegradable plastics you have to, in the same breath, talk about composting.  This composting is not your generic backyard version but an industrial composting.  The question is..."How do we inform the public that plastic is not always plastic and has to be separated?".  The dilemma ... http://plasticpak.info/bagblog/2007/11/05/public-awareness/ GM (genetically modified) resins such as the corn used for PLA in the US is taboo.  I personally do not see all the fuss.  These crops are not raised for human consumption but for plastic resin.  If a GM plant can produce significantly more starch or sugars why not use ... http://plasticpak.info/bagblog/2007/11/02/why-is-there-an-uproar-about-gm-resins/ I was doing my usual morning news reading on the Internet and on www.foxnews.com they had a video promoting Newt Gingrich’s new book.  As with his infamous “Contract with America” when he was Speaker of the House, which laid out steps to follow to get the political house back in ... http://plasticpak.info/bagblog/2007/11/01/newt-gingrichs-new-book-a-contract-with-the-earth/ When discussing "Green" packaging and the "Green" movement as a whole, you have to be weary of companies that "Greenwash".  This is the rouge of presenting a product that does not actually meet the standards for which it is intended or businesses promoting themselves as "Green" when in actuality they ... http://plasticpak.info/bagblog/2007/10/31/greenwashing-why-be-concerned/ I have been trying for months to get a handle on the size of the “Green” packaging market to no avail.  There is data on the overall plastics market but non-specific to “Green” packaging.  An article in Forbes stated that they have not found a good measure of the size ... http://plasticpak.info/bagblog/2007/10/30/green-packaging-market/ In today’s environment there are a lot of different opinions about "Green" packaging.  There is the 3"R"s approach...Reduce...Reuse...Recycle, which has been around since the 89's.  And now today there is the "Green" approach to packaging.  Packaging with Post Consumer Reclaim (PCR) content, Degradable Packaging, Biodegradable Packaging, Compostable Packaging and Sustainable ... http://plasticpak.info/bagblog/2007/10/29/why-green-packaging/ HDPE - High Density polyethylene...the workhorse of plastics.  We use this material in everything from milk jugs to park benches.  It is the most widely used resin in the industry.  It can be blended with many other resins to change its physical properties.  Its flexure temperature is around 220 deg F. ... http://plasticpak.info/bagblog/2006/09/21/hdpe/ I have been in this business for almost 23 years.  Sustainable and degradable products have been around for most of my career.  There have been additives that gave the film a reddish hue to the claim that calcium carbonate was the answer. What is the real driver this time?  Is it ... http://plasticpak.info/bagblog/2006/09/20/sustainable-packagingwillit-take-hold-this-time/ On August 30, 2006 California passed a mandatory recycling law (AB 2449) that includes plastic bags used in grocery and retail establishments larger than 10,000 sq. ft.  Along with requiring stores to maintain recycling bins, it is the responsibility of the manufacture to develop materials to educate their respective customers about recycling ... http://plasticpak.info/bagblog/2006/09/18/california-recycling-legislation/