My Knowledge

Week in Review
PUBLISHED 03/31/2008

Plastics Grows Up At massPLASTICS Trade Show

There were no molded pink flamingoes on display, but exhibitors at the massPLASTICS trade show had many other less-recognizable products on hand that showed the evolution the plastics manufacturing industry has undergone in Massachusetts. The two-day trade show that concluded yesterday at the Royal Plaza Hotel and Trade Center saw more than 200 exhibits of plastics-related manufacturers, mold-making machine companies and firms that provide services to plastics companies. More than 2,000 attended the event, organizers said. Nancy E. Jackson, vice president of the North Central Massachusetts Development Corp., said the industry has evolved from toys and commodities to specialized products for medical devices, the defense industry and several original equipment manufacturers. “We have plain old plastics supporting the growth industry of the time,” she said. Plastic lawn ornaments, including the iconic pink flamingo, housewares, combs and sunglasses — once the staple of local plastics manufacturers — have given way to precision medical devices and custom molding and mold makers for the automotive and packaging sectors, as well as the aerospace and defense industries, she said. The U.S. plastics industry — from resin suppliers to mold makers — injects 1.1 million jobs and $3.79 billion into the national economy, according to the Society of the Plastics Industry. ...Telegram & Gazette, 3.28.08
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Millions Of Jobs Of A Different Collar

EVERYONE knows what blue-collar and white-collar jobs are, but now a job of another hue — green — has entered the lexicon. Presidential candidates talk about the promise of “green collar” jobs — an economy with millions of workers installing solar panels, weatherizing homes, brewing biofuels, building hybrid cars and erecting giant wind turbines. Labor unions view these new jobs as replacements for positions lost to overseas manufacturing and outsourcing. Urban groups view training in green jobs as a route out of poverty. And environmentalists say they are crucial to combating climate change. No doubt that the number of green-collar jobs is growing, as homeowners, business and industry shift toward conservation and renewable energy. And the numbers are expected to increase greatly in the next few decades, because state governments have mandated that even more energy come from alternative sources. But some skeptics argue that the phrase “green jobs” is little more than a trendy term for politicians and others to bandy about. Some say they are not sure that these jobs will have the staying power to help solve the problems of the nation’s job market, and others note that green jobs often pay less than the old manufacturing jobs they are replacing. Indeed, such is the novelty of the green-job concept that no one is certain how many such jobs there are, and even advocates don’t always agree on what makes a job green. ...New York Times , 3.26.08
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Countervailing Duty Administrative Review: Polyethylene Retail Carrier Bags From Thailand

The Department of Commerce (the Department) published an antidumping duty order on polyethylene retail carrier bags from Thailand on August 9, 2004. See Antidumping Duty Order: Polyethylene Retail Carrier Bags From Thailand, 69 FR 48204 (August 9, 2004). On August 2, 2007, the Department published a notice of opportunity to request an administrative review of the antidumping duty order on polyethylene retail carrier bags from Thailand for the period August 1, 2006, through July 31, 2007. See Antidumping or Countervailing Duty Order, Finding, or Suspended Investigation; Opportunity to Request Administrative Review, 72 FR 42383 (August 2, 2007). On August 31, 2007, KYD, Inc., a U.S. importer of the subject merchandise, requested that the Department conduct an administrative review with respect to King Pac Industrial Co., Ltd. On August 31, 2007, The Polyethylene Retail Carrier Bag Committee and its individual members, Hilex Poly Co., LLC and Superbag Corporation, the petitioner in this proceeding, also requested that the Department conduct an administrative review with respect to King Pac Industrial Co., Ltd., Kor Ratthanakit Co., Ltd., Master Packaging Co., Ltd., Naraipak Co., Ltd., and Polyplast (Thailand) Co., Ltd. ...Federal Register, 3.25.08
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Businesses Oppose Bag, Styrofoam Container Bans

Dozens of Palo Alto businesses have come out against city plans to possibly ban plastic bags and Styrofoam containers. In a petition that will be presented to the city council tonight, roughly 40 businesses are trying to make the case that a ban would not work and would hurt stores and restaurants. "Please don't punish local businesses just to make an empty environmental gesture," the petition reads. "Products don't litter, people do." The city council is not scheduled to discuss or take action on the petition. The body last discussed imposing restrictions on March 17 and is set to weigh the bag ban, and possibly take action, on April 21. City staff is also crafting a proposal to restrict the use of Styrofoam containers in Palo Alto, which should be ready for council review this summer. According to a March 17 staff report, 11 Alaskan cities, San Francisco and Oakland have all passed bans on plastic bags and seen more people using reusable bags. The cities of Berkeley, Santa Monica, San Jose and Fremont are considering similar measures. Another possibility is a tax on plastic bags similar to one that Ireland passed nationwide in 2002. According to the city staff report, plastic bag usage dropped 90 percent in that country after the tax was implemented. Council Member Yoriko Kishimoto said something needs to be done and that she would support some type of ban. ...Palo Alto Daily News, 3.24.08
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Plastics And Health: Bisphenol-A Mimics Estrogen?

One word: bisphenol-A. The plastic additive is leaching from your water bottles, soda cans, baby bottles, microwaveable dishes -- just about anything made of certain lightweight clear plastics. And it mimics the hormone estrogen, which some research indicates could harm human health, particularly the development of fetuses and newborn babies. Known as BPA, bisphenol-A has been used in commercial production of lightweight plastics and epoxy resins since the 1950s. Billions of pounds are produced annually, and traces of it are found in almost everyone -- including the umbilical cord blood of newborn babies. Though the chemical industry contends that the weight of scientific evidence on bisphenol-A doesn't support claims of harm, the chemical remains controversial. Studies flagging the compound's possible health threat to humans have made people nervous about the plastics they use every day, everywhere, to serve and store food. Some have jettisoned plastic bottles and cutlery in favor of alternatives that don't contain BPA. "There is a cause for concern," said Gerald LeBlanc, chairman of the department of environmental and molecular toxicology at N.C. State University. "It's not something we should be sweeping under the rug." One group of 38 scientists, including LeBlanc, published a statement last year raising concerns that the chemical was harmful to lab animals and was a potential hazard to humans. ...The News & Observer, 3.24.08
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Marketing Environmentally Degradable Plastic Products

By Frank Ruiz, Heritage Bag Company
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How to Purchase an Injection Mold

By Rick Puglielli, ProMold Plastics
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