Category Archives: Business of Plastics

Plasticity 2012

Posted on May 23, 2012 by Susan Freinkel

Do you have a cool idea for reusing used plastic bottles? Have you thought of innovative ways to collect and recycle plastic trash? If so, check out Plasticity 2012, a one-day forum that will be held next month alongside Rio … Continue reading →

Posted in Business of Plastics, Plastic Pollution, Recycling, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Remember the Lorax

Posted on March 5, 2012 by Susan Freinkel

In anticipation of the new film, The Lorax, the American Chemistry Council has launched a site directed at all those kids who may have been energized by the movie’s environmental message.  Plastics and the Lorax doesn’t try to overtly correct … Continue reading →

Posted in Business of Plastics, Recycling | 1 Comment

The Coming Polyethylene Flood

Posted on August 12, 2011 by Susan Freinkel

Everyday I receive a news alert from the American Chemistry Council and each day it seems the alert contains at least one or more entries about fracking — the controversial practice of extracting natural gas (or oil) from shale. Even … Continue reading →

Posted in Business of Plastics | 1 Comment

Will Bag Bans Take Off in California?

Posted on July 15, 2011 by Susan Freinkel

If I were a betting person, I’d wager we’ll see a wave of plastic bag prohibitions coming out of California communities over the next year. And I’m guessing that unlike the first round of bag measures that were inspired by … Continue reading →

Posted in Business of Plastics, Plastic Pollution, Plastics Policy, Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Building Bridges from Bottles

Posted on June 30, 2011 by Susan Freinkel

Tom Nosker, a polymer engineer at Rutgers University, has invented a method for turning used plastics into an incredibly strong, durable building material. In Plastic: A Toxic Love Story, I describe how a New Jersey company is using Nosker’s technology … Continue reading →

Posted in Business of Plastics, Recycling | 1 Comment

To Burn or Not to Burn

Posted on May 31, 2011 by Susan Freinkel

The U.S. has a dismal record recycling used plastics: scarcely seven percent get a shot at a second life. But the plastics industry is starting to rally behind a new option for dealing with plastic waste: burning it for energy. … Continue reading →

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Sometimes a chair is more than a chair

Posted on May 7, 2011 by Susan Freinkel

This essay is adapted from my book and appeared on the Speakeasy at WSJ.com on May 7: The Kartell store in San Francisco is a monument to plastic. The place glitters like a diamond, or rather, a cubic zirconium — … Continue reading →

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Is working in plastics safe?

Posted on March 14, 2011 by Susan Freinkel

An explosion at a plastics plant outside Boston on Sunday made me wonder again about the safety of the plastics industry. Historically, it was rife with hazards: fires were so common in early celluloid factories that workers were continually dousing … Continue reading →

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