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Image: A rotor blade is transported by truck on the road; Copyright: Covestro

Renewable energies: Bringing wind power forward with PU resins

26.05.2023

At Covestro's Wind Technology Center, research is being conducted into making wind technology more efficient. To do this, a close look is taken at wind turbines – where are opportunities to use special materials that drive renewable energy? The big goal behind it: Climate neutrality and a circular economy.
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Image: Exterior view of a biogas plant surrounded by a field and a forest; Copyright: Grigory_bruev

CO2BioClean: Turning CO₂ into biodegradable plastics

17.05.2023

CO2BioClean is using an innovative process to produce biodegradable plastics and polymers from CO₂ as a circularly sourced feedstock. What is driving them is their vision for a sustainable future and the potential of their technology to contribute towards global efforts to reduce CO₂ emissions and the use of fossil fuels in the production of plastics.
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Image: Plastic pallet in orange; Copyright: trans-o-flex

Logistics: eco-friendly and economical transport with plastic pallets

16.05.2023

Eight to ten times on average a wooden pallet is used in the handling area of logistics before it shows a defect and has to be sorted out. This is neither particularly economical nor good for the environment. Pallets made of plastic offer a more sustainable solution.
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Image: Winners of the PackTheFuture Award at the awards ceremony at interpack 2023; Copyright: Messe Düsseldorf

PackTheFuture Award 2023: These are the winners!

12.05.2023

56 entries, 10 winners, 1 special prize and 1 honourable mention - that's the positive balance of the PackTheFuture Award 2023. The results were announced at the award ceremony at interpack in Düsseldorf. The award honours innovative and sustainable packaging solutions made of plastic.
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Image: Robots at work in the Automated Lab of the Henkel Inspiration Center; Copyright: Henkel AG

Automated Lab: Robots optimise adhesive development

10.05.2023

Robots already take over a large number of monotonous, repetitive tasks today – freeing up time and resources for creative and more exciting tasks. Henkel is also automating work steps in its new Inspiration Center Düsseldorf (ICD). In a data-driven laboratory, new adhesive formulations are automatically prepared and tested around the clock.
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Image: Inside a plastic recycling plant; Copyright: Shutterstock/Nordroden

A status check on the UN's plastic waste agreement

24.04.2023

Plastic pollution is a serious threat to human health and the environment. After years of awareness-raising, there is strong and widespread alignment on the need to act. This was the unmistakable and welcome message from the U.N.'s first negotiating session on a global agreement to end plastic waste in December.
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Image: Woman in a supermarket taking a carton of milk from the shelf; Copyright: RossHelen

Circular Collaboration Platform: for more recyclates in food packaging

21.04.2023

The share of recycled material in plastic products is growing. The exception: food packaging. The requirements for the quality of the material for food contact are high, but in the case of recyclates there is still often a lack of corresponding information today. The project COPPA wants to create transparency in this area – with an open digital platform.
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Image: interior of a logistics warehouse; Copyright: vanitjan

Parcel logistics: the future belongs to reusable plastic boxes

29.03.2023

Cardboard dominates parcel logistics. Shrinkage and return transport costs have so far been too big hurdles for reusable containers made of plastic, even though there is a lot to be said for them in terms of sustainability. BOOXit overcomes these hurdles – and adds one on top: the reusable system is not only sustainable, but also robot-compatible.
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Image: smiling woman with tablet in her hands; Copyright: zamrznutitonovi

Sustainable plastic packaging: AI supports design and production

15.03.2023

Plastic packaging made from recycled material? Yes, but please as high quality as possible – and recyclable! This poses great challenges for manufacturers, because the use of recycled materials still often leads to downcycling. One key to more sustainable plastic packaging lies in digitalisation. This is also where the KIOptiPack project comes in.
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Image: a person pours detergent into a measuring container; Copyright: stockasso

Stable yet degradable: researchers develop chemical pre-determined breaking points in polymer chains

08.03.2023

We encounter high-density polyethylene (HDPE) every day, for example as detergent packaging or films. HDPE is particularly stable and resistant. In terms of sustainability, however, it still has a long way to go, because its high stability is often accompanied by poor degradability.
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