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Seattle to avoid PVC in building materials
F O C U S
O N
CONSTRUCTION British plastics industry sees building industry as one hopeful scene The British Plastics Federation has 115 associate companies with turnover in 2001 of £3.8 bn (one fifth of the total for the sector). Only 33% foresee improvement in 2002. Of plastics processors, only 27% are using more than 80% capacity, with 13% using less than 60%. For processors producing items for the car industry, 63% report stagnation and 35% a fall in sales. By contrast, 64% of those supplying the building industry reported increase in turnover. Only 15% foresee reduced production in 2002. The British plastics processing sector has 5000 companies employing 230,000 people. In 2001 consumption of raw materials was 4.7 M tonnes (the same as in 2000)(19% LDPE/LLDPE, 16% PP, 16% PVC, 11% HDPE, 6% PET). Packaging was the major outlet (1.8 M tonnes) followed by building (1.1 M tonnes), and transport (350,000 tonnes). macplas, Jun 2002, 27 (238), 30-31
Euro construction plastics use up 30% A new report from RAPRA Technology says that the increase in consumption of plastics by the European construction industry is growing faster than the construction industry itself. Use of plastics in the W European construction industry grew by 30% between 1998 and 2000, from 6.4 to 8.3 M tonnes/y, despite a slump in the German construction industry. PVC accounts for 49% of usage, with pipes and tubes accounting for 40%. 60% of the world’s consumption of 23 M tonnes/y PVC is used in the construction industry.
P O LY V I N Y L C H L O R I D E
polyvinyl chloride building supplies and mercury based devices are avoided with the proposal of alternatives. Pesticide and Toxic Chemical News, 8 Jul 2002, 30 (37), 20
Revista de Plasticos Modernos, Jun 2002, 83 (552), 643
COMPETITION FOR PVC General Motors substitutes TPE for PVC General Motors has approved Invision Soft-Touch Elastomers thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs) from A Schulman as an alternative to polyvinyl chloride (PVC) in car interiors. The TPEs are processed to armrests, handles, consoles, knobs etc. The properties are indicated. Soft-touch grades vary in hardness from 60 to 75 Shore A. A Schulman believes that a single material for car interiors, namely polyolefins, must aid recycling. Prof Peter Eyerer of Stuttgart University is similarly convinced that polypropylene will prove well suited to all-polyolefin instrument panels. Kunststof en Rubber, Jul 2002, 55 (7), 4 & Plastics Information Europe, 25 Jul 2002 (26), 8
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Kuraray subsidiary Septon America is to start trial runs at its 23,000 tonnes/y styrene-based thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) plant at Pasadena, TX, this month. Full production will begin in Aug 2002. The material will target applications currently held by flexible PVC. Chemical Week, 12 Jun 2002, 164 (24), 31
Astrapak The South African company, Astrapak, is to use more polyethylene terephthalate (PET) in place of polyvinyl chloride (PVC). Astra has taken a 75% interest in Master Plastics, Italy, a PET bottle producer, and its subsidiary, Emcape Thermopak, is changing from PVC to PET.
Recyclable trim seal Toyota Motor Corp has commercialised a recyclable vulcanisate partly made of Advanced Elastomer Systems’ Santropene TPV for use on rear door opening seal trim on its new bB vehicle. The Santropene TPV/metal component has a 30% weight reduction compared with a conventional PVC system. Materials World, Feb 2002, 10 (2), 49
Recyclable COC shrink sleeve labels for PET bottles
Seattle City Council has passed a resolution to cut the purchase by the city of persistent bioaccumulative toxics. The resolution requires the city to avoid the purchase of materials containing persistent chemicals. In particular chlorine bleached paper,
Kuraray readies TPE plant
Kunststof en Rubber, Jul 2002, 55 (7), 4
Plastics and Rubber Weekly, 19 Jul 2002, 7
Seattle to avoid PVC in building materials
The low density of Topas COC film makes PET/COC separation prior to recycling much easier. The other properties of the film, which include high stiffness and good printability, also make it suitable for this application.
Ticona’s Topas cyclic olefin copolymer (COC) films are being used to produce recyclable shrink sleeve labels for PET bottles. To date, PVC has been used in this application, but recycling has been problematic, due to the similarity between the densities of PET and PVC that has made separation by flotation very difficult.
INNOVATION AND NEW PRODUCTS Damp free adhesive Tremco’s new Treadfast Tretothane is especially designed for use in locations that frequently get wet, such as kitchens and bathrooms. Treadfast Tretothane, ideal for installing floor coverings, has been designed as a two-part polyurethane for laying either synthetic rubber or PVC flooring on commercial, domestic, leisure and even healthcare projects. Products applied with Treadfast Tretothane will be tolerant of temperature extremes and moisture. The new product also boasts low viscosity to ease mixing and spreading. Adhesive Technology, Jun 2002, 19 (3), 24
SEPTEMBER 2002
O N
CONSTRUCTION British plastics industry sees building industry as one hopeful scene The British Plastics Federation has 115 associate companies with turnover in 2001 of £3.8 bn (one fifth of the total for the sector). Only 33% foresee improvement in 2002. Of plastics processors, only 27% are using more than 80% capacity, with 13% using less than 60%. For processors producing items for the car industry, 63% report stagnation and 35% a fall in sales. By contrast, 64% of those supplying the building industry reported increase in turnover. Only 15% foresee reduced production in 2002. The British plastics processing sector has 5000 companies employing 230,000 people. In 2001 consumption of raw materials was 4.7 M tonnes (the same as in 2000)(19% LDPE/LLDPE, 16% PP, 16% PVC, 11% HDPE, 6% PET). Packaging was the major outlet (1.8 M tonnes) followed by building (1.1 M tonnes), and transport (350,000 tonnes). macplas, Jun 2002, 27 (238), 30-31
Euro construction plastics use up 30% A new report from RAPRA Technology says that the increase in consumption of plastics by the European construction industry is growing faster than the construction industry itself. Use of plastics in the W European construction industry grew by 30% between 1998 and 2000, from 6.4 to 8.3 M tonnes/y, despite a slump in the German construction industry. PVC accounts for 49% of usage, with pipes and tubes accounting for 40%. 60% of the world’s consumption of 23 M tonnes/y PVC is used in the construction industry.
P O LY V I N Y L C H L O R I D E
polyvinyl chloride building supplies and mercury based devices are avoided with the proposal of alternatives. Pesticide and Toxic Chemical News, 8 Jul 2002, 30 (37), 20
Revista de Plasticos Modernos, Jun 2002, 83 (552), 643
COMPETITION FOR PVC General Motors substitutes TPE for PVC General Motors has approved Invision Soft-Touch Elastomers thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs) from A Schulman as an alternative to polyvinyl chloride (PVC) in car interiors. The TPEs are processed to armrests, handles, consoles, knobs etc. The properties are indicated. Soft-touch grades vary in hardness from 60 to 75 Shore A. A Schulman believes that a single material for car interiors, namely polyolefins, must aid recycling. Prof Peter Eyerer of Stuttgart University is similarly convinced that polypropylene will prove well suited to all-polyolefin instrument panels. Kunststof en Rubber, Jul 2002, 55 (7), 4 & Plastics Information Europe, 25 Jul 2002 (26), 8
6
Kuraray subsidiary Septon America is to start trial runs at its 23,000 tonnes/y styrene-based thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) plant at Pasadena, TX, this month. Full production will begin in Aug 2002. The material will target applications currently held by flexible PVC. Chemical Week, 12 Jun 2002, 164 (24), 31
Astrapak The South African company, Astrapak, is to use more polyethylene terephthalate (PET) in place of polyvinyl chloride (PVC). Astra has taken a 75% interest in Master Plastics, Italy, a PET bottle producer, and its subsidiary, Emcape Thermopak, is changing from PVC to PET.
Recyclable trim seal Toyota Motor Corp has commercialised a recyclable vulcanisate partly made of Advanced Elastomer Systems’ Santropene TPV for use on rear door opening seal trim on its new bB vehicle. The Santropene TPV/metal component has a 30% weight reduction compared with a conventional PVC system. Materials World, Feb 2002, 10 (2), 49
Recyclable COC shrink sleeve labels for PET bottles
Seattle City Council has passed a resolution to cut the purchase by the city of persistent bioaccumulative toxics. The resolution requires the city to avoid the purchase of materials containing persistent chemicals. In particular chlorine bleached paper,
Kuraray readies TPE plant
Kunststof en Rubber, Jul 2002, 55 (7), 4
Plastics and Rubber Weekly, 19 Jul 2002, 7
Seattle to avoid PVC in building materials
The low density of Topas COC film makes PET/COC separation prior to recycling much easier. The other properties of the film, which include high stiffness and good printability, also make it suitable for this application.
Ticona’s Topas cyclic olefin copolymer (COC) films are being used to produce recyclable shrink sleeve labels for PET bottles. To date, PVC has been used in this application, but recycling has been problematic, due to the similarity between the densities of PET and PVC that has made separation by flotation very difficult.
INNOVATION AND NEW PRODUCTS Damp free adhesive Tremco’s new Treadfast Tretothane is especially designed for use in locations that frequently get wet, such as kitchens and bathrooms. Treadfast Tretothane, ideal for installing floor coverings, has been designed as a two-part polyurethane for laying either synthetic rubber or PVC flooring on commercial, domestic, leisure and even healthcare projects. Products applied with Treadfast Tretothane will be tolerant of temperature extremes and moisture. The new product also boasts low viscosity to ease mixing and spreading. Adhesive Technology, Jun 2002, 19 (3), 24
SEPTEMBER 2002