Novozymes will join a diverse group of academics, governments, non-government organizations and businesses to fulfill The Sustainability Consortium's mission of driving a new generation of products and supply networks that address environmental, social and economic imperatives. Other members include Dell, Disney, Wal-Mart, WWF and BASF to name a few.

Petcore announced that European post-sorting PET collection reached 1.4 million tonnes in 2009, an increase of more than 8% as compared to 2008. The overall collection rate in 2009 rose by nearly 2.5%, from 46% to 48.4%, of all PET bottles in the market.

Teijin Limited announced that it has wholly acquired NanoGram Corporation, a Silicon Valley company specializing in novel nanomaterials design technology. The capital tie-up will also facilitate Teijin Group's penetration into the market for flexible devices developed with silicon-on-plastic technologies.

The Vinyl Division of Teknor Apex Company announced the completion of two expansions in compounding capacity that aims to increase its supply capabilities for both rigid and flexible PVC compounds. Flexible compounds with improved melt elasticity are particularly valuable for extrusion processors looking for ways to increase productivity.

A new development in the field of bone tissue engineering has come to light in the form of the work done by Ms Beatriz Olalde, a researcher at the Health Unit of TECNALIA. She has developed a PLA based nano-implant that temporarily substitutes for the damaged bone while inducing its regeneration.

Braskem has launched a specific grade of low-density polyethylene (LDPE) in the international market for making film to protect fruit during the ripening process: LD3001A. The use of protection films significantly reduces insecticide use since it is limited to the film rather than direct application on the fruit.

FKuR Plastics Corp. launched several heat resistant biopolymers with the brand name Biograde®. Developed particularly for technical applications, Biograde® can be processed on conventional plastics processing machines without the need for modifications. Biograde® resins are cellulose-based polymers and are thus mainly composed of natural resource materials.

K. Krones AG, Neutraubling, Germany, will be presenting an oven concept called FlexWave for the Contiform stretch blow-molding machine - a new and innovative heating technology. FlexWave scores primarily with its significantly lower energy consumption compared to the infra-red technologies currently available on the market.

BioSolar, Inc., developer of a breakthrough technology to produce bio-based materials from renewable plant sources that reduce the cost of photovoltaic (PV) solar modules, reports that rigorous testing by an independent authority revealed that BioBacksheet can actually improve the power output of solar panels by dissipating heat faster.

Two new Apex® PVC compounds from Teknor Apex Company withstand harsh conditions in wind turbine and other outdoor control and power cable applications. The jacketing compounds exhibit low brittle points, pass stringent tests for oil resistance, and meet appropriate UL and CSA standards for flame performance.

Bioamber, a joint venture between DNP Green Technology and ARD, and DuPont Applied BioSciences, have announced a licensing agreement in the field of biobased derivatives of succinic acid. Under the terms of the agreement, Bioamber has licensed certain DuPont technology that will accelerate the technology to transform biobased succinic acid into value-added derivative products.

Taking place at the Sheraton Grand Hotel & Spa Edinburgh on 19-21 October 2010, this year's EFIB will bring you 2 pre-conference workshops, 2 plenary sessions, 3 tracks, an exhibition, a poster display, and 1-TO-1 Partnering. The programme is set to feature over 60 leading speakers from governments, industry, end users, NGOs, academia and research institutes.

GE and Intel Corporation have announced the entry into a definitive agreement to form a 50/50 joint venture to create a new healthcare company focused on telehealth and independent living. Both companies share a common vision to use technology to bring more effective healthcare into millions of homes and to improve the lives of seniors and people with chronic conditions.

HyNetics® Corporation recently switched from a conventional thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) to Medalist® MD140 medical elastomer from Teknor Apex Corporation for the bell-shaped diaphragm in the patented single-use mixing system that enables pharmaceutical manufacturers to prevent cross-contamination.

Objet Geometries, a leader in 3D printing, together with 3Shape A/S, a leader in 3D scanners and CAD/CAM software solutions for the Dental Industry, announced the availability of a jointly developed solution that integrates with the 3Shape Dental System™ 2010 enabling its 3D restoration designs to be produced on the Objet Eden line of 3D Printing systems.

Right on time for this year's K show Coperion GmbH, Stuttgart, will be presenting new machine sizes in their UG underwater pelletizer (The UG 1.250) and MP melt pump series (The MP 450) for high capacity polyolefin compounding plants.

Protective suit specialist TST Sweden has signed a licensing agreement with fiber manufacturer DSM Dyneema that will enable them to use the Dutch company's distinctive trademark on their multilayer water-jet protective suits made with the ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene Dyneema® fiber.

At this year's plastics trade fair, the three Divisions of battenfeld-cincinnati, Construction, Infrastructure and Packaging, are not only presenting their new corporate design, highlighting the merger of the two extruder specialists, but above all brand-new machinery that has already benefited from the pooling of know-how.

Apart from issues on productivity and efficiency, energy consumption and sustainability have increasingly gained importance. Brückner has given great thought to such issues and has come up with relevant concepts in order to meet the ever-increasing demand for modern, highly efficient and environmentally-friendly film production lines.

An update report on a "weathering farm" project conducted by the Western States Roofing Contractors Association (WSRCA) has concluded that thermoplastic polyolefin (TPO) performs extremely well in a variety of environmental conditions. Carlisle SynTec had supplied one of the TPO samples used for the study at each site.