MBA Polymers attends NPE and SPE ANTEC
Four of the MBA Polymers team attended the Society of Plastics Engineers’ Annual Technical Conference (ANTEC) and NPE2015, in Orlando, Florida from March 23-27.
Brian Riise, Director of R&D, and Ron Rau, North American Sales and Sourcing Manager, presented papers at ANTEC (in Session W26: Plastics Environmental) that described how MBA transforms plastic recovered from end-of-life vehicles and e-waste into valuable raw materials at our plants in the UK, Austria and China. They were followed by James Drummond of Lexmark, who spoke about incorporating PCR plastics into electronics.
Our Director of Engineering, Jim Zechinati, and John Gysbers, senior process engineer, also attended both events. All four of our representatives visited equipment suppliers and spoke with customers, as well as learning about the latest technical innovations in plastics at the various speaker sessions and workshops.
Among the key attractions at NPE2015 show, the Zero Waste Zone received particular attention. It was designed to educate attendees on the recycling and reuse of plastics materials. Attendees got to see hear from companies including Dell, Green Toys and Seventh Generation, and explore the latest technologies, innovations, and sustainability solutions.
The organizers further engaged attendees with the zero waste theme by highlighting a public awareness campaign developed by not-for-profit organisation Keep America Beautiful. Entitled ‘I want to be recycled’, the campaign showcased multiple ideas for how a simple plastic bottle could be given a new lease of life. All attendees were encouraged to recycle while at the show, helping to keep recycling front of mind.
Commercial Plastic Recycling, a Tampa-based recycling firm, gathered plastic waste from exhibitors for processing at its recycling facility. The company’s president, Ben Benvenuti, called the waste ‘highly desirable’ because it was mostly clean and post-industrial. The bulk of the material included PET, high density polyethylene and polypropylene. Importantly, Kim Holmes of the Society of Plastics Engineers commented that participation in the show’s recycling programme had increased, with 75 exhibitors taking part in 2014 compared to 41 in 2012.
As the world’s most prominent technical conference for plastics, ANTEC takes place in the US, Europe, India and the Middle East. Meanwhile, NPE is recognized as the only international plastics event presented by the industry for the industry. Some 60,000 people from across the industry attended this year’s show.