Sustainable Plastics - August/September 2021 - 4

reflection
editorial
Editor
+31 (0)643 004972
Markets Editor
+44 20 8253 9616
Art Director
+1 313 446 0449
Editorial Director
+1 313 446 6767
advertising
Sales Director
+44 (0)7739 302081
Media Services Director
+1 313 446 0400
Vice President/Group Publisher
+1 313 446 6768
Karen Laird
klaird@crain.com
David Platt
davidkplatt@aol.com
Amy Steinhauser
asteinhauser@crain.com
Don Loepp
dloepp@crain.com
Matthew Barber
mabarber@crain.com
Sam Abdallah
sabdallah@crain.com
Brennan Laff erty
blaff erty@crain.com
P
utting out a trade magazine in the summer is always a challenge. August
is for many people a month in which to relax and escape from their
everyday labours, and to forget about what's going on in the industry.
Although it's also a time to get caught up, for those who can't quite let
go. And of course, there's always the rest of us who are still here, holding the fort.
A summer issue, therefore, ideally needs to have something for everyone. And
I think we've succeeded there, at least. From BEVs to buildings and biodegradability
to bag closures, the stories in this edition are therefore a varied lot and
illustrative of just how broad the impact of sustainability in the plastics industry is.
Inevitably, one of the topics highlighted is that of the entry into force of the EU's
Single-Use Plastics directive on 3 July. Interestingly, it seemed to happen quite
quietly, with no major announcements or campaigns. In fact, the first I noticed
about it was that the little spoon that came with the single serve yoghurt cups I
sometimes buy was no longer made of plastic, but from bamboo.
However, what's really important to realise is that the directive's ban on the 10
single-use plastic items most commonly found on Europe's beaches - the measure
that generated the most publicity - is just the start. There is far more to the
new law, and it will ultimately have a far greater impact than many people are
aware. We've briefly described the main elements of the directive and what this
will mean in the future for consumers, packaging manufacturers and even producers
of fishing gear.
For a change of pace, our Q&A this time is not with one, but with three company
leaders - all women and all from the same company. The three are sisters and
together run Kwik Lok, the family business founded by their grandfather.
Kwik Lok produces what is surely one of the best-known but unregarded plastic
products on the market. The company makes bag closures: the little plastic
clips used to close consumer bag packaging. The sisters have changed the focus
of the company in ways that the previous generations of owners could not have
conceived. As they said: " We knew we needed to make strides in sustainability as
a company, beyond just our products. ... How are we going to solve the problem
of trash as well as the impact of not only the things we're producing, but also the
production process? "
Elsewhere, much the same thing is being asked, and perhaps nowhere more
than in the automotive industry, which is in the throes of its own transition, with
battery-powered vehicles leading the charge. And new opportunities are opening
up for plastics. Mobility is headed for a new, more sustainable future. And plastics
will enable the ride.
Karen Laird
Editor
international advertising
Benelux, France
Arthur Schavemaker
Kenter & Co. B.V., Spoorstraat 21,
NL-7470 AC Goor, The Netherlands
Tel: +31 (0)547-275005 Fax: +31 (0)547-271831
Email: Arthur@kenter.nl
Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Eastern Europe
Randolf Krings
Emcmedia UG, Kaiser-Friedrich-Ring 46,
D-65185, Wiesbaden, Germany
Tel: +49 (0)611 5324 416
Mobile: +49 (0)176 384 23044
Fax: +49 (0)611 5324 519
Email: epn@emcmedia.de
Italy and Turkey
Fabio Potestà
Mediapoint & Communications SRL,
Corte Lambruschini, Corso Buenos Aires,
8, V piano - interno 7, 16129 Genova - Italy
Tel: +39 010 570 49481 Fax: +39 010 553 0088
Email: info@mediapointsrl.it
United States
John Hickey
Sales Director, Plastics News
1155 Gratiot Avenue, Detroit,
Michigan, 48207, USA
Tel: +1 260 437 8502
Email: jhickey@crain.com
Spain and Portugal
Sandra Valencia
Tel: +44 7827 682758
Email: svalencia@crain.com
Volume 2 * Issue 4
Sustainable Plastics is published 6 times a year in print and digital versions.
Sustainable Plastics (incorporating Plastics News Europe) is published by
Crain Communications Ltd.
Registered Off ice: 11 Ironmonger Ln, London EC2V 8EY UK
Registered No. 1576350 England. V.A.T. No. GB 577 6905 84
Printed by Latitude Group, www.latitudenorth.co.uk, Dorset UK
ISSN 2634-0046 (Print)
ISSN 2634-0054 (Online)
Advertising terms and conditions are available at
www.sustainableplastics.com/terms-of-use
© 2021 Crain Communications Ltd. All rights reserved. Contents may not be
reprinted without the permission of the publishers.
EDITORIAL SUBMISSIONS Email to: spnnews@crain.com
subscriptions
Subscriptions, circulation, and credit card payments:
Circulation Department, Sustainable Plastics,
1155 Gratiot Ave. Detroit, MI 48207, United States.
Tel: +1 313 446 0450
Email: customerservice@sustainableplastics.com
Europe €220 (per year surface mail)
Rest of World €240 (per year airmail)
Single copy €22
Chairman
Vice Chairman
President
Senior Executive Vice President
A member of
Keith E Crain
Mary Kay Crain
KC Crain
Chris Crain
4
August/September 2021
http://www.latitudenorth.co.uk http://www.sustainableplastics.com/terms-of-use
Sustainable Plastics - August/September 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Sustainable Plastics - August/September 2021
