Don Loepp

Thermoform recycling has a long way to go. But achieving the 60 percent goal is a critical first step that will help ensure that thermoforming can continue to be a sustainable part of the packaging sector for years to come.

In the 1990s, some business leaders gave lip service to being committed to recycling when their commitment was just a marriage of convenience. But even though I see parallels to how industry reacted to public pressure then and today, I am still optimistic that plastics can succeed in this new era of…

Don Loepp: “Hollywood wants to change how we feel about single-use plastics. I’d argue that the initiative, called ‘Flip the Script on Plastics,’ shows that the Hollywood establishment is trailing public opinion, not leading it.”

Is private equity losing interest in plastics? Nope, the plastics M&A market is still cooking.

Consumers think replacing plastic bottles with paper is automatically better for the environment even while recycled-content goals at major consumer brands is driving up demand for post-consumer PET.

“We’re definitely seeing lower traffic to the booth, it’s down compared to previous years. But the quality of leads is as good or better,” said Eric Adair, marketing manager at Westerly, R.I.-based US Extruders.

Allison Lin loves the plastics industry, but believes there’s a “good-old-boys-club mentality” that gets in the way of inclusivity.

AptarGroup Inc. is adding rubber and plastic medical manufacturing in China through acquisition.

The company’s business shifted quickly in 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic created heavy demand for containers for hand sanitizer. Now it is shifting back to water bottles.

A quarter-mile long slip and slide? Hold my beer; Soda worth its weight in champagne?; and Manufacturing plant visits can be fun.

If you geek out over cool old plastic parts, Ferriot Inc. is worth a visit. The Akron, Ohio-based injection molder is taking a look back at its 90-year-history as it reinvents itself to face modern challenges.

This week Plastics News publishes our annual ranking of North American thermoformers. We’ve got data for 227 companies. Let’s take a peek at some of the numbers behind the ranking.