• Borealis eliminates single-use plastic cups at its four sites in Belgium as part of a close-the-loop pilot project
• Founded on the principles of Reduce – Reuse – Recycle, the project reduces plastic material use by a factor of 20
• 1.5 million single-use cups replaced with 30,000 reusable lightweight cups, collected and washed for reuse before ultimately being recycled
• The reusable cups can be mechanically recycled into high-quality recyclate, once again suitable for use as cups in the scheme, thereby closing the recycling loop  

Borealis is spearheading an innovative new pilot to test the advantages of a double-closed loop reuse and recycling system, leading the transition towards a more circular economy of plastics, fully in line with its EverMinds ambition. Borealis Closes The Loop sees Borealis and its value-chain partners replace the 1.5 million single-use cups used annually at four of its Belgium sites with 30,000 reusable EcoCore cups. Part of Borealis’ mission to Reduce – Reuse – Recycle, the pilot first reduces the weight of plastics through these extremely lightweight cups, then reuses them to maximise their lifetime before seeking to recycle back into cups. This double-closed loop system is Borealis’ latest innovation in driving the circular economy of plastics, expanding their scope up the waste hierarchy towards reduce and reuse, and using their own sites to demonstrate the benefits.
Double-closed loop recycling has the power to transform sustainability practices
Many reuse initiatives today focus on the consumer, for example reusable cup schemes run by high-street coffee shops. Schemes like this can have a relatively low uptake as the burden is on the consumer to decide whether or not they reuse a cup. In the business environment, reuse schemes are less prevalent and there is widespread consumption of single-use plastic cups. By using a double-closed loop, the pilot aims to make reuse schemes more sustainable and economically viable. Replacing 1.5 million single-use cups with 30,000 reusable cups, weighing 15 grammes per cup, results in a material saving of 4.2 tons of single-use plastic per year.
Borealis Closes The Loop pilot project works as follows:

• Lightweight and durable EcoCore® foamed cups from Bockatech – engineered to require less material, with faster cycle times to lower material costs, energy use and environmental impact – reduce the amount of plastic from the outset.
• Produced locally by Miko Pac, the CO2 breakeven of these cups versus single use is only at two refills per day.
• Using Miko Coffee Services machines, employees reuse the same cup throughout the day, eliminating on average four single-use consumptions. Cups are collected and washed by facilities company Goodless.
• Cups are individually tagged with unique Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) chips so the reuse cycle of each cup can be traced. This digitalisation means the system can be further optimised, for example analysing how many cups have been used and potentially reducing the number in circulation.
• When cups are removed from the reuse loop (for example due to wear and tear or damage), they move on to the material recycling loop.
• The cups can then be mechanically recycled into food-approved recycled material, which can be used to create more reusable cups, thereby fully closing the loop. This is as opposed to open-loop recycling, where material is often downcycled into a lesser quality product.

Findings and learnings from the pilot will be captured, recorded and published to demonstrate how to design and set up robust reuse systems superior to single-use plastics. Borealis will support its customers and value-chain partners with the implementation of further closed-loop systems.
“As a leading polyolefins producer, Borealis takes a 360° approach in driving the transition to a circular economy in alignment with our EverMinds ambition. With design for circularity at its core, Borealis Closes The Loop pilot project adopts our principles of Reduce – Reuse – Recycle,” says Lucrèce Foufopoulos, Borealis Executive Vice President Polyolefins, Circular Economy Solutions and Innovation & Technology. “Life demands progress. It’s only by walking the talk that we can inspire the entire value-chain to close loops with us. As an industry, it’s critical we take ownership of where plastics end up. The double closed-loop system is another development in reducing the amount of plastics waste. This is how we re-invent for more sustainable living.”
www.borealisclosestheloop.com

The Plastics Pipe Institute, Inc. (PPI) is celebrating its 70 th year. Formed in 1950 as the Thermoplastic Pipe Division of the Society of the Plastics Industry (SPI), PPI is now the leading North American trade association representing all segments of the plastic pipe industry, and is known for its research, its work to develop industry standards and codes, advocacy and education.

“Since the very beginning, PPI has provided the vision and the leadership that has produced
the establishment of uniform test and design criteria that became the foundation for all current
applications of plastics piping,” stated PPI President David Fink.
“PPI created the methodology for rating the long-term strength of pipe materials plus the
concepts of pipe pressure rating, the establishment of standard dimensional ratios and the
adoption of numbers to state those properties. Our association staff and members also
engineered the first code acceptances for plumbing, industrial, commercial and gas distribution
applications for plastics piping, and provided the first industry-wide statistics. Today, that work
continues and includes telecommunications conduit, corrugated drainage pipe, along with pipe
used in potable water, forced main sanitary sewer systems and building and construction projects.”
In 1950, when the group was first formed as the Plastic Pipe Manufacturers Association,
plastic pipe was still in its infancy, having been developed during World War II as a way to insulate
radar cables. Solid-wall high-density polyethylene (HDPE) pipe began replacing metal pipe in oil- and gas-gathering systems in the late 1950s. In the early 1960s, gas utilities started replacing
failing iron pipe with polyethylene (PE) pipe, and because of its successful performance history,
95 percent of all new gas distribution systems installed today use PE pipe. A few years later,
corrugated HDPE pipe started to replace clay pipe in agricultural drainage systems. In the late
1980s, large-diameter corrugated HDPE pipe began to replace metal and concrete in storm water
culverts. The material has continued to evolve into what is now its third and fourth generation of
development, each with improved performance capabilities.
“PPI has always been ‘member-run, member-led,” Fink stated. “The continuing success
and growth of our association is a direct result of the enthusiastic work by those members. One
indication of how our members view their association can be determined by the many people who
have participated for several decades.”
Frequently, PPI presents its Lifetime Achievement Award to a member who provided
exceptional devotion and dedication to the industry. Jim Craig was honored in 2013 for his 40
years of service to the industry and said, “I am proud to be a lifetime member of PPI. It is a great
organization with a super staff to help the members accomplish great gains in the plastic pipe
markets. I joined PPI in the 1980s, while working for McElroy Manufacturing in Tulsa, OK. I quickly
learned that this organization was great at getting people and organizations together to grow the
PE industry in general. We had pipe manufacturers, resin manufacturers, fitting manufacturers,
joining manufacturers and distribution organizations take on projects, do testing, and develop
technical notes and reports with everyone working together to accomplish our goals.”
“Unfortunately, Jim passed away soon after providing his thoughts about PPI,” explained
Fink. “His contributions and devotion to PPI and the industry is his legacy that will always benefit
others.”
Another Lifetime Member, George Zagorski, now retired from Blue Diamond Industries
(Lexington, KY), offered, “I was a somewhat “reluctant” young volunteer when Blue Diamond first
joined PPI some 15 years ago.  What I discovered was likeminded professionals, who would
debate and cooperate for the betterment of the overall plastic piping industry.  Along the way, my
voice was always heard and considered.  In the end, I’ve developed not only professional
relationships, but lifelong friendships.” Zagorski also served on the PPI Board of Directors from
2011 to 2017 as vice chair, chair and past chair plus numerous other committees and task groups.
In 1963, Phillips Petroleum, the company that brought a new manufacturing process to the
industry for making HDPE and discovered how to make polypropylene 1951, now another popular
pipe resin, and in 1963 established its pipe division, Driscopipe, which is now known as
Performance Pipe. Harvey Svetlik, another long-time PPI member who started his career with
Phillips Driscopipe and recently retired from PPI-member company Georg Fischer Central Plastics
LLC, said, “PPI is the leader in the polyolefin pipe industry specifically and in the plastic pipe
industry generally. PPI is not so much about what it has accomplished in the past, as it is about
our polyethylene brotherhood and our commitment to future accomplishment.
“We have watched the industry grow from using 80 million pounds in 1980 to almost a
couple of billion pounds annually for all its applications and all its pipe types. The next 40 years
will witness a doubling yet again, as polyethylene pipes and fittings take their place as a dominant
leak-free system in the drinking water sector. The North American population will double in this
timeframe, creating the demand, along with the need to replace half of existing water distribution
pipes due to their deterioration.  PPI has led and will lead the market in plastic pipe technology,
standards, and associations.” Svetlik received his PPI Lifetime Membership in 2019.
In 1975 the Corrugated Polyethylene Tubing Association was created. Later known as the
Corrugated Polyethylene Pipe Association it became the Drainage Division of PPI in 2019. It
focuses on the use of corrugated pipe that can be found up to 60 inches in diameter for stormwater
and gravity sewer systems. “The members of this division are some of the largest users in the
United States of recycled plastic,” Fink said. “One company processes more than 550 million
pounds of post-consumer recycled plastics for its pipe products. Keeping this large amount of
material out of landfills is possible because of the growing demand for this type of pipe.”
In 2011, PPI bestowed an Honorary Lifetime Membership on Drainage Division member
James Goddard, P.E. recognizing his more than 30 years of contributions and industry
innovations. Goddard retired from Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (ADS) as the company's
Chief Engineer.
“Now with a uniform, consistent voice, PPI and specifically the Drainage Division, can go out
to federal agencies such as the U. S. Department of Transportation, EPA, Army Corps of
Engineers, and others plus state agencies, such as Departments of Transportation, as well as
significant organizations such as AASHTO with a common voice technically and that has helped
the industry to grow and prosper and has significantly benefited our nation.”
Fink and his organization foresee increased use for plastic pipe. “The trend to create more
applications along with enhanced grades of resin and even new resins continues to accelerate at a
rapid rate,” he stated. “And we fully expect this continue for the next 70 years. PPI’s first 70 years
has been an exciting journey.”
www.plasticpipe.org.

Geleen (NL), 27 November 2020 – Royal DSM, a global science-based company in Nutrition, Health and Sustainable Living, today announced that it will start a strategic partnership with Neste, the world’s leading producer of renewable diesel and sustainable aviation fuel and a forerunner as provider of renewable and circular solutions for the chemical industry, to enable the production of high performance polymers. This enables DSM and its customers to reduce the carbon footprint of their own products whilst supporting the industry to transition to a circular economy.
In the new strategic collaboration, DSM Engineering Materials will start replacing a significant portion of the fossil feedstock used to date in the manufacture of its high performance polymers portfolio with feedstock produced from recycled waste plastics and/or 100% bio-based hydrocarbons. These polymers are used, for example, in the automotive, electronics and packaging industries.

Over the short term, the collaboration aims to replace several thousand tons of fossil feedstock in the production of polymers with alternative, sustainable feedstock: bio-based and waste plastic based hydrocarbons.
Neste produces its bio-based hydrocarbons entirely from renewable raw materials, such as waste and residue oils and fats. For the production of waste plastic derived feedstock, Neste focuses on plastics that cannot be mechanically recycled and have previously been directed to incineration and landfilling.
Thanks to being a drop-in replacement to commonly-used fossil feedstock in the polymers production, Neste’s products are suitable for existing production infrastructures and enables DSM to produce more sustainable products with consistently high quality using its existing processes.
All of the chemically recycled and bio-based materials within the value chain will have the globally recognized ISCC Plus certification and will not require re-qualification.
The new strategic cooperation underlines a strong commitment from both partners to contribute to a circular economy by collaborating throughout the value chain, and addressing the increasing consumer, societal and regulatory demand for more sustainable circular solutions.
Shruti Singhal, President DSM Engineering Materials said: “We have a long history of delivering tangible proof points of our commitment to sustainability. As a next step we are going to even further reduce our footprint and will offer a full alternative range of our existing portfolio based on bio- and/or recycled-based materials by 2030. Together with our upstream partner Neste and other value chain partners we’re ready to drive our industry forward, seize the sustainable opportunities ahead, and deliver on our purpose of creating brighter lives for all.”
Mercedes Alonso, Executive Vice President, Renewable Polymers and Chemicals from Neste said: “Neste and DSM are frontrunners in providing sustainable solutions to the market. Both companies have a similar sense of urgency towards creating a healthier future for our children. Neste is very pleased to announce this partnership with DSM through which we can further accelerate the industry transformation towards a more sustainable, circular economy. It is exciting to see how our 100% bio-based and waste plastic based products enable DSM to produce its high performance polymers portfolio with a reduced environmental footprint.”
www.dsm.com/

The colour matrix RAL Colour Feeling 2021+ is an important guide to the colour trends that will determine the product, industrial and architectural design of the future. In cooperation with RAL, a leading provider of colour standards, Covestro has introduced 15 trendy colours of this matrix in its polycarbonate plastics. This is the first time the versatile plastic has been coloured in the colours of a RAL colour fan. The project is another example of Covestro’s commitment to researching solutions for CMF design (Colour, Material, Finish).

RAL was founded in 1925 and introduced the first industrial colour standard, which became widely accepted as an accurate colour reference. As a provider of colour matching services, the company today offers comprehensive colour tools and solutions for a wide range of industries and sectors.

“As an internationally recognized colour matching system, RAL offers professional colour cards for industrial design applications that require the highest level of colour accuracy,” said Dr. Christopher Stillings, Vice President and Global Head of Colour & Design in the Polycarbonates segment of Covestro. “As one of the leading polycarbonate suppliers, Covestro is not only a pioneer in the research and development of material technologies, but also has strong colour and design teams worldwide. Our collaboration with RAL underlines the precision that our polycarbonate materials provide for colour matching.”

“Through this collaboration, both partners offer designers a comprehensive colour and material approach. This gives designers broad support in winning new customers and creating surprising solutions for existing customers,” said Markus Frentrop, Global Head of RAL Colours.

Even the same colours in different materials lead to subtle changes in the visual experience. To ensure accurate and fast colour matching, Covestro’s colour and design centers in Italy, Thailand, India and China worked together with RAL on solutions and completed the matching of the 15 trend colours within just one month. In September this year, Covestro used the RAL colour codes for the first time in the company’s two CMF trend reports for the automotive as well as electronics and appliance industries.

Going forward, as part of its Open Innovation initiative, Covestro plans to explore opportunities to collaborate with global colour standards providers to provide additional CMF design and implementation solutions for polycarbonate materials. With these solutions, Covestro aims to inspire more partners to develop efficient, creative designs to ultimately deliver value to customers.

With a global network of colour and design experts, Covestro is able to offer its customers a variety of CMF solutions around the world.

covestro.com

Karlstein/Germany, November 2020 – Tosaf Color Service’s color, functional and
combination masterbatches for POM are now based on particularly low-emission carrier
materials. In addition, the pigments have been optimally selected with regard to their
effectiveness. As a result, the low emission data of the starting material – depending on the
POM type – are almost fully retained, even after coloring and compounding. The new
masterbatches thus help to ensure compliance with the strict specifications of the automotive
industry for molded parts, and also with the requirements regarding personnel safety. The
emission-optimized masterbatches are suitable for all POM grades. At the customer's
request, ongoing applications can also be switched to the new technology.

Tests carried out at an independent institute show the efficiency of the adopted measures,
based on the example of a conventional, low-emission POM grade, to which a combination
masterbatch was added. By switching from the conventional masterbatch to one with
optimized color pigment and carrier material, the formaldehyde release was reduced from
non-permitted 8.8 ppm to a very good rate of below 6 ppm.
Rudolf Reinhart, Product Manager at Tosaf Color Service, comments: "The carrier material
used by us is an easy-flowing, low-emission POM grade from a leading global manufacturer.
Customers who use our new masterbatches will always be on the safe side because the
emission data from the base polymer are hardly affected." And Sales Manager Andreas
Kruschinski adds: "With the consistently high batch-to-batch quality level of our
masterbatches, and because of their ease of handling, our new low-emission grades are
gaining a growing number of authorizations and are also registering the first series
applications for car interiors. SCHAUENBURG Industrietechnik GmbH is one of our pilot
customers in this area. In addition, we are experiencing growing demand in all typical POM
applications in a wide variety of industries."
The portfolio of low-emission POM masterbatches offered by Tosaf Color Service ranges
from grades in standard and customized colors through functional versions, e.g. with
lubricants, UV or heat stabilizers, to combination grades with or without a color component.
Typical applications beyond automotive interior/exterior parts and conveyor technology
include components for office and entertainment electronics, as well as white goods including
small and large kitchen devices.
Tosaf Color Service is a pioneer in the field of masterbatches and has been developing
innovative products and services in plastics coloring since 1970. Its broad range of products
covers standard colors, additives and combination solutions that meet not only all kinds of
customized color requirements but also satisfy the related functional challenges. Tosaf Color
Service is a subsidiary company of Tosaf.
Tosaf, Alon Tavor/Israel, has been developing and producing high-quality additives,
compounds and color masterbatches for the plastics industry for more than three decades.
Through the continuous expansion of its product portfolio, its production capacities and its
regional coverage, it has become a global, market-oriented organization. With more than
1,000 employees in production facilities, warehouses and sales offices distributed around the
world, Tosaf now serves customers in more than 50 countries in Europe, North and South
America, Asia and the Middle East.
www.color-service.de

SABIC, a global leader in the chemical industry, today announced the successful commercialization of LEXAN™ HP92AF Anti-Fog film, targeted especially at demanding COVID-19 protection equipment such as safety face shields and goggles in front-line work environments. The film product features a one-sided coating that extends the time-to-fog even at very high ambient humidity, ensuring long-lasting optical clarity. LEXAN HP92AF has confirmed its superior anti-fog performance in extensive testing under harshest conditions (see video) and does not exhibit any hazing at saturation as could be observed with competitive materials. Moreover, the anti-fog coating technology has no compromising effect on the abrasion resistance and impact strength of the polycarbonate film.

“We have identified a gap in the market when it comes to the effective protection of front-line workers against the COVID-19 pathogen. Particularly in work environments subjected to sudden temperature changes and high humidity, visors and safety goggles often fail to provide adequate long-term anti-fog performance. As a result, they may not be worn as required or must be taken off for frequent wiping,” says Ahmet Kizilirmakli, Senior Business Manager Americas, SABIC. “Our new LEXAN HP92AF Anti-Fog film offers the solution many companies have been looking for. Combining the characteristics of excellent optical quality, high impact strength of polycarbonate with our advanced anti-fog technology, makes the product the ultimate choice for face shields and other clear view personal protection equipment with long-lasting optical clarity in these environments.”
LEXAN HP92AF Anti-Fog film has already proven its excellent optical performance in several pilot applications for healthcare facilities and meat packing plants, where high humidity and temperature fluctuations can occur especially in transition zones between controlled and uncontrolled work climate. Next to visors, facemasks and safety goggles, further targeted applications include motorcycle visors, ski goggles, automotive cluster lenses, medical instrument lenses and displays as well as industrial lenses.
SABIC’s new anti-fog film product shows excellent die cutting and printability. The anti-fog film is thermoformable and withstands repeated cleaning, preferably using lukewarm, mild soap solutions or common glass cleaners. With a width of 48 inches (1,220 mm), LEXAN HP92AF Anti-Fog film is globally available in a wide range of gauges from 7 to 30 mil (175 to 750 µm).
“The rapid commercialization of LEXAN HP92AF Anti-Fog film underscores our commitment to helping our customers enhance the protection of front-line workers against COVID-19”, adds Mark Troszak, Film Segment Leader at SABIC. “In high-humidity environments and wherever else the time-to-fog makes a difference, this product can ensure optimum optical clarity over extended time periods, allowing the users of face shields and other transparent safety equipment to concentrate on their jobs in the safest way without being impaired by fogging.”
In addition, Troszak points out that SABIC has the capability to satisfy customer specific requirements by adapting this technology to other existing LEXAN coated film solutions.
www.sabic.com
 

The emergency could only be averted at the last minute by implementing rigorous measures. Water consumption was limited to 50 liters per person in comparison to the 300 liters consumed per capita per day in the United States. Toilets are flushed only when absolutely necessary and with rainwater if possible. Hands are washed less frequently and instead disinfected more often. The price of water doubled within just three months. The agricultural sector is also contributing by reducing its water consumption by 50%. This has led to a loss of jobs for 37,000 people and a drastic increase in food prices.
As large water consumers, beverage bottlers such as CCPB are particularly under the scrutiny of the public in situations as dramatic as this. “We’re of course expected to set a good example,” explains Morse. “We have to be accountable to our customers and the public – not only in times of crisis, but every single day.”
The beverage manufacturer sees the awareness of corporate social responsibility as a key success factor for a very good reason. “The full focus is on sustainability,” Morse emphasizes. “We’re working relentlessly to minimize our carbon footprint at all levels. We started doing so in the early 2000’s by combining the four manufacturing plants within our territory to form a mega manufacturing facility in Parow Industria, a suburb to the east of Cape Town.” Today, this includes activities such as Coca-Cola’s “World Without Waste” program, with which, by 2030, the company plans to collect and recycle as many bottles and cans from refuse as can be sold worldwide. CCPB is involved, for example, in organizations that want to expand the recycling of PET and glass bottles in South Africa. This is a logical step considering that the bottler makes its own preforms and is desperately searching for rPET in order to achieve its goal of using an average of 25% recycled material. Even the PET bottles for the Bonaqua water brand are made of 100% recyclate.
CCPB’s sustainability strategy also includes using more returnable bottles made of both glass and plastic than some of its competitors: the share of the product range is currently around 20% and should reach 40% by 2025. This not only significantly helps to prevent waste and thus achieve ecological sustainability but is also viable from an economic standpoint. If a refillable PET bottle is returned, the product is sold for about 30% less – benefiting not only price-sensitive consumers but also the company itself, as in doing so it’s able to reach wider groups of buyers.
The returnable PET bottles are produced on a KHS InnoPET Blomax V stretch blow molder that was put into operation in 2019 – one of the first ever on the market. It scores above all with resource savings and a production process with a significantly smaller carbon footprint. Thanks to its optimized near-infrared (NIR) heater, this machine from the latest generation of KHS stretch blow molders consumes up to 10% less energy. The AirBackPlus air recovery system also included in the returnable bottle blowing process uses up to 40% less high-pressure air. The new technology also saves on resources when it comes to material consumption: the improved material distribution of the stretch blow molding process now uses the PET located below the neck ring that to date has remained unstretched, enabling lighter preforms to be used.
“We’ve had a good business relationship with KHS for more than forty years,” is how Morse describes relations with the Dortmund engineering company; you can sense the unshakable confidence in the company’s technological expertise accumulated in this time. “We purchased fillers from KHS, for instance, even back in the days of predecessor company SEN. And if bottle formats like the 1.0-liter glass bottle were still on the market today, I’m certain that the machines would still be in operation.”
“We don’t limit ourselves to just delivering machines,” explains Stephan Mürset, regional sales manager at KHS. “We maintain an intensive dialog on an equal footing and understand the specific needs of Greg and his colleagues, for example concerning matters such as CCPB also producing bottles for other bottlers. We have a very similar understanding of technical issues.” Morse confirms that they’re on the same wavelength. “The price isn’t our sole guideline; we buy from people. Of course the technology has to be right; we were really impressed by the simple functionality and downright solidity of the equipment we saw in action at the KHS factory,” he adds.
However, the good relationship thrives not only on sophisticated technology but also on the system provider’s strong service presence in South Africa. “We have a very efficient team here at the Cape,” emphasizes Mürset. “Our local engineers carried out the installation and commissioning work.” The highly competent specialists, some of whom were trained in Dortmund and some at KHS’ own training center in Johannesburg, are of course also available during ongoing operation for activities such as audits, maintenance or repairs.
A major issue in connection with sustainability in South Africa is of course the responsible use of resources – water in particular. Water-saving technology helps in the production process: this modification was successfully completed with two new bottle washers the Dortmund system provider installed and put into operation in Parow last year. One of the machines processes returnable PET at respective capacities of up to 26,400 1.5-liter bottles an hour and up to 19,200 2.0-liter bottles per hour. The other washes up to 36,000 returnable glass bottles an hour with volumes ranging from 300 to 500 milliliters. Thanks to a number of innovations, each of the two uses about 25% less water than their predecessors. Based on this investment and a number of other measures with which CCPB achieves remarkable results, they have greatly helped to save on resources by reducing the water consumed per liter of finished beverage from 3.6 liters to 1.7 liters within the past twelve years.
Since some of the water used comes from their own boreholes, the focus here is also on sustainability in the sense of constant replenishment of the wells. The suitability of each borehole is tested in advance by geological institutions, only 50% of the permitted delivery rate is utilized and pumping is carried out at certain intervals to enable the groundwater to regenerate. Before it’s used to produce beverages, the water is filtered through a nanofilter in six cleaning stages to ensure top-quality water.
Greg Morse is particularly proud of CCPB’s conscientious use of scarce water resources. “There’s absolutely no reason why we shouldn’t be pleased with our achievements. On the contrary: at the end of last year we and two other companies were awarded a five-star water rating by the City of Cape Town for our exemplary water management.” This commitment also includes participation in various regional initiatives, which among other things ensure that more people have access to clean drinking water.
When the long and persistent rainfall finally began in the Cape region in June 2018 – shortly before the continuously postponed Day Zero – the water levels in the reservoirs slowly rose. This by no means signals a happy ending, however: due to climate change, the people of Cape Town are well aware that droughts can be expected in the future. This is why they continue to exploit all options of using water conscientiously and economically as an invaluable resource. With the help of smartphone apps, the population is constantly kept up to date on the water levels in the reservoirs. Water consumption in the city today has leveled out to between 600 and 800 million liters since the peak of up to 1.2 billion liters per day before the droughts of 2015 to 2018. The entire industry is also investing in technologies to increase its water efficiency. CCPB intends to maintain its position up among the pioneers. “We should never find ourselves in this situation again,” Greg Morse is convinced. “People are much better informed and clearly aware of their responsibilities. Cape Town mastered this challenge very well; other cities with comparable general conditions can benefit from our experience.”
KHS bottle washers score lots of points with technical innovations – also available as retrofits for existing machines.

• Capacity-dependent fresh water control: Adjustment of the fresh water supply to the current machine capacity by a control valve
  Much less fresh water consumed at a reduced machine output
• ECO carriers: Bottle pockets which are 25% lighter with side openings for improved rinsing
  Less caustic and heat carryover in the machine
  Less heat absorption, better energy balance
  Cleaning media saved
  Less mechanical load on the drive system
• LESS (Liquid Efficiency Spraying System): Power-saving function for spray pumps which reduces the spray pressure to approx. 0.3 bar during downtimes
  80% less energy consumed in standby mode
  Option: flexible spray pressure enables processing of lightweight glass and PET bottles
• ECO chain: Weight-optimized bottle pocket chain
  Service life 25% longer
  Less transfer of heat

TU Graz researcher Samir Kopacic wants to help ensure that less plastic and more biodegradable materials are used in the future. And develops its own, paper-based packaging.

The young researcher is working on various multi-functional biopolymers that can be applied to paper or even completely replace plastic and renewable biomass, from which valuable biopolymers can be obtained, ”is how he explains the economic and technological aspects behind his work.

The love for nature runs in the family

“From an academic point of view, I can do a lot with this topic because it is a mixture of technical chemistry and process engineering – that is, combining my two studies.” Samir Kopacic was born in Gracanica, a small town in the northeastern part of Bosnia and Herzegovina , attended the international English-language secondary school and then studied technical chemistry and process engineering at Graz University of Technology.
“I already realized in high school that my strengths lie in the natural sciences. Even then I was interested in experimental science subjects and the choice of course was easy. The question was whether I should go in the technical, medical or scientific direction, ”he looks back today. “My 3-year-old daughter feels exactly the same today – she is already very interested in plants, animals and microorganisms.”
Already in high school I realized that my strengths lie in the natural sciences.
Besides his work, he devotes his free time to his families, friends and shared hobbies. He likes to cook for his daughter and his wife – who is also a chemist at TU Graz: “Yesterday, for example, we had chicken breast with a special cheese-like filling and various herbs,” he reveals. He also spends every free minute with his family and outdoors, enjoys hiking and gives living room concerts with his daughter. “She just got a ukulele and I play the guitar. We’re not professionals, but there is potential, ”he smiles.

Heinzel-Mondi-Sappi Award for young researchers

In the future, he would like to continue to work in the technical area, develop his professional and personal skills and use them in innovative fields. “Thanks to a wide range of academic training and professional experience, I could imagine my future professional activity in both the academic and industrial sectors,” he says. “Together with project partners from industry and academia, I do a lot of applied research and am currently involved in an invention that is to be patented. Some of the results could be further developed into products in the next few years. ”The Heinzel-Mondi-Sappi Award shows that the Austrian paper and packaging industry also has a similar opinionthat the young researcher received in October 2020 for his research activities. In any case, Kopacic himself is firmly convinced “that we need a change of course in Europe with regard to plastic consumption and must rely on biomaterials in the future.”
https://www.tugraz.at/