The latest issue of Sustainable Plastics is out - and it’s now ready for you to download or read on our website. Subscribers will see the print issue delivered straight to their door in just a few days.
In this issue, we’ve taken a first, cautious look at an evolving phenomena that is increasingly becoming known as the Fifth Industrial Revolution - Industry 5.0. For those in the industry who are still wrestling with the implications of Industry 4.0, the idea of another industrial upheaval may seem somewhat ludicrously farfetched. Nonetheless, Industry 5.0 is already, albeit quietly, making its impact felt. In that sense, it has been pointed out, it may be more properly termed an important evolutionary step, rather than a major revolutionary one.
Industry 4.0 is characterised by a focus on automation, the emergence of the IoT, autonomous robots and the like, all aimed at creating a self-regulating production environment where machines and products seamlessly connect and communicate with one another. Industry 5.0, by contrast, is often called “human-centric”. It puts people back into the picture.
Highly relevant in the light of the huge concerns caused by the plastic waste crisis is the topic of plastic credits. What are they? How do they work? Chris Parker and Nancy Marshall, respectively director of the Plastic Credit Program and VP of Marketing at ClimeCo, answer these and more questions in their highly enlightening article on page 17 entitled Finding more value in plastics.
This issue also includes, among others, a Q&A with Walter Ripple, the President of Sustainability at Avient, and an in-depth look polyamide specialist Domo Chemicals, where a focus on the use of recyclate is nothing new. “We started reusing recycled material from the textile industry 20 years ago, and it is this 20 years of experience that has allowed us to become leading in this area,” said Leonardo Comperatore, the company’s specialist in its sustainable polyamide, Econamid.
Access the digital magazine, now, free of charge, by simply clicking on the Digital Magazine tab in the menu bar. Enjoy the issue!