1: Pakistans plastic bag match!

By: Ahsan Ejaz

The press conference today (16^th July 2019) by Advisor to Prime Minister on Climate Change regarding banning plastic bags and replacing them with cotton bags is an Environmental disaster as well as an economic disaster.

According to a research undertaken by the Danish Environmental Protection Agency in February 2018 (Project No. 1985) organic cotton bags should be reused 149 times to counter for climate change as opposed to PE bags.

Whereas it would also be interesting to note that the plastic bags that the government has banned in Islamabad are, according to United Nations Environment Programme, the 6^th most polluting source of plastic. The 5 preceding before are Cigarette Butts, Drink Bottles, Bottle Caps, Food Wrappers and finally Grocery Bags[1].

According to a research by Greenpeace[2], the 10 companies that are flooding the planet with throw away plastics are Coca Cola, Pepsi, Nestle, Danone, Mondelez International, Protecter & Gamble, Unilever, Perfetti van Melle, Mars Incorporated and Colagate-Palmolive. Interestingly none of these companies manufacture or use plastic shopping bags as their packaging.

Therefore it is of interest to note that why has the Plastic Shopping Bag been singled out when clearly its not the number 1 or second or third problem? Some say that plastic bags are the biggest source of visual pollution so my question to them is whether when someone is sick do we cure the symptoms or do we cure the disease?

Regarding the economic disaster, all plastic needed to manufacture carry bags is imported and tax revenue is collected at source. With a country that has a chronic problem of tax avoidance this is one of the few sectors where all raw material, which is 90% of the finished product, is taxed at source and income for the government.

As of late we have been hearing rumours from the corridors of power that we want to ban plastic just as Kenya has banned plastic bags. Just to put things in perspective, the population of Kenya is 49.7 million as opposed to ours 220 million. The GDP of Kenya is USD 74.94 billion versus Pakistan’s USD 305 billion. Fellow countrymen, Kenya had 176 plastic factories employing a total of around 3000 people. Punjab alone has 5000 plastic bag manufacturers employing 800,000 people (their employment feeds at least 4 million hungry mouths). 

Instead of looking at Kenya should we not look at how our region is trying to overcome this challenge? UAE, Saudia and India all allow the use of the oxo-biodegradable technology to tackle the issue of littered plastic waste. The governments of these countries have been seeking assistance from professional researchers, scientists, academics and stakeholders. It seems unfortunately in Pakistan, we have been seeking assistance from Twitter & Facebook!

PAKISTAN ZINDABAD!

[1] United Nations – Environment Programme (https://www.unenvironment.org/interactive/beat-plastic-pollution/)

[2] GreenPeace (https://www.greenpeace.org/international/story/18876/these-10-companies-are-flooding-the-planet-with-throwaway-plastic/)

The post Plastics: An Eco-villain or an Unsung Hero? – Multi-part series first appeared on ACC Polymers.

Each year the show keeps on growing attracting visitors from all over the world as well as all significant players from across the industry. The only difference this year was the increased attendance from visitors as well as exhibitors which was visible throughout the 3 day event.

ACC Polymers, keeping up with tradition, exhibited at the event this year as well in order to show case new product lines and developments that we have undertaken since the last one year.

With the growing concern worldwide in terms of plastic pollution, companies are looking to minimalize the impact their packaging has on the environment. For this purpose they are willing to rethink and redesign their products with a more concentrated effort than ever before. This naturally leads to a requirement for a product like Addiflex, the best solution for plastic waste. We received an overwhelming response to our technology and customers from all sectors are interested in using Addiflex to convert regular plastics to biodegradable plastics.

We also showcased products by BioCote (UK) Ltd. BioCote are a world leading anti microbial solutions specialist with an experience of over 25 year in helping their customers convert regular products into specialized anti microbial products. These solutions were an instant hit with our customers from the Healthcare sector, Food & Beverage industry, Building materials manufacturers and Food-packaging sectors.

Another successful display in our product line up was the Polypropylene giant Hyosung Chemical Corporation from South Korea. As a leading global supplier of polypropylene resins Hyosung produces materials that are used in piping systems, medical equipments, transparent food packaging containers and bottle caps. Hyosung is known for its technically superior products and fair prices along with the vast technical knowledge of polymer processing and usage.

At ACC Polymers we strive to be the best at what we do. This best is derived from the support we receive from trading partners and technology suppliers. The 3P event was a perfect example of how we worked with our partners and technology suppliers to bring the latest and technologically advanced solutions to our valued customers. For this we would like to give a shout out to the team at Addiflex, BioCote and Hyosung Corporation.

We would also like to thank our customers for their extended support as usual. This support encourages us to look for new technologies and innovative solutions and present these innovative solutions to our customers. Thank you for making the event a success!

The post 15TH INTERNATIONAL 3P PLAS, PRINT, PACK PAKISTAN 2019 first appeared on ACC Polymers.

On August 20, 2018 an article appeared in the prestigious daily DAWN newspaper with the title “‘Oxo degradable plastic bags disastrous to environment’” (https://www.dawn.com/news/1428026).

The following is a correcting point of view for the article.

The article published in DAWN Newspaper on 20th August 2018 shows lack of understanding on the topic of oxo-biodegradable technology, compostable technology as well as use of paper and cloth bags by the contributors. The article repeatedly mentions oxo-degradable instead of oxo-biodegradable plastic products.

The Sindh Environment Protection Agency through the Sindh Environmental Act 2014 has banned use of conventional plastics and only allowed use of oxo-biodegradable products. Oxo-degradation means “degradation resulting from oxidative cleavage of macromolecules (CEN TR 15351)” whereas Oxo-biodegradation means, “degradation resulting from oxidative and cell-mediated phenomena either simultaneously or successively (CEN TR 15351)”. Oxo-biodegradable plastic is “a polymer capable of oxo-biodegradation”.

Oxo-biodegradable technology is being used worldwide including in United Arab Emirates, Oman, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, China etc. The writer has a wrong understanding of the natural biodegradation process. The article quotes that “..do not completely disintegrate..”. This is a false and misleading argument. Oxidative degradation of polymeric and organic matter is the most common phenomenon for biochemical degradation on earth. Everything in nature disintegrates into constituents by initial chemical reaction. This includes metal, aluminium, plastic, natural polymers found in wood, paper etc.

Secondly, after the fragmentation or as the news article says “tiny particles”, the process of biodegradation continues. The oxo-biodegradable process initially induces oxidation of the polymer during which chain scission produces low molecular weight fragments, which are oxidised and hydrophilic. Those molecular species are then available as carbonaceous food sources for microbes. Microbes digest these species to not only produce CO2 but to use a material for cell growth and conversion to humus in a similar manner to wood and leaf matter. It would also be worthwhile to think how does wood, textiles or anything in the world biodegrades? They fragment into smaller pieces before their molecular weight reaches a certain point where they become food source for microbes. Almost everything on earth biodegrades in the same manner including starch based products, oxo-biodegradable products, paper products and cloth products.

Thirdly, the article suggests “…impacting the soil’s fertility…” is as well incorrect. The residues during the complete oxo-biodegradation process in soil do not contain any toxic substances and have shown no negative effect in the OECD guidelines for testing the eco-toxicity.

Additionally the use of “…starch based plastic..” is also a misleading statement. Natural based polymers are as well chemical polymers which as well initially, disintegrate and finally biodegrade. The only difference is the initiation of the hydro-degradable polymers is by hydrolosis and with an oxo-biodegradable system by a catalytic oxidative process. One can see below:

BASF (One of the largest producers of starch based plastic) quote: as of minute 1:56 down the official video:
“…the remaining fragments of the polymer molecules become smaller and smaller until they can be digested by the microorganisms…broken down into CO2, H2O and biomass…”

Exactly the same process like oxo-biodegradation!

In view of the information cited above, which is taken from the public domain, one is made to think whether the promotion of PLA based (starch based) technologies, which is considerably more expensive and involves billions of dollars in terms of production plants, is to cater to the interests of these multi national corporations who otherwise have been unable to make their presence felt?

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Eight million tonnes of plastics enter the oceans every year, much of which has accumulated in five giant garbage patches around the planet, according to a new study

The vast dump of plastic waste swirling in the Pacific ocean is now bigger than France, Germany and Spain combined—far larger than previously feared—and is growing rapidly, a study published Thursday warned.

Researchers based in the Netherlands used a fleet of boats and aircraft to scan the immense accumulation of bottles, containers, fishing nets and microparticles known as the “Great Pacific Garbage Patch” (GPGP) and found an astonishing build-up of plastic waste.

“We found about 80,000 tonnes of buoyant plastic currently in the GPGP,” Laurent Lebreton, lead author of the study published in the journal Scientific Reports, told AFP.

That’s around the weight of 500 jumbo jets, and up to sixteen times greater than the plastic mass uncovered there in previous studies.But what really shocked the team was the amount of plastic pieces that have built up on the marine gyre between Hawaii and California in recent years. They found that the dump now contains around 1.8 trillion pieces of plastic, posing a dual threat to marine life.

Microplastics, tiny fragments of plastic smaller than 5mm in size that make up the vast majority of items in the GPGP, can enter the food chain when swallowed by fish. The pollutants they contain become more concentrated as they work their way up through the food web, all the way to top level predators such as sharks, seals and polar bears.

“The other environmental impact comes from the larger debris, especially the fishing nets,” said Lebreton. These net fragments kill marine life by trapping fish and animals such as turtles in a process known as ‘ghost fishing’.

The research team from the Ocean Cleanup Foundation, a Dutch start-up aiming to scoop up half the debris in the GPGP within five years, were surprised in particular in the build-up of larger plastic items, which accounted for more than 90 percent of the GPGP’s mass.This might offer a glimmer of hope, as larger plastics are far easier to find and fish out than microplastics.

Source: https://phys.org/news/2018-03-pacific-plastic-dump-larger.html

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Plastic poses a great threat to the environment as it takes years and years to degrade. This contributes directly to environmental pollution by ruining aesthetics as well as contributing to diseases because of choking sewage. However, people continue to use plastics due to its numerous benefits such as it being light-weight, flexible and waterproof. Additionally plastic is known to increase shelf life of products including vegetables, fruit and other edibles.

The following Mockumentary tracks a plastic bag from the Store out in the environment and finally breaking down in the Ocean in what is known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.

However, due to its properties which include being light-weight, flexible and waterproof, it is the most efficient packaging available to-date. ADD-X Biotech AB thus created ADDIFLEX: Your solution to Plastic Waste. A small amount of ADDIFLEX mixed with polymers can make your plastic biodegradable thus creating a win-win solution for everybody.

Contact us using the form on our website for additional information.

The post The Majestic Plastic Bag – A Mockumentary first appeared on ACC Polymers.

3th International Exhibition & Conference on Plastic, Printing & Packaging Industry and Food, Equipment & Technology

y from the 24^th to 26^th March 2017 at the Lahore Expo Centre, Lahore. The show was attended by the visitors from across the country as well as international visitors and we had a wonderful time engaging with existing as well as potential clients.

ADDIFLEX was the No. 1 topic with customers inquiring about new applications, testing possibilities as well as discussions about how to incorporate the technology to fulfill their CSR agendas.

The Pakistan plastic industry is going through a very interesting phase with a lot of development and focus on new and innovative technologies. ACC Polymers vision of being a technically competent supplier of advanced materials and innovative technologies sits very nicely with the trend that we saw at the Exhibition. The trust our customers have placed with us motivates us to work harder and find new possibilities and avenues of growth for our customers. We would like to say a BIG THANK YOU to our valued customers and clients who have supported us over the years and enabled us to serve them and look forward to a bright future!

The post 13TH INTERNATIONAL 3P PLAS, PRINT, PACK PAKISTAN 2017 IN LAHORE first appeared on ACC Polymers.

By: ET Correspondent

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has called a meeting of the representatives of traders’ associations on Monday to discuss ban the non-degradable plastic shopping bags, officials said on Sunday. According to officials, the EPA authorities have already issued notices and carried out an awareness campaign before implementing the ban on plastic shoppers. An environmental
hazard that chokes the gutters and creates  land and air pollution, the making and sale of plastic shoppers was banned in the country during mid-90s, however, it could not be implemented due to the convenience the  product provides. Officials said EPA has decided to implement the manufacturing, sale and use of non-degradable plastic shopping bags in Islamabad. In this regard the authority has sent notices to the relevant trade bodies. Letters seeking cooperation to implement the ban have also been sent to the leaders of the business community in Islamabad. They said that traders have been sensitized over the hazard these bags pose. Moreover, representatives of the traders have been warned about the penalties EPA could impose if the ban on plastic shoppers was not followed.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 9^th, 2017.  (https://tribune.com.pk/story/1288622/plastic-bags-ban-epa-calls-trade-bodies-mull-move/)

The post Plastic bags ban: EPA calls trade bodies to mull move first appeared on ACC Polymers.

ACC Polymers took the initiative to exhibit a host of new products including its star product oxo-biodegradable additive ADDIFLEX along with various specialty items including Flame Retardants, Anti Microbials, Anti Rodents, Compounds for cables and pipes and various other specialty additives.

Customers learnt about new product applications, cost reduction methods and technical advancements. They were also educated about testing facilities available at BATA Pakistan Ltd. involving accelerated QUV weathering tester and accelerated Oven testing.

A team from Polytec Masterbatch LLC (UAE) was also available to show case their high-quality premium product li

Pak Plas 2016 Award Ceremony

ne for engineering plastics including Poly Carbonate (PC), Poly Styrene (PS), Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS), Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET), Polyamid (PA), Styrene Acrylonitrile Resin (SAN) etc.

Director Marketing & Business Development of ACC Polymers Mr. Ahsan Ejaz gave a presentation on “Biodegradable Plastics and Anti Microbial additives” in the Conferences & Seminars session which was attended by academics, industry sources and students.

As always it is our customers who made this event successful. We are grateful for your presence and support and look forward to continue serving you in the future!

The post PakPlas 2016 – International Plastics Expo at Lahore Expo Centre first appeared on ACC Polymers.

This is the third consecutive year of participation by ACC Polymers in 3P.

The team at ACC Polymers would like to extend their gratitude for all attendees of the fair. The support and encouragement shown by our Punjab based customers is acknowledged and greatly appreciated. We continue to strive and offer the best product in the market to suit our customer needs.

This year there there was a special focus on new applications such as oxo-biodegradable plastic envelopes replacing paper envelopes and use of oxo-biodegradable garbage bags for solid waste management. BATA Pakistan which has the only professionally run oxo-biodegradable plastic testing lab in the region, was also able to demonstrate its testing equipment, allowing customers to check whether converters are complying with their requests for oxo-biodegradable plastics.

The event was also covered by print and electronic media. Pakistan’s leading business newspaper “Business Recorder” held an exclusive interview with the CEO of the company followed by an interview with AAJ TV, a leading business channel.

The post 11th International 3P Plas, Print, Pack Pakistan 2015 in Lahore first appeared on ACC Polymers.

Addiflex Stall at 3P, Karachi – 2014

ACC Polymers exhibited in the 3P Plas, Print, Pack Pakistan Exhibition held in Karachi Expo Centre 2014.

The team at ACC Polymers would like to thank all the attendees who visited the stall during the exhibition. We are very grateful for the support extended from our Sindh customers and business partners.

Keeping in line with tradition, ACC Polymers was the largest oxo-biodegradable additive supplier exhibiting at the fair. The company also announced on this occasion the establishment of the first oxo-biodegradable testing lab in the region in a JV with BATA Pakistan Ltd. This news was received very positively by the industry as prior to this they were facing difficulties and long waiting times for tests to be done from laboratories out of Pakistan.

Once again, we are thankful for your support and hope you will extend the same in the future!

See: http://dailymessenger.com.pk/business/2014/03/18/over-75-foreign-companies-participating-at-3p-plas-print-pack-pakistan-2014/

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