PlasticsToday

Our latest roundup of new tools and auxiliary equipment for injection molders, extruders, and other #plastics processors has been published. Products from @AECInc, @Movacolor, @HASCOAmerica, @PCS_Company, and @AntonPaar are featured bit.ly/7944

Grappling with an “extremely tough year for the entire chemical industry” in 2025 that won’t see a reversal of fortune until the second half of 2026 “at the earliest,” #Lanxess CEO Matthias Zachert announced further job cuts bit.ly/4uGrxsV

You may have heard of the “missing plastic paradox,” where the quantity of #oceanplastics expected to be found is far higher than what is observed. New #research involving fiddler crabs may help to unravel this paradox. For the full story: bit.ly/4sR3mGj #plastic

#Netflix doc “The Plastic Detox” tells the story of Dr. Shanna Swan helping couples who are having difficulties conceiving a child. That, however, is just the framing story — it's mostly peddling misinformation about the #plastics industry bit.ly/4uB87p7

The closure of the Strait of Hormuz caused by the #Iran war is wreaking havoc for key Middle East exports, including polyethylene and polypropylene, and causing major price hikes, according to #ICIS analysts. bit.ly/3NnLhki #plastics

AI on the factory floor is no longer a pilot project—it’s how work gets done. But as the plastics industry adopts industrial AI, three challenges remain: trust, change management, and data quality. Read the full story now. utm.io/umHJN

Technimark strengthens its dominance in medical manufacturing. 🚀 By acquiring Rage Custom Plastics, Technimark adds critical blow-molding and injection-molding capacity to its portfolio, with a focus on the medical and consumer healthcare sectors. utm.io/umCVw

A clear-headed op-ed from Cassandra Turgman of Live Solutions poses the question many of us are asking: One year on, have #tariffs been the game changer for US #manufacturing that was promised? Spoiler alert: The president doesn’t get a passing grade. bit.ly/3Njlqd2

The #Iran war has upended the petrochemicals industry and, by extension, global #plastics trade. In fact, the resin and upstream markets delivered the highest weekly transaction volume in the 25-year history of the Plastics Exchange bit.ly/4sfbIHZ @PlasticsXchange

The world’s largest democracy, #India is now also the world’s fourth largest #economy, right behind Germany. Analysts predict that it could slip into third place within the next couple of years. Here’s why bit.ly/3P4zJCU #plastics

As refineries are idled across the Middle East and the Strait of Hormuz remains paralyzed, global #plastics supply chains may be among the collateral damage of this conflict bit.ly/4u9XQ30 #Iran

According to PLASTICS (Plastics Industry Association) Chief Economist Perc Pineda, PhD, the US economy showed resilience in 2025, expanding 2.2% despite evolving tariff policies, and uneven manufacturing trends. Visit PlasticsToday.com for our coverage.

Specialty materials distributor #Formerra announced today the appointment of Tom Kelly as CEO, a seasoned executive with more than 30 years of specialty and engineered materials experience bit.ly/4sgMYyK #plastics

The conflict in the Middle East is threatening a major #polymer export hub, as debris from an aerial interception sparked a fire at one of the berths at the port of Jabel Ali in the United Arab Emirates, reports market intelligence firm Argus. bit.ly/46AWCE5 #IranWar

Don’t confuse this “sea of plastic” with the #plastic soup drifting across various oceans. It’s a land-based 150-square-mile expanse of polyethylene-covered greenhouses in Spain that feed a half-billion people annually. plasticstoday.com/materials/this…

While the #plastics industry generally welcomed the Supreme Court striking down the Trump #tariffs imposed under the emergency economic powers act, uncertainty continues to cloud the business outlook bit.ly/40xcSlK #SCOTUS

We asked #plastics professionals attending the recent #MDMWest event in Anaheim, CA, what’s keeping them up at night. Milacron’s Kent Royer had a couple of things on his mind: The skilled labor shortage and, of course, #tariffs @Milacron

President #Trump has no shortage of issues to touch on during his State of the Union address tomorrow, but Ross Eisenberg, president of America’s Plastic Makers, hopes he can find a bit of time to talk #plastics bit.ly/4tO7doY #SOTU

Formerra VP of Sales Kelly Wessner shared what's keeping her up at night with PlasticsToday at #MDMWest: It's all about supply chain security and scenario planning, and meeting customers where they are. Read the full interview: bit.ly/3ZLl4yC

In his Talent Talk column, executive recruitment professional @KLA_Industries Paul Sturgeon noted that #productivity spiked almost 5% in Q3 of last year after being flat since 2011. Are economists underestimating a potential productivity surge in 2026?bit.ly/4ri1SEr