MUNDOMATERIAL

In March 2008 the European Commission adopted Regulation EC 282/2008, setting out the requirements for recycled plastics to be used in food contact applications. The aim of the regulation is to level the field accross Europe, since up to now the legal status of recycled plastics varied from country to country. Also, the lack of specific legislation made it more difficult for recycled plastics to compete with virgin polymers in this type of end market. The EC is just being consequent with what is already established in Directive 94/62/EC, promoting the recycling of packaging waste. However, the recent regulation covers not only food packaging, but also cutlery, dishes, processing machines, containers, etc. Only plastics already used in food contact applications, or complying with food contact requirements, are covered by the Directive. Excluded from it are the following: materials obtained by chemical recycling, which are covered instead by Directive 2002/72/EC on monomers and additives recycled... 
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Introduction Today I will discuss how the electronics market is changing its approach to sustainability, forced mainly by legislation. When talking about electronics, many products are included: mobiles, computers, DVD and CD players, etc. A 2007 report of the UN University estimated that the amount of new electrical and electronic equipment, EEE, put in 2005 in the EU27 market was 10.3 million tonnes. The waste generated by electronic and electrical equipment, WEEE, in 2005 was lower, between 8.3 and 9.1 million tonnes. The same report also forecasts that in 2020, WEEE will reach 12.3 million tonnes. The volume of electronic waste generated by Europe and the concerns raised by how this waste is treated have lead, among other factors, to three European directives: WEEE, RoHS and REACH. By concerns about how WEEE is treated in developing countries, see the links under Others, at the bottom of the post. WEEE directive, Waste electrical and electronic equipment, 2002/96/EC This directive... 
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I’ve found this video, which I think exemplifies quite graphically why a part of the population is so upset about plastic. It’s the 2007 Winner of Friends of the Earth’s Best One-minute green film award and it was directed by Ulla Jacobsen (Denmark). Go to YouTube’s Friend’s of the Earth page to watch more interesting short films or maybe try to redeem plastic! Absurd and redundant packaging like the one showed in the film it’s just a waste of material. It is also a screen that sometimes don’t allow people the useful applications of plastic. Those in you in the business of packaging, please, please, be sensible. AKPC_IDS += "1730,"; 
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If up to now I’ve discussed materials and companies that produce them, today I’m going to change a bit the perspective. Today I’m going to talk about skateboarding. I know is not a traditional product, but I got curious yesterday watching them jumping around about what kind of materials can withstand such treatment. It also exemplifies one of the most innovative markets in the materials world, leisure sports. If you still can’t see my point, then think about skiing, surfing, windsurfing or snowboarding. And I don’t mean only the boards themselves, there is also all the market generated by accessories like protective equipment, things like helmets, kneepads, elbow pads, etc. It’s a big market, it’s growing and a substantial part of it is added value products. It’s also a good place to test materials and judge their performance. The product I guess there aren’t that many material’s experts that know much about the fascinating world... 
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