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Smart Plastic Technologies Showcases Breakthrough SPTek ECLIPSE Bioassimilation Solutions at the National Restaurant Association Show 2023 (North Building Booth #5628)
Smart Plastic Technologies continues to make a significant impact on the global plastic waste crisis with its revolutionary, patent-pending, SPTek ECLIPSE™ Bioassimilation technology. This weekend, the company's vice president, Robin Misir, and his team will be attending the highly anticipated National Restaurant Association Show 2023 in Chicago to showcase these groundbreaking solutions.
With the ECLIPSE™ Bioassimilation technology, Smart Plastic is providing immediate and scalable answers to the environmental challenges posed by plastic waste. Introduced to the market approximately two years ago, SPTek ECLIPSE™ Bioassimilation technology has received acceptance in a wide range of product applications. Smart Plastic is excited to exhibit at the National Restaurant Association Show 2023 and introduce this innovative technology to the restaurant and QSR industries.
Addressing the Problem
The world is drowning in plastic waste. Of the 407 million tons of plastic produced annually, a mere 6% is properly recycled. This alarming statistic underscores the urgent need for innovative solutions.
SPTek ECLIPSE™ Bioassimilation technology provides a sustainable solution to eliminate plastic waste by completely breaking down polyolefins, which are the most widely used types of plastic. This means that instead of plastics ending up as long-lasting waste in landfills or polluting the environment as microplastics, the technology ensures full bioassimilation—their complete breakdown after a programmed useful life period as required by the brand owner. This breakthrough allows for proper end-of-life disposal and offers a safety net in case of mismanaged disposal. By targeting the most prevalent plastics and providing a sustainable way to deal with them, Smart Plastic Technologies has reached a significant milestone in the fight against the global plastic waste crisis.
Read on to learn more about the specific use cases of SPTek ECLIPSE™ Bioassimilation technology.
SPTek ECLIPSE™ Straw
Plastic straws contribute significantly to the global plastic waste crisis, with 500 million single-use straws discarded daily in the United States alone. Smart Plastic tackles this problem head-on with the SPTek ECLIPSE™ Bioassimilation Straw, which offers a scalable and environmentally friendly alternative. These straws are designed to be 100% recyclable and bioassimilate within approximately 42 months, eliminating legacy plastic’s long-lasting harm to the environment.
SPTek ECLIPSE™ Pouch
Traditional multi-layer pouches pose a significant challenge to recycling efforts, with the majority ending up in landfills. The SPTek ECLIPSE™ Pouch provides a game-changing solution: a recyclable alternative that maintains the beneficial properties of stand-up pouches. These pouches are entirely made of a homogenous material, including the zipper, ensuring hassle-free recycling and eliminating the accumulation of plastic waste in landfills. As with all SPTek-infused products, in the event of inappropriate disposal, the pouch will fully bioassimilate.
SPTek VANISH Stretch Film, POWERED BY SPTek ECLIPSE™
Stretch film is a ubiquitous plastic shipping material used extensively in the global economy. It is the number-one use of polyolefin film in the world. SPTek VANISH Stretch Film, powered by SPTek ECLIPSE™ Bioassimilation technology, provides a recyclable and environmentally conscious solution that bioassimilates within approximately 6-24 months, leaving zero microplastics behind. By using this stretch film, businesses can protect their cargo without compromising the environment, preventing billions of pounds of plastic waste from entering ecosystems and landfills annually.
The Results
By incorporating SPTek ECLIPSE™ Bioassimilation technology into foodservice products, Smart Plastic Technologies is spearheading a positive change in the industry. Our commitment to reducing plastic waste ensures these innovative solutions have a lasting positive impact on the environment. With the adoption of SPTek ECLIPSE™ Bioassimilation products,foodservice companies are joining the global effort to reduce the volume of plastic in landfills and eliminate the plastic waste crisis that damages ecosystems around the world.
Come Say Hi!
The presence of Smart Plastic Technologies at the National Restaurant Association Show 2023 in Chicago, with Vice President Robin Misir leading the way, represents a significant milestone in the fight against plastic waste. SPTek ECLIPSE™ Bioassimilation technology has proven to be the most effective solution to the plastic waste crisis, ensuring that plastic products can be disposed of responsibly and without harm to the environment. By developing these innovative solutions, Smart Plastic Technologies continues to lead the charge toward a more sustainable and eco-friendly future.
Take a few minutes to visit Robin and the team in NorthBuilding Booth #5628 at the show this weekend and learn how Smart Plastic can help your business conquer the plastic waste crisis.
PFNonwovens’ new Eclipse® technology by Smart Plastic renders polyolefin-based nonwovens degradable.
Headquartered in Prague, Czech Republic, PFNonwovens has been a leading global producer and innovator of customized spunmelt nonwoven fabrics for decades. This INDA member manufactures nonwovens for use in the personal hygiene market such as baby diapers, adult incontinence and feminine hygiene products and wipes. PFN also supplies construction, agricultural and medical applications.
"Our tradition of innovation is continuing today with the development of a sustainable solutions platform to improve end-of-non-woven product life," said Tonny de Beer, Chief Technology & Sustainability Officer for PFN.
PFN’s product advances include carbon footprint optimization and carbon footprint modeling. One example of these advances is our end-of-non-woven product life breakthrough innovation based on Smart Plastic's SPTek ECLIPSE™ bio-assimilation technology, which renders polyolefin based nonwovens degradable. Smart Plastic Technologies confirms that ECLIPSE™ is backed by the world’s first C-13 carbon labeling bio-assimilation test, which definitively demonstrated the transfer of carbon from an ECLIPSE™-enabled polyolefin film into the cell walls of microorganisms, creating biomass.
This joint venture in collaboration with Smart Plastic Technologies is progressing rapidly. Nonwoven manufacturing process validation steps including masterbatch addition and formula optimization have been successfully demonstrated. Accelerated aging tests of the ECLIPSE™-enabled nonwovens showed the desired rapid disintegration (e.g., polymer molecular weight reduction) profiles of the PP based material. Followup bio-assimilation tests, including microbial consumption resulting in water, small amounts of carbon dioxide, and biomass as final products at specific conditions simulating various end-of-product life environments (e.g. terrestrial, marine, etc.), are currently underway.
Finally, PFN’s robust corporate environmental sustainability program, which is centered around emissions and waste reduction, contributes to further reduce PFN’s impact on the environment. For example, 100% green electricity is now used at all the company’s manufacturing sites in the Czech Republic.
(This article originally appeared on the INDA website and is republished here in its entirety with permission).
Through our unique partnership, Smart Plastic and Munchkin® are changing plastic. Munchkin products and packaging using Smart Plastic's ECLIPSE™ technology will disappear from the Earth, leaving zero plastic waste.
We couldn't contain our smiles all around when we recently read about our ECLIPSE™ technology being featured in Munchkin's sustainability report. Our partnership with Munchkin is unique, and it is changing plastic for the better — for a brighter future on our "Big Blue Marble." Munchkin CEO Steven Dunn says it best in his opening letter:
"Big changes begin with baby steps. But let’s cut to the chase; we’re way past learning to walk. When I began Munchkin 32 years ago, I had a goal of simplifying parenting by inventing smart, reliable products. This promise still holds true today, but it has added weight. Our newest innovations look beyond immediate usage and focus on long-term environmental sustainability to support a 360 world. It’s not complicated. We invest in our children’s future, just as parents do each day. Kids grow fast, so we need to work faster. Our ongoing commitment to the United Nations Global Compact (the world’s largest corporate sustainability initiative) and our recent announcement with Smart Plastic Technologies reinforce the actions we are taking to preserve our children’s playground. Concerned about greenwashing? So are we. This report does more than make promises. It is packed with the actions we are making to change the world today." —STEVEN B. DUNN, CEO & Founder, Munchkin Inc.
We couldn't agree more.
You may read the entire report here: https://www.munchkin.com/media/Munchkin_Sustainability_Report_2022.pdf
We are thrilled to announce the promotion of Robin Misir to Senior Vice President!
As our new Senior Vice President, Robin will be working closely with our CEO Tim to oversee company operations and promote company growth through 2023 and beyond.
Robin has a successful history of leading initiatives for sales, marketing, and business development for underperforming mid-size companies. His expertise lies in managing the development of custom equipment, products, and process designs that positively impact both the environment and the bottom line.
Throughout his career, Robin has used his forward-thinking skills as an executive to deliver superior operations and product development results. Robin has a track record of finding innovative ways of using revolutionary technology to grow revenue and increase margins.
With Robin as our new Senior Vice President, we will thrive in our mission of transforming plastic into a material that supports circular and regeneration economic models for the future of our planet and its inhabitants.
four weeks, the Smart Plastic team will be headed to PACK EXPO International 2022!
Last year's event was truly remarkable - we had the opportunity to meet industry leaders from across the United States and beyond. Our entire team is looking forward to this opportunity again.
We will be at Booth #W-23046 in the Containers and Materials Pavillion (West Building) all week.
This year our team is ready to chat all things sustainability, including how our revolutionary ECLIPSE™ Stretch Film and Co-Ex films are making a serious impact on the polymer industry.
PACK EXPO International is the largest packaging and processing trade show in the world. With over 2,000 exhibitors and >40,000 attendees, there will be no shortage of networking and engaging with the industry's best!
Learn more about this year’s event by visiting www.packexpointernational.com.
We recently heard from Highlight Industries who completed a comparison test between traditional Stretch Film and SPTek ECLIPSE™ Stretch Film. See what they had to say!
We pride ourselves on developing products that have all the beneficial properties of plastic without the added environmental damage. It’s essential that our products live up to not only our own customers’ standards – but also to their customers’ standards as well.We recently received the following testimonial from one of our customers and couldn't be more thrilled to hear it.
Highlight Industries:
“Highlight recently conducted comparative lab and load stability tests on two high-performance commercial stretch films, one made with Smart Plastic's SPTek ECLIPSE™ bio-assimilation technology and another without the additive. All tests performed yielded statistically equivalent results, with no noticeable difference in the excellent performance properties of the commercial film, with or without the ECLIPSE™ additive. These results are all the more impressive considering the ECLIPSE™ content will reportedly render the stretch film capable of complete bio-assimilation. This is a real win for green technology in the stretch film industry.”
Smart Plastic Technologies has been working with LMPE since 2016 to conduct research and develop SPTek products. This technical partnership is integral to our work and company growth.
At Smart Plastic our partnerships are a fundamental support mechanism for our business. We are thrilled to highlight a key technical partner that we have been working with since the beginning to create and irrevocably prove our ECLIPSE™ technology - LMPE, an eco-compatible polymeric materials laboratory based in Lucca, Italy.
Together with LMPE, Pisa University, CNR Laboratories, and other university bio-science labs, we designed and conducted the first-ever C-13 test to determine bio-assimilation in ECLIPSE™-enabled plastic. This bio-assimilation test conclusively tracks the origin of carbon within a closed environment using Carbon-13. In addition to our laboratory work, Dr. Lucia Perez, LMPE’s former Materials & Bio-Systems Engineer, is a member of our Science Advisory board, supporting the technical development of our products.
The methodology of the C-13 carbon labeling test is quite simple, it took degraded ECLIPSE™ material and fed it to a colony of microorganisms in order to prove bio-assimilation. To track the amount of carbon given off during the test and the growth of the colony, proving bio-assimilation, the researchers used carbon labeling with Carbon-13 atoms. The carbon labeling showed that the locked hydro-carbon chains in the plastic broke down to an open carbon source which the colony of microorganisms could use as a fuel source, breaking the material down completely with no microplastics left.
Wikipedia describes carbon labeling as such:
Carbon labeling is a form of isotopic labeling where a carbon-12 atom has been replaced with either a carbon-13 atom or a carbon-14 atom in a chemical compound so as to 'tag' that position of the compound to assist in determining the way a chemical reaction proceeds.
We began working with LMPE in 2016 to conclusively prove our revolutionary ECLIPSE™ technology. We are delighted that such a reputable laboratory is one of our technical partners and we look forward to working with LMPE as we continue to better plastic for the future of our planet and its inhabitants.
About LMPE
LMPE (Ecosustainable Polymeric Materials Laboratory) srl Benefit Company is an Italian Innovative Start-up and is an affiliated Spin-off to INSTMThe National Inter-University Consortium of Materials Science and Technology. LMPE’s mission is aimed at the research & development of materials, processes, and technologies in the field of polymeric materials, and semi-finished and eco-friendly finished products.
Understanding the importance of the circular economy, LMPE is a member of the ICESP (Italian Circular Economy Stakeholder Platform). LMPE uses a set of modern equipment in collaboration with the INSTM Consortium and the Department of Chemistry and Industrial Chemistry of the Pisa University.
The following tests are completed at LMPE:
This year’s Earth Day theme is ‘Invest in our Planet’. Read how we're prioritizing the future of our planet through various initiatives below.
While the first Earth Day was hosted in 1970, it was not recognized worldwide for another 20 years. Now 32 years since Earth Day went global, more than a billion people mark the day to show support for the continual protection of our planet and its inhabitants.
Earth Day calls upon individuals, governments, organizations, and all sizes of companies, to reflect on the ways they impact our planet and its hundreds of ecosystems. At Smart Plastic we grasp and actively invest in the future of our planet every day.
We’re investing in our planet so future generations of people and creatures can thrive in a flourishing and healthy world.
In partnership with Sigma Plastics Group, we are thrilled to announce the production expansion of Sigma Stretch VANISH, which is powered by our SPTek ECLIPSE™ bio-assimilation technology.
In partnership with Smart Plastic Technologies, Sigma Stretch announced today they are expanding the production of Sigma Stretch VANISH, powered by SPTek ECLIPSE™ bio-assimilation technology, to all five production facilities across North America. The initial launch of this product, which was rolled out to selected Sigma Stretchdistributors in late 2021, generated tremendous interest from brand owners who wanted to take action towards their sustainability goals. Switching to Sigma Stretch VANISH or SPTek ECLIPSE™ Stretch Film ensures that they will not add to the accumulation of plastic waste in the environment if the stretch film is not properly recycled.
Mark Teo, CEO and President of Sigma Plastics said:
“We evaluated numerous products to provide an option for our customers that would take care of any of our products that were not properly recycled and leaked into the environment. We selected Smart Plastic and their patent-pending SPTek ECLIPSE™ bio-assimilation technology because it proved best-in-class. Expanding production and taking our partnership with Smart Plastic to new levels will be a tremendous highlight of 2022 for Sigma Plastics as we continue striving for environmentally responsible products and practices.”
Jay Tapp, President and COO of Smart Plastic Technologies, added:
“The Smart Plastic team is tremendously proud to partner with long-standing industry leader Sigma Plastics Group on a number of important sustainability initiatives. Our latest collaboration with Sigma Stretch was the development of a range of ECLIPSE™ enabled hand and machine stretch films. Despite the impact of COVID-19, we built a strong partnership with Sigma Stretch, successfully launching ECLIPSE™ Stretch Film at Pack Expo 2021 in Las Vegas, and presenting at the 2021 AMI Stretch & Shrink Conference on the impact of plastic waste and closed-loop recycling. We are thrilled that the initial response has ignited a need for production expansion and look forward to continuing our work with Sigma Stretch throughout 2022.”
The initial launch of Sigma Stretch VANISH followed a period of intense efficacy and performance testing that determined ECLIPSE™ enabled stretch films performed identically to the original products. The launch produced over 500,000 pounds of stretch film which was allocated to various Sigma Stretch distributors. Additional distributors could order Smart Plastic’s SPTek ECLIPSE™ Stretch Film directly from Smart Plastic Technologies. With the production expansion, Sigma Stretch estimates that an additional 30 million pounds of Sigma Stretch VANISH will be available for distributors throughout 2022. First and foremost, SPTek ECLIPSE™ enabled stretch film is designed to be recycled. However, if it evades the recycling system, following a guaranteed functional life span of 2-years, the stretch film will completely bio-assimilate within 6-24 months, resulting in zero microplastics.
Tim Murtaugh, Founder of Smart Plastic Technologies, added:
“As the urgency for responsible and sustainable products increases within the world of plastics, we are grateful to be partnered with such a reputable organization as Sigma Plastics Group. We look forward to seeing the monumental benefits of this partnership manifest.”
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This partnership aims to enhance the sustainability of hygiene and medical nonwovens, which are integral components of personal and professional health care products.
PFNonwovens and Smart Plastic Technologies announced that they have signed an exclusive joint development agreement for the use of Smart Plastic’s patent-pending SPTek ECLIPSE™ technology in PFNonwovens’ hygiene and medical nonwoven products.
Tonny de Beer, Chief Product, Technology and Sustainability Officer of PFNonwovens commented:
“We are very excited for this joint development partnership with Smart Plastic Technologies. Our initial work together has already shown that we can use the ECLIPSE™ bio-assimilation technology on pilot-scale equipment. Now, our focus is to optimize the formulation for nonwovens to ensure performance and meet end-of-life goals.”
He added:
“Nonwoven fabrics have become a critical part of everyday life, and this technology has the makings of a breakthrough solution. Diapers, Fem Care and Adult Incontinence products are integral to how we care for ourselves and for each other. The pandemic has reinforced once again how nonwoven gowns and face masks save and protect lives. At the same time, it is imperative to find better solutions to deal with the post-use nonwoven waste and associated environmental problems. We envision that SPTek ECLIPSE™ enabled nonwovens will be a high-impact solution.”
Jay Tapp, President & COO of Smart Plastic, added:
“Smart Plastic and PFNonwovens are aligned on developing environmentally-responsible solutions as we transition to a more sustainable economy. SPTek ECLIPSE™️ bio-assimilation is a proven technology that has been used commercially across several industries both in the USA and around the world to significantly reduce the impact plastic has on the environment. Our strategic partnership with PFNonwovens represents an important step in Smart Plastic’s mission to reduce plastic waste and help prevent further damage to the environment.”
Smart Plastic’s SPTek ECLIPSE™ accelerates the bio-assimilation of polypropylene and polyethylene polymers at the end of a product’s guaranteed life span in terrestrial, marine, and landfill environments. The revolutionary ECLIPSE™ bio-assimilation technology steadily reduces and modifies the polymer chains to enable the assimilation of these molecules by microorganisms, transforming the material into biomass, CO2, and water. The technology is FDA approved, 100% recyclable, and has already been commercialized by Smart Plastic Technologies in various industries.
Tim Murtaugh, CEO & Founder of Smart Plastic Technologies, also commented:
“We are very pleased to join forces with leading companies like PFNonwovens on our journey to create a legacy of true global sustainability. We are delighted to have an opportunity to build a strong working relationship with one of the world’s leading manufacturers of sophisticated nonwovens.”
