NEWS


OECD: global plastic waste may triple by 2060


The amount of plastic waste produced globally could triple by 2060 – with only a minority likely to be recycled. A report from the OECD


– Global Plastics Outlook: Policy Scenarios to 2060 – says around half the waste will end up in landfill and less than a fifth will be recycled. It estimates that almost two-thirds of plastic waste in 2060 will be from short-lived items such as packaging, low-cost products and textiles. “If we want a world that is


free of plastic pollution, we will need to take much more stringent and globally co-ordinated action,” said


Mathias Cormann, secretary- general of OECD. The report projects global plastics consumption rising from 460m tonnes in 2019 to 1,231m tonnes in 2060. Growth will be fastest in developing and emerging countries in Africa and Asia, although OECD countries will still produce more plastic waste per person (238kg per year) in 2060 than non- OECD countries (77 kg). Globally, plastic leakage into the environment will double to 44m tonnes/year, while build-up in lakes, rivers and oceans will more than triple – as plastic waste rises from 353m tonnes in 2019


to 1,014m tonnes in 2060. The report proposes a number of policies that could help to prevent this scenario. These include: taxes on plastics, including packaging; incentives to reuse and repair plastic items; targets for recycled content in new products; improved waste manage- ment infrastructures; and increased litter collection rates. “These concrete policies could significantly curb – and even eliminate – plastic leakage into the environ- ment,” said Cormann. A preliminary version of the report is available here.


Wacker boosts silicone rubber


Wacker Chemie is making investments to the tune of over €100m to expand its silicone rubber production capacities in order to meet growing demand. The company said that all this is in line with new growth


targets it announced in March, as well as its in- creased focus on speciali- ties. Wacker is the world’s second largest silicone manufacturer. Significant expansions for liquid silicone rubber (LSR)


at the main site in Burghaus- en, southern Germany, and in Adrian, Michigan, USA, will be available in the second half of this year. These will come into full effect in 2023. � www.wacker.com


Michigan is Axiom’s latest base


Axiom Engineered Systems, the US subsidiary of a Canadian firm, has chosen Capac, Michigan, for its new injection moulding facility. The site will house its plastic injection manufacturing, warehousing, distribution and admin functions. Until recently, Axiom had supplied US custom- ers from Ontario and Mexico, but, it said, “an influx of recent contracts requires the company to increase production capacity”. The company is planning a further three US facilities and it expects Axiom Engineered Systems to double in both sales and employment over the next three years. Axiom president and


CEO Perry Rizzo revealed that the facility has already secured more than $50m in new business and will begin operations within an eight-month time- frame. � www.axiomgroup.com


Mutares acquires Mann + Hummel business


Munich-based Tier 1 automotive supplier Mutares has agreed to acquire the high-performance plastic parts business of Mann + Hummel. This is the sixth deal Mutares has concluded in 2022. Terms were not disclosed.


As well as Mann + Hummel’s


filtration and separation systems, the transaction includes air intake mani-


folds, high-pressure air lines and fluid reservoirs. It brings in facilities in Bad Harz-


6 INJECTION WORLD | June 2022


burg and Sonneberg in Germany, and Laval, France, with a total of about 1,500 employees. “In addition, it will benefit from synergy


effects with LMS and SFC Solutions Group, which together can offer their customers a broad product portfolio of injection moulded components and elastomer parts worldwide,” Mutares stated. The two firms have further agreed on a manufacturing cooperation. � www.mutares.de � www.mann-hummel.com


www.injectionworld.com


IMAGE: MANN + HUMMEL


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